A Synopsis of How Rob and Kristie Handled Pregnancy

You know, it hasn't been too bad.

It's 3 weeks before the due date, and we may not have the time to look back until after she's here. And frankly, actually seeing her is going to color our glasses rosy, so we think it's a good opportunity to assess how we got through the last few months, and perhaps answer a few of the most popular questions once and for all.

• Are you excited? Yes. Of course we are. This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to us, and we can hardly stand to even go into the nursery because the fact that there's going to be a baby in it is overwhelming. SO. EXCITED. And yes, Rob is too.
  
• What are you going to name her?! We covered this one early on. Next question.
• How much time are you going to take off? I'll be off from Christmas Eve until March 23. Three full months, and I'm so lucky to be able to do that! Rob will take off a week, and then more time as we decide he needs to.
• Daycare? How can you put your child in daycare? Well, we don't have a lot of choice here. We both work full time, and we need to continue doing that so we can keep things like a house and cars and food and premium cable. And unless one of us hits Megabucks, that's not going to change.
• When are you going to get a bigger house? Probably not for 3-4 years. We figure we have enough going on right now, and we know where everything is in our current house. It's not a palace, but it's big enough for what we're doing for a while.
• You're really not telling people her name? Nope.
• Are you going to vaccinate her? Of course. We're big believers in not having to deal with polio and mumps. We also appreciate when other people vaccinate their own kids.
• When are you going to have a second baby? Probably sometime between January 2009 and the year 2050. We'll keep you posted.
• Are you going to use drugs during labor? You betcha! A calm, non-freaked out mom makes for an easier experience for everyone involved. There's research about this. I have nothing to prove.
• How much weight have you gained? 27 pounds. True story. Quite proud of that. And I'm not positive, but I think Rob's weight has been holding steady. Thanks for asking.
  
• Come on, what's her name? People. Seriously. At this point, the only reason we're still holding on to this one is because it's evidently driving everyone nuts and we love doing that. It makes us laugh evilly.
• Do you like being pregnant? This is a tough one. Overall, yes, it's been an easy ride. The first couple of months were scary and the last few weeks have not been my most comfortable. I have only had a couple of real hormonal mood swings--the last one hit me in August and is still going strong. I have two pairs of shoes that fit because my ankles and feet have swollen up to an alarming size. But this is truly a miraculous process, and it's been one amazing moment after another. Do I like it? Most of the time, I do. Will I be glad when it's over? Yes. Do I think anyone who does this more than 3 or 4 times is crazy? Sure do.

And that's where we are. It's been fun, overall. There have been surprises (like how much Maalox can actually be consumed in a 24-hour period) and things that happened just like they're supposed to. We often marvel at just how blessed we are.

It's been a while

I think I'm at that point in pregnancy where not much is actually happening. She's growing and moving around a lot, but there have been no real headlines to talk about. My big symptom right now is that my sinuses have swelled up (along with the rest of me throughout the day) and I'm congested. My ENT says this is normal and common, and it will go away once she's born. Fantastic. We're making Puffs Plus rich this fall, let tell you.

Here's what babyfit.com says about week 27, which will start on Monday:

"It’s official—you’re starting your third trimester and well on your way to delivery day!

Your Baby: As growth continues, your baby weighs in at over 2 pounds (1 kg). And because his body is more developed, measurement no longer goes from rump to crown, but from tip to toe—about 15 inches (38cm)! Your baby can suck his thumb now, which is actually a good thing! It helps calm him, while also helping to strengthen jaw muscles and encourage the suckling reflex. Your baby can even cry now, but you won’t be able to hear him. "

Well there's some news--third trimester! Awesome!

The spare bedroom is now the nursery. We put some shelves up in the garage and we've been going through all of the Stuff that was in the room and the closet. There's a lot that we'll keep, but we won't be needing a storage unit! The crib and dresser have been delivered, and Some Assembly is Required. We're going to paint before we put anything together--that should start this week. The color is "mint truffle", and it's a nice soft green. We hope. At least the sample looks nice and soft.

That's it--I have a doctor's appointment this week, just a check-up for me.

