63 days, plus or minus a few, and the roller coaster lets go from the top of the big hill! It seems like it was just yesterday that Lil' Shrimp was a pulsing blip in the ultrasound confirming his (or her, we still don't know so there's no need asking or assuming) arrival.
Being December 23, we're in the full swing of Christmas, the end of a year, and the beginning of a new one; which, for many people, brings about a certain amount of sentimental introspection. This year, I find myself looking forward as much or more than looking back. Looking forward to new life. Looking forward to new experiences, new challenges, and new responsibilities.
I'm finding that the nine months that new parents have to get ready really turns out to be a good thing, mostly from the standpoint of emotional/mental preparation. This isn't like getting a dog (or cat). You don't run down to the baby store, pick out the cutest one from the pen, and take it home for a lifetime of happiness and joy. You can't just take it back when it pees on the floor or poops where/when you don't want it to poop :)
On the baby front, Lil' Shrimp seems to be doing great. Measuring fine, heart beat sounds fine, moving all the time, etc. There is less kicking going on these days, but that's expected, since there's less room to move.
As we move into a new year, and I really feel an emphasis on the NEW part of that, I wish you the best. May God's blessings be upon you.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
And in this corner...
Our journey recently took a very surprising turn, but it really doesn't have anything to do with us :) It turns out our Lil' Shrimp is going to have a local cousin show up on the scene in June. We're so excited for Aaron and Sarah and that they will quickly be joining us as parents.
My parents are both from Midland. For many of my childhood years, most of my cousins lived up in the Midland area (about 2 hours away from here.) We only got to see our cousins (and grandparents) a few times each year, and I have to admit that I was always a little jealous of my cousins who got to see each other (and grandpa's and grandma's) on a more regular basis.
Knowing that our baby will have at least one cousin to grow up with, and that neither set of grandparents lives more than an hour away, really does make the situation all that much more warm and fuzzy.
We've only got about 11 weeks left, give or take a day or two. The reality of Lil' Shrimp's imminent arrival is starting to hit me harder...when I get time to think about it. Work's still been crazy busy and I sometimes feel like that's distracting from our journey, and not in a positive way. Working 50 and 60 hour weeks isn't something I'm doing by choice. The work's there and it needs to get done, but my feelings about that are about to hang a hard left. I've been chanting a mantra in my head that once Lil' Shrimp gets here, all the extra hours are over. If my company won't hire enough people to make sure the work is done well, then I guess they'll just have to deal with it not being done well. We do have a new person who will be starting (not sure when) but experience tells me that even their addition won't be enough to bring our ability to provide quality service up to what I believe to be a realistic level. The hard part for me is that that seems to be perfectly acceptable in the education industry.
Back to the task at hand, sorry about the tangent...we really haven't done much around the house to prepare for Lil' Shrimp's arrival. Sara isn't going to be going back to work after Christmas, so I'm sure that will start to change soon. It's a good thing babies aren't very independently mobile for the first 6 months. I think it's going to take us that long to really get our house in order and prepared for a mobile child!
We had another doctors appointment today and the old adage that no news is good news applies. Things seem to be progressing very normally at this point, which is great. It's hard to believe that by the time we get through the holiday rush we'll be down to 2 months. Enjoy the holiday season and have a Merry Christmas, I know we're going to try to!
My parents are both from Midland. For many of my childhood years, most of my cousins lived up in the Midland area (about 2 hours away from here.) We only got to see our cousins (and grandparents) a few times each year, and I have to admit that I was always a little jealous of my cousins who got to see each other (and grandpa's and grandma's) on a more regular basis.
Knowing that our baby will have at least one cousin to grow up with, and that neither set of grandparents lives more than an hour away, really does make the situation all that much more warm and fuzzy.
We've only got about 11 weeks left, give or take a day or two. The reality of Lil' Shrimp's imminent arrival is starting to hit me harder...when I get time to think about it. Work's still been crazy busy and I sometimes feel like that's distracting from our journey, and not in a positive way. Working 50 and 60 hour weeks isn't something I'm doing by choice. The work's there and it needs to get done, but my feelings about that are about to hang a hard left. I've been chanting a mantra in my head that once Lil' Shrimp gets here, all the extra hours are over. If my company won't hire enough people to make sure the work is done well, then I guess they'll just have to deal with it not being done well. We do have a new person who will be starting (not sure when) but experience tells me that even their addition won't be enough to bring our ability to provide quality service up to what I believe to be a realistic level. The hard part for me is that that seems to be perfectly acceptable in the education industry.
