Time Is Running Out

Chloe recently went to the doctor and emailed me to say not to worry, but there is some softening and dilation.  So click below!  Plus, this vote is an easier decision to make than who to vote for in the Republican primary.  ;-)

Baby Shower #1

I haven't written in weeks.  I started writing two or three other posts and just didn't feel like they were right.  One was about the fact that nothing was happening but I decided that it was too boring to post.  One was a rant about the cost of living these days and how sad it is that two professionals can barely make ends meet but I decided that was too angry and preachy to post.  So I decided to just not post.

I still don't have too much to say, but in this case "no news is good news" really holds true.  The pregnancy has still been going well.  The kiddies are kicking a lot and not letting Chloe sleep soundly.  She's a little tired at the end of the day, but except for that everything seems fine. 

This weekend was the first baby shower which was thrown by my Chicago friends.  The weekend kind of started on Wednesday when my parents arrived from out of town.  Chloe said it was OK for my parents to come to the doctor's appointment and ultrasound.  My dad, who was a doctor before he retired, had seen ultrasounds before.  My mom decided to come in and watch the ultrasound.  We got great news.  Baby A's head is actually down like the doctor had suspected during last week's appointment and at 33 weeks the baby's position probably will not change.  So hopefully we will avoid the dreaded C-word most pregnant women don't want to hear.  We also got to see Baby A and Baby B open and close their mouths.  It was adorable.

On Friday afternoon we decided to open the presents that had been sent to our house.  We got books, blankets, clothes, the car seats and more.  A very generous high school friend of mine (who spent waaaaaay too much and I need to make an shrine to her in the babies' room) sent us several things including the diaper genie, refill bags for the genie and a cute Baby Einstein toy.  We got a baby monitor thanks to Aunt A, Uncle A and our nephews.  Uncle M sent us several things like bath towels and the most adorable plush rocking horse that sings.

Sunday was the big day and my friends (Bethany, Nannette, Alli, Ali, and Jon with the help of Jeff, Abby, my parents, Derek's mom and Jacki and Shelly) threw Derek and me an amazing shower.  So many friends showed up that we needed more chairs than we could find.  If the saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is true I'll be OK because I saw all the support I have from my friends and family.  We got so many wonderful and generous gifts including a Baby Magic Bullet, decals for the walls, bottles, books, blankets, clothes, a boppy and boppy cover, a baby sling and more.  We had the cutest cake and I will hopefully get pictures up soon so you can see it. 

Chloe did come to shower and I want to say thanks to all of the surrogates and IPs who encouraged me to invite her.  It was so nice to have her meet my family and friends.  Chloe brought Derek and me a beautiful gift.  It was a photo frame with three pictures: one was a Baby A ultrasound picture, one was a Baby B ultrasound picture and one was a belly picture.  She also likes to crotchet and made two adorable hats for the baby.  We can't wait for the babies to wear them. 

My hosting friends also made two books.  The first book was for Chloe.  They asked people to bring thank you notes for Chloe.  I didn't get to see the letters because they were personal, but from time to time during the party I saw Chloe flipping through the book and smiling.  I'm sure the letters were wonderful becuase I have friends who are wonderful.

Derek and I also got a scrapbook where everyone could write in parenting tips.  We got advice on feeding, songs, books, play time, nap time, cleaning, rules, equipment and more.  It's nice to have a book of tips to turn to from people we love and trust.  If you have more ideas let me know.  I'll print out the suggestions and put them in the book.

It was a fun weekend and it made me even more excited to meet these two, cute, little babies.  Next weekend we're off to Iowa to do this all over again with a bunch of Derek's friends.

How Car Seats and Poop Affect Me

There isn't much to report and yet I feel like I have so much going on.  I guess I should say that there isn't much going on that is newsworthy.

I called the hospital and took care of some more paperwork.  I have a very nice contact there who has been extremely helpful to the point that I want to find her boss to praise her.  I called a pediatrician's office so that we can have a pediatrician check on the kids when they are born because the pediatrician we picked doesn't have privileges at the hospital where they will be delivered.  I got more money sent off to my escrow account.  Chloe did her gestational diabetes test and it turned out to be negative so that was good news for her and the babies.  I picked up some more hours at work so hopefully I'll make my 1,250 hours and qualify for FMLA.  The registries are set although Derek and I still have to pick cribs and mattresses. 

According to Jewish tradition we're not suppposed to have anything in the house until the babies are born.  A few thousand years ago when people made their own clothing and only breastfed that might have worked fine.  Nowadays I need my binkies, boppies, bottles and blankies the first day the babies come home.  I have been resistant to having too much in the house but at 30 weeks it is time to prepare.

My wonderful cousin, Wendy, bought us the car seats from the registry.  They arrived yesterday and it was exciting and a little scary to bring them into the house.  Yes, we have a couple of other Target packages that were sent to our home, but there's nothing identifying them as having baby stuff.  The car seats are clearly marked.

This may seem melodramatic, but it was kind of a big deal for me.  It was one more moment (a big moment) that makes being a father seem a little more real to me.  There are moments when it still doesn't seem real, but seeing proof every day will help me know that my dream is coming true.

Tomorrow I'm taking my first parenting class.  My friend learned about the different kinds of poop when she took her class.  Poop is my kryptonite.  At work I'll see a festering wound or watch blood spurting out of body parts without batting an eye, but poop makes me want to run out of the room.  I've built up some tolerance since adopting cats.  I have built up more tolerance since moving in with Derek.  No...don't go there; it's not what you think.  Derek has a cat who doesn't cover his rather smelly poops.  I'm sure, though, nothing will prepare me for the first "poo-nami" or "lolla-poop-looza."  I did just take a baby poop test at http://www.babyzone.com/baby/care/diapers-digestion/quiz/baby-poop-iq and got a 26 our of 33 so it says I'm a pro when it comes to poop. 

On a lighter note, it looks like most people think that I'm having a boy and a girl.  We have a few weeks left to guess.  And, if you're up for guessing some specifics, guess their birth weight, length, and date at ExpectNet.com.  The link is on the right side of my blog.  I just changed my vote.  Keep in mind the babies were a lot heavier than average babies at the last ultrasound, they have leg bones that were measured around the 90th percentile and they will be here one way or another by about 38-ish weeks which is March 28th although my OB is on call that weekend so it could be pushed to a few days later.