Some quick Speck Stats

According to babyfit.com:

YOUR BABY THIS WEEK

Your baby is on the move, and you may start to feel it! Your baby weighs almost three ounces (.08 kg) and is close to 5 inches (13 cm) in length.

Your Baby: As this week begins your baby has fingernails, and the hair on his or her head is starting to grow. Although baby's brain is still tiny, it is beginning to send signals to muscles that allow arms and legs to begin moving. The motion, called "quickening" can be slight or more robust, but don't be alarmed if you don't feel it this week—you will soon enough.

Haven't felt anything yet for sure--maybe a couple of quick "something just brushed past" sensations, but that could also have been a result of the spicy food that has happened this week.

There's nothing to report.

We've been taking it easy for the last couple of weeks. Because of the excitement in the ER, we postponed a trip to San Diego (which would have been wonderful because I hear it's not 112 there like it is here) so it's been pretty quiet. I haven't gotten the blood test results back from the perinatologist, and that doesn't exactly make us happy, but we're not stressing out about it too much. I had an ultrasound on Wednesday, and Speck is still hanging out and growing and all is good there. I'll have another this week, and hopefully I'll have a new picture to post.

There's quite a bit of speculation about whether Speck is a boy or a girl. I've heard very convincingly that it MUST be a boy because I look so fabulous. Seriously. Evidently I glow, and this means that there's no little girl in there absorbing my essence (?). I've also been told that in no uncertain terms that this is a girl because I never had any morning sickness. So if you have a theory about who we'll eventually be meeting in January, please don't hesitate to share. I have my own prediction as well, which I will naturally keep to myself :).

The First Post, which will bring you up to speed

So here we are. It's Sunday morning and I'm just shy of 10 weeks pregnant. I've been playing with the idea of doing a blog so people will know what's going on without feeling like they're bugging us when they ask "What's going on?!"

We've told most of our "inner circle" (the Dads, close family, best friends) the news, as well as others on a "need to know" basis. Like, I told my boss because I was on the way out the door for an unexpected doctor's appointment and I figured she deserved to know what was so damn important about why I had to leave RIGHT NOW.

Here's what we know:

• Due date is January 5, 2009, which seems forever away. It's right after my birthday. For the record, I was induced on 12/31 and was the cause of a rather fortuitous tax deduction. Whether this was normal practice for obstetrics in the early 70s and is now frowned upon, we'll find out, because frankly, I don't have a problem with helping things along a few days before nature intended in order to get a few bucks back.
• I'm 35 (in the interest of fairness, Rob is 40, days from 41) and as such I am of what my doctor calls "Advanced Maternal Age". This means that I get extra attention, which is great, and extra information about all the risks, which we're bracing for. I've had 3 ultrasounds already, and I believe that's pretty unusual but we welcome the prospect of being able to check on things more often. I'll be seeing a perinatologist (doctor for high risk pregnancies) on June 24 and throughout the pregnancy. I'm pretty healthy, so other than age, my risks are pretty low.
• So far, everybody's healthy.
  
• Yes, we are going to find out the sex. We'll probably even tell people what we learn.
• No, we haven't talked about names yet. Even when we do, however, we may not share with people because naming a person is fraught with pressure and drama, and some decisions aren't meant to be made by committee.
• The title of this blog, "Just You Wait" comes from what we've been told several times whenever we mention something that has changed already because of the impending Blessed Event. Things like sleep (more, but not necessarily better), eating habits (again, more, but not necessarily better), stress, thinking about everything that needs to happen by January and beyond have all become fodder for people who have walked this path before us to say "Just you wait...." with a story about how there's so much more to come.
  
• I'm comfortable with telling people now, even though it's early. There's the unspoken worry about Something Happening or Something Going Wrong. I think that if Something does happen or go wrong (we all know what I'm talking about as I knock wood and throw salt over my left shoulder and rub a rabbit's foot), I'd rather go through it with people knowing what's going on and able to help.

So there we are. We make no promises about how regularly this will be updated. Feel free to check back, make comments, ask questions, and contribute your own Just You Wait.... story.

Enjoy the ride with us. It's going to be fun.