Back to the task at hand, sorry about the tangent...we really haven't done much around the house to prepare for Lil' Shrimp's arrival. Sara isn't going to be going back to work after Christmas, so I'm sure that will start to change soon. It's a good thing babies aren't very independently mobile for the first 6 months. I think it's going to take us that long to really get our house in order and prepared for a mobile child!
We had another doctors appointment today and the old adage that no news is good news applies. Things seem to be progressing very normally at this point, which is great. It's hard to believe that by the time we get through the holiday rush we'll be down to 2 months. Enjoy the holiday season and have a Merry Christmas, I know we're going to try to!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
And then there were 13...or 12...or 14...
The last of the monthly doctors visits was today, we're starting every two weeks now, followed too soon by weekly visits and then, WHAM, itza baby!
We seem to have a very hiccupy baby. Sara was able to identify the crackles when listening to the heartbeat with the flutters she feels on a regular basis and it turns out they're hiccups :) The super accurate measurements (small tape measure stretched across a growing belly) today show the baby is growing well, maybe too well. The doctor said our little one is a little ahead of the curve in terms of size and development for 27 weeks (not by much, just a little.)
In other news, we've had our first "what's that poking out of my belly moment." Sara noticed a "lump" on the side of her belly the other night. Not sure which part of the baby it was, but it was exciting to realize it was our Lil' Shrimp.
It's hard to believe this chapter will be over in 3 short months and a new chapter begins.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
I gotta go....no, I don't...yes, I do...
Lil' Shrimp's itching for a name change these days. Sara came home from work one day and regaled me with the tale of how the baby had been kicking her bladder all day long at work. One minute she's fine and the next she's ready to explode, then back to fine. I try not to laugh about it (at least not to her face.)
Apparently, her bladder has become the baby's favorite punching bag. It's been pretty much constant since then. A good push or punch, then wait a couple minutes and do it all over again.
We're just getting into week 24, so the next 4 weeks mark the time when babies are usually most active. I guess it's because there's still room enough for them to move around in there. Of course, Lil' Shrimp (or is is Baby Bladder Blaster) is on to me. Sara will tell me when there's kicking and spinning going on, and by the time I get my hand down there to feel it, Lil' Shrimp stops. Must be a boy...already challenging dad :)
It's been over a month since we had the ultrasound and it's hard to believe the anxiety we went through deciding whether or not to find out the baby's sex. Now that the decision is a month behind us, not knowing doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
Statistically speak, Lil' Shrimp should be about 9 inches (head to rump) and about a pound and a half. Still a lot of growing to do, but we're well on our way.
Apparently, her bladder has become the baby's favorite punching bag. It's been pretty much constant since then. A good push or punch, then wait a couple minutes and do it all over again.
We're just getting into week 24, so the next 4 weeks mark the time when babies are usually most active. I guess it's because there's still room enough for them to move around in there. Of course, Lil' Shrimp (or is is Baby Bladder Blaster) is on to me. Sara will tell me when there's kicking and spinning going on, and by the time I get my hand down there to feel it, Lil' Shrimp stops. Must be a boy...already challenging dad :)
It's been over a month since we had the ultrasound and it's hard to believe the anxiety we went through deciding whether or not to find out the baby's sex. Now that the decision is a month behind us, not knowing doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
Statistically speak, Lil' Shrimp should be about 9 inches (head to rump) and about a pound and a half. Still a lot of growing to do, but we're well on our way.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Half way home...
We're officially half way through the journey to the big day (actually, a little more than half way.)
