Week 38 update

It's week 38 and the McNugget is still taking her time enjoying the summer in the shade. While the McNugget might not arrive on her due date of July 14, with just 3 hours of June left to go, I think it's safe to place your bets on the idea of a birthday some time in the month of July.

I am pleased to report the McNugget is a Beatles fan. My parents treated Jonathan, the McNug and me to a fantastic concert at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend where we listened to the band Cheap Trick and a few other singers perform a bunch of Beatles hits and all of the Sgt. Pepper's album. It was so much fun and the McNug was definitely into the music.

I felt pretty good on the day of the concert but the next day was pretty bad. Lots of aches and pains in my legs, ankles, and feet. I am happy to report that the excessive swelling and "Shrek Feet" have gone away (at least for now) but the replacement aches and pains were not very welcome. And, while I am complaining, my insomnia has reached new levels of annoying. Last night I woke up every hour on the hour for no apparent reason at all. At least when I got up this morning my leg pain was gone. Pregnancy sure is a roller coaster of feelings and emotions.

I find myself trying to pack lots of "adult" things into my schedule before the McNug gets here. I am winding up work this week and want to get lots of things done in the few days I will (maybe) have before the McNugget arrives. Jonathan and I are betting on a delivery close to our due date and bought each other tickets to see Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl next week to celebrate our anniversary. I think we might be a little crazy to do this but since going to the Hollywood Bowl is my favorite thing to do in Los Angeles and we'll miss most of the season because of the McNug, we're going to try.

I haven't noticed any contractions yet. It's strange to have no idea when labor will start. I still feel like it's a long way off, especially since my swelling went away and the McNugget seems to have moved off my bladder. I still go to the bathroom a ton but it's not as bad as it was last week. I have this feeling that I will know when it's imminent even though I think it's more likely that the process will hit me from out of nowhere.

As far as I am concerned, the McNugget can stay in for a while longer. Our kitchen still isn't ready and I am hoping our contractor delivers before I do.

The Endless Pursuit of Baby’s Bassinet

In our ongoing pursuit to find quality baby products at reasonable prices, we landed on a bassinet we liked a few weeks ago and lucky for us, it was on sale! While shopping in Sherman Oaks about a month or two ago, Jamie and her Mom paid for the 1 remaining new-in-box model of our bassinet of choice and asked the store to hold it for the McNugget. It's a store where we have already bought lots of pre-McNugget necessities and they know us there so we were comfortable letting them hold onto it until we were ready to bring it home.

(We should note that our friend Lauren, expecting her 2nd child soon, coincidentally shared an interest in this same baby bed but unfortunately, it wasn’t on the same kind of sale in Westchester County or on the web, so we were pleased with our deal). In lieu of boring you with details of the sustainable wood from which this bassinet is made, I figured it would be much more interesting to share the drama surrounding its arrival into our home – below are excerpts of some googlechat messages exchanged between Jamie and me last week – they should capture the scene for you:

[Upon hearing that the McNugget had "dropped," grandma-to-be Joan rushed to the store to pick up the bassinet. But, when she got there, she was not treated very nicely by the staff or manager and after a 30 minute run-around, was told that the bassinet on hold for us was missing! They were not very apologetic about the mistake and did not offer us many options to make up for it. They thought that the company could ship us a new one but told us the next day that that process would take 4-8 weeks, carrying us well past the McNugget's due date. They called Jamie the next day and explained the only thing they had to offer us was the floor model. It was in good condition but not new condition and they did not offer to refund any of our money.]

Jamie: i talked to my mom
she told me not to worry
and she wanted me to call them
and tell them to hold the floor model and we would come in on the weekend and sort it out

Jamie: my Mom called the store
she said they weren't very nice (again)!
she asked them to ship the floor model of the bassinet to me
she said they would not because they don’t have a box
isn't that nuts? i thought they were supposed to have good customer service?
i told my mom not to deal with them anymore and to get her money back
but she knows we want the bassinet
so she is going over there to get it
to see how they are in person
Jonathan: they should discount it
because you paid for a new one

Jamie: so my mom went
and the manager who she has been dealing with on this issue mysteriously wasn't there
and if you can believe it, THIS TIME THEY COULDN'T FIND THE FLOOR MODEL!
so she expressed to them how dissatisfied she was at this service
and finally they found it
they gave her $21 off
and that was it
they were not nice
it's a shame because they have great stuff

THE END

-Jonathan

What not to wear: McNugget edition #2

On the heels of my Heelarious post, I needed to share this site with you too: BabyToupee.com: Small Wigs for Small People.

