Happiest Baby... Preggo Pains... and only 78-ish days to go!

Who else has read the book, "Happiest Baby on the Block"? There's also a DVD, and I gotta tell ya, this concept sounds absolutely incredible!

Here's the deal...
Everyone knows that babies are born with reflexes such as the "rooting reflex" which turns their head in the direction of physical stimulation so that they can find their food source (ie, Mama's Ta-Ta). This is just one reflex that babies are known to be born with... the idea behind the "Happiest Baby" book is that babies also are born with a "Calming Reflex" which can turn a colicky baby into a sweet content baby in a matter of seconds.

Seriously! It's trippy!
The DVD shows videos of this doctor using the techniques and literally a screaming baby (0-3 months) goes from being totally upset to being absolutely blissful in 5 - 15 seconds. I can't wait to try it out! (and hope it works on our baby as it does on TV). You should Google it, or look for YouTube links. It's so cool! I've already gotten a few endorsements (three or four) from other Moms I know who say this is an absolute lifesaver, so I'm pretty sure it's legit.

Preggo Pains...
Our baby now weighs about 2 1/4 pounds, and I think I'm finally starting to really feel pregnant (physically). Throughout the day I get these little twinges and pulls in my lower abdomen as though someone is plucking guitar strings that connect my pelvic floor to my spine. (ouch!) It's kind of a combination of menstrual cramp feeling, and a real muscle pull. (hard to explain, but I'm sure you mothers out there know exactly what I'm talking about). And when I think about how much my body still has to change before delivery, I know I'm only in the beginning of what could be a really uncomfortable time. But... alas... she's worth it.

And then there's the Charlie Horses! God Almighty... a few nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night, yelling some very un-lady like obscenities and clutching my left calf. I had THREE charlie horses in a row! The minute it felt like it was getting better, it would get worse again. Aye aye aye. It was horrible. I finally had to get up and walk around the bedroom in order for the muscles to relax. And then I was sore for a week! No kidding, a week! In the days that followed I tried eating as many bananas as I could get my hands on (not sure if this is just a rumor, or a medical fact, but I thought I'd try it), and started trying to drink a lot more water. Geez, I definitely don't want a repeat of that experience. yuck yuck yuck. Johnny was kind enough to remind me (in the middle of my charlie horse episode) that this was "good practice" for labor. He was trying to calm me, and I was trying to just deal with the pain... so in a way I guess he was right. aye aye aye...

And yes... only 78-ish more days to go! I can't believe it! I'm almost 6 1/2 months pregnant. I think Johnny and I are going to go pick up the crib (thanks so much Mom and Graeme!) and rocking chair (thanks Dad and Carrie!) tonight. We don't have anywhere to set them up yet, but maybe getting them in the house will help to spur us along. We'll also have to pick up the car seat and stroller (thanks Debbie and John!) in the next few weeks just in case she comes early. (let's hope not). (btw... aren't parents the best!)

OK, I better wrap this up. Ciao!

New Belly Pictures, and first baby shower report!

Hi folks!


The baby shower in Texas was a SMASHING success! (thanks Jaclyn, Debbie, and Kim!) We had SO MUCH fun seeing everyone, and we got some really amazing gifts.

But before I talk about that, I'm going to FINALLY post some more belly shots. So, here ya go! Here's progress from the first trimester...





Here's progress from the second trimester (which I'm almost done with! I can't believe it)...

We got some really amazing gifts at the baby shower! Johnny's mom crocheted a baby blanket that is just gorgeous, and Mrs Wood (yep, that's right... our choir teacher from High School) was there and she gave us a quilted baby blanket that she made. These two gifts in particular are incredibly meaningful. I told the audience at the baby shower (when you're opening gifts at a baby shower everyone else is the audience, right?) that I knew I had finally been accepted into the family when, after three years of dating, Johnny's Mom presented me with one of her crocheted blankets.

Hysterically, James (Kim's husband) looks up and says, "Well I still haven't gotten one!" (Oops! Ha ha!)

We got lots of other wonderful gifts, all very practical and useful which is exactly what we need! Burping cloths, baby thermometer, changing pad covers... all essentials.

Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Wood was fabulous... Johnny and I were talking about the fact that 14 years ago (when he was a Sr and I was a Jr in High School) we were "Choir Sweetheart and Beau". Mrs. Wood got us a little cake and everything. At the baby shower this weekend she said, "Yeah, I didn't think this was gonna last". Ha ha! Guess it did!

We also got to see some good friends from college and high school. Damey (who I haven't seen in about 5 years) and Melissa (who I'm not sure I've seen since my wedding!) were both there and it was fabulous to get to see them! What fun!

Because this was a Co-ed baby shower the games were a bit different than they usually are. We didn't play the "guess what kind of candy bar has been melted into the diaper" game... we didn't play the "guess what food this baby food is" game... but we DID play the "guess how large the Mom-To-Be's belly is" game and that was HYSTERICAL!

Johnny's Dad was actually the winner and his guess was exactly right! Turns out he just measured his own belly, so apparently my father-in-law is right around 6 months pregnant. It was wonderful! We all got a kick out of it, and therefore had to take the following picture.

(from left to right, Johnny, Johnny's Dad, Preggo, and Preggo's Dad)...

What a fabulous weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came out. Johnny and I have baby class again tonight... not sure what we are going to cover though.

Last week we talked about different coping mechanisms for pain. We covered the "hypnotherapy" theory (deep breathing and consciously calming yourself); pain isolation (where you focus on the pain and try to identify the center and boundaries of it, which can sometimes actually diffuse it); and another technique where, rather than focusing on the pain, you concentrate on other senses... the sound of the cars outside, the fell of the seat under your body, etc. We practiced each one of these while holding an ice cube in our bare hand for 1 minute. The ice cube can actually be pretty painful, so it was enough to give us some idea of how these techniques could be used.

The first one (the "hypnotherapy" deep breathing) worked the best for me, probably because of my Yoga training.

The last one is the one that worked best for Johnny, so I guess that's the one he'll be using. ;)

Best get back to work now. Love ya!

Baby Classes and upcoming Showers

Last week Johnny and I had our first prenatal class. It was nice, but pretty uneventful. (watched a video, talked about the birthing process, etc)

The other couples are all further along than I am... there was another class that we could have taken starting in April, but that felt too late for me. It wouldn't have ended until late May and because we're due in mid June I felt like it would have been rushing it a bit.

So what did I learn?
I learned that 10 centimeters is really FREAKIN big! I mean, I'm pretty aware of the birthing process in general (and have been able to be in the room while a good friend was giving birth), but I guess I just forgot. Ten centimeters is HUGE! And I was thinking, in the back of my mind, "Wow, my body's gonna get that big? That's amazing!"

Our classes are every Thursday night for the next 5 weeks. I think we'll be talking about coping mechanisms for the pain next. (this being an "all natural" birthing center, there really isn't the option of drugs so we'll see what alternative solutions they present)

In other news, our first baby shower is this weekend. Yeah! I'm so excited to see everyone! I got this really cool and funky outfit to wear... it's totally cute and I can't wait to show it off. It's my 31st birthday on Friday as well, so it'll just be a weekend of celebrations. (woo hoo!)

Our next prenatal appointment is tonight, and I've been trying to beef up my eating habits to gain a little weight (Yes waiter, I think I will look at the dessert menu). We'll see how I do... my weight seems to fluctuate A LOT during the day, so if I weigh myself in the morning it's different than at mid-day or evening. My midwife seemed a little concerned at my last appointment that I wasn't gaining enough weight, but I feel fine.

In any case, we'll see how I do tonight.