Yesterday, we went out and did some registry stuff. First stop was Toy House & Baby Too, here in Jackson. This is where we shop for gifts for the other children in our lives, but it's really the first time we've gone through the store and really scrutinized what we would like for our child. If every city in America had a Toy House, that other big toy chain would go out of business. Of course, the Baby Too section of the store is less about toys and more about life, especially the sleeping and mobility portions. The best part about Toy House is the staff, they are so nice and pleasant to work with. At times it felt like we had our own personal shopping assistant, which was great since we really have no idea what we're doing at this point. :)
After registering for all the cool stuff at Toy House, we headed to Target (properly pronounced tahr-zhay), to look for the "day to day you're going to need this, and this, and this" stuff. Bottles...check, pacifiers...check, onesies...check, etc...check. The only problem we ran into was trying to register for clothing. Saying that the selection of gender neutral infant clothing is sparse is, shall we say, an understatement. Apparently if you've decided that knowing the gender of your baby in advance isn't something you want to do, retailers don't have much to offer. Oh well, they always look good in white...
In other news, I think we're feeling our first movements. For a while there, it was hard to tell if what Sara was feeling was baby or...well...you know...gas. I think we've turned the corner though and it's definitely more often baby. She had me check to see if I could feel anything last night, and I did! Even knowing that I would eventually feel this little one squirming around in there didn't prepare me for that little flutter I felt.
Work is still super busy, and that doesn't look like it's going to change a whole lot before Christmas. Fortunately I did get to take a week off recently, and it was wonderful spending all of that time with my beautiful wife and the Lil' Shrimp. We headed up north and did the color tour thing and spent a few days at home doing absolutely nothing. All in all, this experience is going by way too fast for me. Of course, Sara's experiencing just the opposite. It feels like she's been pregnant forever :)
We have another doctor's appointment coming up soon, and I think we're quickly heading to the time when they start coming up more often than once a month. We'll keep you posted if anything changes.
Here's a picture of me, Sara, and the Lil' Shrimp enjoying the Tunnel of Trees in northwest Michigan. It took us almost 2 hours to drive 30 miles from Harbor Springs to the "end of the road."
Yesterday, we went out and did some registry stuff. First stop was Toy House & Baby Too, here in Jackson. This is where we shop for gifts for the other children in our lives, but it's really the first time we've gone through the store and really scrutinized what we would like for our child. If every city in America had a Toy House, that other big toy chain would go out of business. Of course, the Baby Too section of the store is less about toys and more about life, especially the sleeping and mobility portions. The best part about Toy House is the staff, they are so nice and pleasant to work with. At times it felt like we had our own personal shopping assistant, which was great since we really have no idea what we're doing at this point. :)
After registering for all the cool stuff at Toy House, we headed to Target (properly pronounced tahr-zhay), to look for the "day to day you're going to need this, and this, and this" stuff. Bottles...check, pacifiers...check, onesies...check, etc...check. The only problem we ran into was trying to register for clothing. Saying that the selection of gender neutral infant clothing is sparse is, shall we say, an understatement. Apparently if you've decided that knowing the gender of your baby in advance isn't something you want to do, retailers don't have much to offer. Oh well, they always look good in white...
In other news, I think we're feeling our first movements. For a while there, it was hard to tell if what Sara was feeling was baby or...well...you know...gas. I think we've turned the corner though and it's definitely more often baby. She had me check to see if I could feel anything last night, and I did! Even knowing that I would eventually feel this little one squirming around in there didn't prepare me for that little flutter I felt.
Work is still super busy, and that doesn't look like it's going to change a whole lot before Christmas. Fortunately I did get to take a week off recently, and it was wonderful spending all of that time with my beautiful wife and the Lil' Shrimp. We headed up north and did the color tour thing and spent a few days at home doing absolutely nothing. All in all, this experience is going by way too fast for me. Of course, Sara's experiencing just the opposite. It feels like she's been pregnant forever :)
We have another doctor's appointment coming up soon, and I think we're quickly heading to the time when they start coming up more often than once a month. We'll keep you posted if anything changes.
Here's a picture of me, Sara, and the Lil' Shrimp enjoying the Tunnel of Trees in northwest Michigan. It took us almost 2 hours to drive 30 miles from Harbor Springs to the "end of the road."
Monday, October 4, 2010
Today was the big ultrasound, and we're having a...
...baby!
We decided that finding out can wait, at least for now. There's an element of surprise that is nice, and we feel like it takes some of the pressure off of picking a name...for now anyway.