Discuss!

Tori and Dean are Inn Love with our doctor

I never watched Tori Spelling's show "Tori and Dean Inn Love" but now that she and her husband are apparently no longer "Inn" love and are back living in my neighborhood (and because nothing else is on this summer) I caught part of the first episode of "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" the other day. To my surprise, when they showed a scene of Tori getting an ultrasound, who did I see but my perinatologist walk in to examine her! Dr. Silverman is the same doctor who put the McNugget up on the big screen for us back at weeks 12 and weeks 20. We had no idea he was such a celebrity. Let's hope he doesn't quit medicine to become a reality TV star himself. We really liked him and his staff and if we ever end up with a McNugget #2, I'd like to see them all again.

Notes from insomnia

I'm having trouble sleeping these days so here I am on the Internet when I should be resting up for D-day.

Today almost everything I saw on TV related to pregnancy or babies in some way from the Brooke Shields interview on the Today Show about her new book on babies to the package on Good Morning America about the supposed Gloucester High School pregnancy pact. I even have the TV on in the background right now and Monica and Chandler are trying to get pregnant on an episode of Friends.

The theme continues on the internet. I just came across two very strange stories. One is about a woman who actually delivered a baby on the F train platform! The other is about "Gali Girls" which are some kind of dolls for Jewish girls. Between Gali Girls and the Heelarious heels I mentioned earlier today, I am hoping the McNugget turns out like me and is mostly interested in Legos.

Nursery update

The McNugget's room is taking shape. We still have some organizing to do and a few things to purchase but so far, we are looking good. I uploaded some photos to Picasa for those of you who are out of town and won't be able to see it in person.

Have a look:

Nursery Week 37

What not to wear: McNugget edition

I learned about a company called Heelarious last week that makes high heeled shoes for babies. I forgot to mention them here but since I saw two references to them today, I was reminded that I needed to share this ridiculous contribution to baby fashion with you all.

The shoes are collapsible -- I am not sure what that means but I think it refers to the heel -- and are intended for baby girls who have not yet learned to walk, but still want to wear "fabulous" footwear.

Are they kidding? I thought the whole point of dressing a baby was that you can put her in cute and adorable items no adult would ever wear, not so she can look like like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl (or worse, Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman).

What do you think?

Week 37 update

It's week 37 and that means congratulations are in order for the McNugget who has reached the status of full-term. My due date is still three weeks away but that's sort of meaningless now that we've crossed this threshold. Let the calendar day guessing begin.

People have asked me over the last few weeks whether I am ready to "just get the baby out of me." I didn't feel that way when I was asked but I am beginning to understand what that feeling might be like.

Pregnancy at this point is not much fun. I know I've had it easy for so long so I shouldn't be complaining but please indulge me for a moment. The worst parts right now are the insomnia and the swelling.

I have not had a good night's sleep for days. I try to go to bed at a reasonable hour but just can't seem to fall asleep. Then, once I do, I wake up in the middle of the night (sometimes more than once) and have a lot of trouble falling back asleep. I can't figure out why. Sure I'm uncomfortable but I've been uncomfortable in a bed for months. Why are things different now? Believe it or not I don't have a ton of anxiety about D day, I've kept my mind on other things, so it's not as though I am up all night worrying. I am so confused about why my body isn't taking advantage of this pre-baby time to get some R&R.

Now to the swelling. Remember I mentioned how I would get "Shrek Feet" every once in a while? I now have Shrek Feet everyday. I have Shrek ankles and Shrek hands too. It looks pretty gross. I am told the best thing to do for this Shrek syndrome is keep my feet elevated but I just have too much to do these days to hang around with my feet in the air. Maybe next week.

I'm also suffering from strange dreams. Fortunately they are not the scary ones I had earlier on in this pregnancy but they are annoying nonetheless.

I think the McNugget is beginning to drop because I have to go to the bathroom a lot more now but at the same time, I've noticed I don't lose my breath as much throughout the day. This could be a sign that the McNugget is heading for the door. I hope she holds on for a little while longer. Our kitchen still isn't done but should be in much better shape in about two weeks.

Ok, enough complaining. Now for some cute nephew reaction to the pregnancy that I got this weekend. Asher, who is a big fan of babies, asked three times "did the baby come out yet?" It's quite funny that he does not recognize his future cousin is hiding behind the enormous bump in front of me. It's also cute that he seems very excited for the news when it comes. Zachary on the other hand informed me that he often runs away when he sees babies because, and this is a direct quote, "babies bore me." I kind of see where he is coming from.