No issues with the calendar today. We arrived on time, and then waited for almost 15 minutes...which really didn't make me very happy knowing that when we were 15 minutes late, the appointment got canceled, but they can be accommodating when the delay is on their side.
Afer it was all said and done, the lady who did the ultrasound says it looks like the due date estimate of the last week of February is right on track, so they're not adjusting anything in regards to expected delivery time (I know Aaron has money on the 24th...)
So, without further adieu...watch our Lil' Shrimp swim around for a bit:
They gave us a few pictures, too.
We decided that finding out can wait, at least for now. There's an element of surprise that is nice, and we feel like it takes some of the pressure off of picking a name...for now anyway.
No issues with the calendar today. We arrived on time, and then waited for almost 15 minutes...which really didn't make me very happy knowing that when we were 15 minutes late, the appointment got canceled, but they can be accommodating when the delay is on their side.
Afer it was all said and done, the lady who did the ultrasound says it looks like the due date estimate of the last week of February is right on track, so they're not adjusting anything in regards to expected delivery time (I know Aaron has money on the 24th...)
So, without further adieu...watch our Lil' Shrimp swim around for a bit:
They gave us a few pictures, too.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Because reading a calendar is just so hard...
It's my fault...100%
This appointment has been on my calendar for four weeks. It's on the right day. It's even got the right time in the appointment notes. Ultrasound @ 11:00AM.
The calendar appointment is set for 10:30AM. I wanted to make sure no one at work scheduled me for a meeting that would run up to 11:00AM, forcing me to have to reschedule so I could make it to the appointment.
I've looked at this appointment on my calendar every day for the past four weeks in anticipation of today. I looked at it multiple times through the morning and still managed to screw it up. :(
It feels like the worst day ever, even if it isn't...
This appointment has been on my calendar for four weeks. It's on the right day. It's even got the right time in the appointment notes. Ultrasound @ 11:00AM.
The calendar appointment is set for 10:30AM. I wanted to make sure no one at work scheduled me for a meeting that would run up to 11:00AM, forcing me to have to reschedule so I could make it to the appointment.
I've looked at this appointment on my calendar every day for the past four weeks in anticipation of today. I looked at it multiple times through the morning and still managed to screw it up. :(
It feels like the worst day ever, even if it isn't...
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thirty is the new twenty...at least that's what I heard...
Whew, what a whirlwind. I'd say it's nice to take a break, but that's not entirely the truth. I'm actually taking a sick day, thus giving me time to compose some of the things I've been thinking about for some time (and yes, I'm actually sick, it's not like I took a day off work to blog.)
Way back when, in the time before any of you knew that we were going to have a baby, a friend casually mentioned to me, in an unrelated conversation about having children, that "thirty is the new twenty." At the time, she had no idea she was saying this to a late 30's, just found out his wife is pregnant, and been keeping the big secret for almost two weeks now fella. The impact of what she said really didn't hit home until recently.
When we first found out this was actually happening, numbers started running through my head. I'm a numbers kind of guy. Playing with numbers fascinates me for some reason. I realize that puts me in a special group of people. :) Now, these numbers don't necessarily mean anything, they're just things I think about. They're not necessarily positive or negative, just numbers, numbers related to my life and the life of our child.
Here's one I've posted before: I'll be 39 when our child is born. Brett Favre (yes, that Brett Favre) is a little more than 2 years older than me and his grandson will be almost 1 year old when my child is born. Now there's some numbers to think about.
I was 13 when my dad turned 39. I remember what a big deal it was when he turned 40. If 30 IS the new 20, maybe my kid will think the same thing about me turning 50 (eek!)
When my mom turned 39, I was a junior in high school, 17 years old, little more than a year from heading to college. This kid won't head off to college until I'm about 57...so much for retiring when I'm 60 :)
My my mom's dad turned 45...3 months after I was born. I'll be 44 when kindergarten rolls around. At first, this number terrified me, especially considering the sentence at the start of this paragraph. I couldn't help but think what it would be like to be at kindergarten roundup with the rest of the parents who will technically be young enough to BE my children. However, the more I started thinking about it, and pondered what my friend had said, the more I realized that I may not be the only "old man" in the room. I actually know a lot of people in their 30's, and not just their early 30's, who are having children...maybe 30 really is the new 20, after all! There will be plenty of other people using canes and walkers at high school graduation in 2029!