The McNugget was ready for her close-up

I have so many more updates these days, I guess because things are really moving quickly at this stage in the game.

We went in for another ultrasound today and learned, fortunately, that the McNugget's level of amniotic fluid is not something that should worry us. While we were there checking for the important stuff, we tried to sneak another peek at her face. True to form, the McNugget was hiding, this time not just behind a fist, but behind two hands and a foot! Fortunately, we were able to coax her to move around just a bit to catch a glimpse of her profile. You'll see one of her hands is still covering part of her face.

They're not that fabulous but I am including the photos here because I still think it's pretty amazing that we get to see anything at all. Speaking of which, I also can't get over how amazing it is that all I have to do is water and feed the McNugget and she grows on her own. It's remarkable.


I guess her actual form and looks will remain a mystery until we see the real thing. One thing I can tell though is that it looks pretty crowded in there. I hope that doesn't mean the McNugget will arrive soon; we still have a ton of things to do before our new roommate moves in. . .

Our friends embrace the McNugget

I mentioned yesterday that we spent the weekend working on the McNugget's room. We also spent some time entertaining our friends Marla and Jay who were visiting from Seattle. Marla and Jay helped us with the room preparations by contributing to the McNugget's first closet. They got us the most adorable outfit that totally reminds me of the clothes I wore when I was a kid. We're so proud the closet is now painted and fixed (we had some problems with closing the doors). Take a look:


And another friend recently recognized the McNugget in the most adorable way! Becca and John will be married later this summer. We received their invitation this weekend. It was addressed to the two of us but the interior envelope recognized someone else. Take a look:

We thought this was SO cute! Congrats Becca and John!

Week 36 update

I've entered week 36 which means I am now 9 months pregnant. Before I knew anything about pregnancy, I assumed this would mean that the baby would come out, like, now. But alas, this is really a 10 month process so technically I still have 4 more weeks to go. However, this isn't an exact science. By the end of the week, the McNugget will be "full term" which means "fully cooked" and ready for life on the outside. So, it's anyone's guess about when we'll get to meet the McNug.

In typical LA fashion, the McNugget was quite eager to avoid the paparazzi and anything else with a camera pointed at her. When we went for our ultrasound last week, the McNugget clenched her fist in front of her face meaning either we have six more weeks of winter or, more likely, we won't get a sneak peek at what she looks like in utero, we'll just have to wait to see her in person.

Actually, we could get another chance on Wednesday. We are going to have another ultrasound because my doctor noticed the McNug seems to be swimming in a lot of amniotic fluid and wants to check the tide levels again this week to make sure everything is a-OK. So, there's a chance we could try to check on her face again and hope she lets her guard down. Oh, we also learned that the McNug is average. She is in the 50% percentile for weight coming in at about 6 pounds these days.

Every day is different in terms of how I'm feeling now. Some days I am very uncomfortable and others I feel fine. I have noticed that if I have a day filled with a lot of activity, the kind I would do when I wasn't pregnant, I really pay for it that night and the next day. I need to get used to slowing things down.

We spent this weekend starting the process of getting the McNugget's room up and running. More details on that (and photos I hope) when I am home tonight.

Week 35 update

It's week 35 and the McNugget supposedly weighs in at 5 1/4 pounds these days, about the size of a honeydew melon. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow where we'll get to see the McNugget on the big screen. We have not had an ultrasound since week 20 so we're looking forward to seeing the McNugget's development these past 15 weeks.

This weekend marked the end of our formal education in parenting. We took an infant care class. Sadly, we did not like it as much as our birthing and breastfeeding classes. The class was taught by a nurse at Cedars-Sinai hospital. I know Cedars-Sinai is a great place for general and specialized medical care but when it comes to routine pregnancy and birthing, it can feel a bit like a factory -- one reason I am glad I am not giving birth there.

The infant care class definitely reflected the overall feeling I have of the maternity ward at Cedars. The nurse started the course with a slideshow of all kinds of things that can go wrong with your baby at birth. I understood the point of all this, to prepare you in case your baby has any of these common ailments or problems, but I didn't appreciate the presentation. I also felt bad for the couples who were late to class and walked into photos of a circumcision being performed without any warning. We did pick up a few tips including how to bathe a newborn, how to console them, etc. but if we had to do it again, we'd pick a different venue for learning.

I'm getting uncomfortable doing fairly routine things these days like getting in and out of cars and walking around in stores. I also find sitting in a seat uncomfortable. Laying down feels nice until I'm disturbed by acid reflux. Also, I have to remember to eat less at meals because the McNugget is crowding up my stomach and there isn't much room left for food.

I also should mention that two of my friends (and blog readers) who were recently pregnant gave birth! Becky had Talia on May 25 and Meredith had Kingsley on June 4. Both girls are absolutely adorable. Congrats to both of these new families!

Random Thursday updates

I get incredibly full these days even when I don't eat a lot. This causes my stomach to get really big and firm and makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

I'm having trouble sleeping. I wake up a lot in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep.

Every once in a while I look down at my feet and they horrify me! They are swollen and big and kind of look like Shrek's feet.

When I am not uncomfortable from eating too much (though really not that much) I am enjoying being pregnant. People smile at me more.

I went to a movie last weekend. The seat was pretty low to the ground and when the movie was over, I could not reach down to the floor over my belly to pick up my purse.

We are slowly gathering McNugget necessities. One such necessity is a car seat. While in my sister's closet, my mom found an adorable stand-in for the McNugget pictured here:


Every time Jonathan and I hear the new Usher song "In This Club" on the radio, and, let's be honest, every other place in the world that seems to be playing it now, we can't help but change the words from "in this club, in this club" to "the McNug, the McNug." The song is now permanently stuck in our heads. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, here is the video. You can sing along with our new words to the chorus around 1:02:

Breastfeeding Class

Yesterday marked the 2nd in a series of educational events designed to make us fit parents -- yesterday's edition was devoted to breastfeeding. It may sound a bit creepy but I promise every pregnant woman in the room brought her spouse, save for one. I did not feel strange at all. The class was held at the Pump Station, which is truly a great store. (For you Angelenos reading, the Santa Monica store is bigger and warmer, but there is a smaller Hollywood store that carries the same merchandise).

The class was led by a veteran breastfeeder (BFer) named Corky Harvey, who is also a registered nurse and lactation consultant. What I liked about the class was that she offered practical advice about BF that wasn't judgemental and wasn't too militant (read: La Leche League or LLL) either. For example, she shared the suggested guidelines for BF a baby (6 months exclusively; 12 months of breast-milk (in addition to solid foods) at a minimum). In today's world, this isn't necessarily very common and who knows what Jamie will end up doing. However, I liked that contrary to LLL's opinion, she believes strongly in introducing the breast pump early on, particularly for working moms. This was refreshing to hear.

Here are a few highlights of the class:

• No live demonstrations, but there was a great video which felt almost as "real" as a live demo


• We learned a lot about how most women can make BF work even if it's initially a struggle at first. Only 2% of woman can truly not produce enough milk


• Babies are born with enough "food" on board for 7 days -- so if it takes a few days for a mother's milk to "come in," your baby will not starve


• We learned about how to store breast milk and freeze it (I'm already envisioning an assembly line of sorts for this)

In reviewing this post, it makes me a bit uncomfortable. . .I hope our readers don't think it's creepy that I wrote this post. I'm excited about the process and excited about learning more about child-rearing in general.

-Jonathan

Week 34 update

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a cantaloupe on our hands. Finally a fruit/vegetable I can get behind and imagine. This means our little one is about 4 ¾ pounds and almost 18 inches long.

In other news, I think the McNugget has been reading this blog. Since I mentioned a few days ago that I thought the McNug's movement had slowed down, I have been punched and kicked and poked at more times than I can remember. Perhaps the McNugget was just taking a day or two off.

As we get nearer and nearer to D-day, Jonathan and I have started to make some preparations. We installed the base for a car seat today in Jonathan’s car and finished painting the McNugget's room. The kitchen renovation is still in high gear and we're hoping to wrap up everything (or almost everything) before our new resident arrives.

The funniest thing about doing home renovations in Los Angeles is that most of our contractors and vendors have IMDB pages. Our floorer is not simply a floorer, he's had bit parts on “ER” and “Las Vegas.” Our painter is currently auditioning for the next Coen brothers film and the artist we hired to paint a mural in the McNugget’s room worked for us in the evenings after painting sets for a Hollywood horror film during the day. Fortunately, the results in the room were not so horrifying. We’re very excited about the look. I am posting two slightly fuzzy photos from my cell phone here. I’ll try to send photos from a proper camera when I have a chance.