We're 17 weeks in at this point. We've got the big ultrasound coming up next Wednesday. At this point, I think we're leaning strongly toward telling the technician to keep any information about gender to themselves. It might just be a game day decision though :)
In the interest of keeping things visually "interesting" below is an image of what Pamper's tells me the lil' shrimp looks like right about now. Weighing in at about 7 to 8 ounces and 5 to 6 inches from head to rump. Fingerprints are actually starting to form right about now. Bones are hardening and the baby will starting hearing us soon, if he/she hasn't already.
Way back when, in the time before any of you knew that we were going to have a baby, a friend casually mentioned to me, in an unrelated conversation about having children, that "thirty is the new twenty." At the time, she had no idea she was saying this to a late 30's, just found out his wife is pregnant, and been keeping the big secret for almost two weeks now fella. The impact of what she said really didn't hit home until recently.
When we first found out this was actually happening, numbers started running through my head. I'm a numbers kind of guy. Playing with numbers fascinates me for some reason. I realize that puts me in a special group of people. :) Now, these numbers don't necessarily mean anything, they're just things I think about. They're not necessarily positive or negative, just numbers, numbers related to my life and the life of our child.
Here's one I've posted before: I'll be 39 when our child is born. Brett Favre (yes, that Brett Favre) is a little more than 2 years older than me and his grandson will be almost 1 year old when my child is born. Now there's some numbers to think about.
I was 13 when my dad turned 39. I remember what a big deal it was when he turned 40. If 30 IS the new 20, maybe my kid will think the same thing about me turning 50 (eek!)
When my mom turned 39, I was a junior in high school, 17 years old, little more than a year from heading to college. This kid won't head off to college until I'm about 57...so much for retiring when I'm 60 :)
My my mom's dad turned 45...3 months after I was born. I'll be 44 when kindergarten rolls around. At first, this number terrified me, especially considering the sentence at the start of this paragraph. I couldn't help but think what it would be like to be at kindergarten roundup with the rest of the parents who will technically be young enough to BE my children. However, the more I started thinking about it, and pondered what my friend had said, the more I realized that I may not be the only "old man" in the room. I actually know a lot of people in their 30's, and not just their early 30's, who are having children...maybe 30 really is the new 20, after all! There will be plenty of other people using canes and walkers at high school graduation in 2029!
We're 17 weeks in at this point. We've got the big ultrasound coming up next Wednesday. At this point, I think we're leaning strongly toward telling the technician to keep any information about gender to themselves. It might just be a game day decision though :)
In the interest of keeping things visually "interesting" below is an image of what Pamper's tells me the lil' shrimp looks like right about now. Weighing in at about 7 to 8 ounces and 5 to 6 inches from head to rump. Fingerprints are actually starting to form right about now. Bones are hardening and the baby will starting hearing us soon, if he/she hasn't already.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Give me a beat boys...
We'll, we had out second official doctor's visit today. It was short and sweet to say the least. 30+ minutes of waiting in the lobby for a 10 minute visit. The payoff was worth it though...we got to hear the heartbeat of our child again :)
We also set the date for the ultrasound, 4 weeks from today, on September 29. The big question is: do we want to know or not (the gender of course)? I have a feeling we might not make up our minds until just prior to going to the appointment.
We also set the date for the ultrasound, 4 weeks from today, on September 29. The big question is: do we want to know or not (the gender of course)? I have a feeling we might not make up our minds until just prior to going to the appointment.
Friday, August 27, 2010
A stitch in time...
Those of you who know my wife, know that sewing is something she enjoys. Based on some of her projects from the past, I think our baby will be the cutest one on the block.
Below is a picture of some of the quilt blocks she's putting together for a baby quilt. It should be ready for some work come Thanksgiving, so get your quilting supplies ready great grandma Ware :)
Below is a picture of some of the quilt blocks she's putting together for a baby quilt. It should be ready for some work come Thanksgiving, so get your quilting supplies ready great grandma Ware :)
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