The Good, The Bad, and The Cute

The Good News is....9 hours again last night. It's suddenly like clockwork.....eat around 8, really sleepy by 8:30, sleeping before 9. Wake up at 6 - ready to eat again.

The Bad News is.....Here's our little fella at 9:30 tonight. It appears the streak is over, or at least the schedule has been altered.


The Cute News - OF COURSE HE CAN'T SLEEP! It's Christmas Eve! We opened our presents tonight - and he got lots of things he's excited about! Plus, we told him Santa is coming tonight, and he has other Christmas parties the next two days. Who can blame the guy for not being able to go to sleep???

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

The streak continues

Two nights ago......9 hours for the second straight night. Last night......9 hours for the third straight night......
THREE STRAIGHT NIGHTS our little baby has slept around 9 straight hours. Didn't help me out much last night, because KU played at 10 - so I was up until 12:30 anyway.....but good for him!
That makes about a week now that he's slept 7-9 hours.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I just tried to talk Anne into us opening our presents today....but she said we have to wait until tomorrow night. I think I caught Fenn snooping under the tree yesterday.

Today is December 23rd.....Fenn's 2 Month Birthday! Happy Birthday Buddy! Two months ago.....this is what we were doing:

Shots

Fenn's 2 month appt was today. The good news is - he's now 12 lbs, 3 oz and 23 inches long. That's almost 5 lbs in 2 months!

The bad news is - it was his day to get shots. His daddy isn't very good with shots - but he was braver than I usually am. He had to get three of them. He screamed pretty good for a few seconds, but seemed fine after a minute or so.

So, not quite as much smiling today. A little more fussiness - we've put a couple doses of children's tylenol down him. Mommy is working on putting him to bed as we speak. They warned us that he may not sleep as well tonight.....

Speaking of sleeping - the big news of the day is that he slept 9 straight hours last night. Yep....you read it right....NINE hours. That's four nights in a row where he's slept at least 7 straight hours. Very, very good little boy. Although, I don't think we get much more sleep, because we stare at the clock thinking 'surely he's going to wake up and want to eat any minute now....'.

Back In The Saddle

Well, I have written in weeks. I have a good excuse.

I knew it would be hard work, but I don't think anybody can really tell you the kind of hard work it's going to be. You just have to go thru it. Those first 4-5 weeks are really, really tough. You're trying to learn how to be a parent. Trying to figure out ways to make a baby stop crying. Worrying about breaking him. Worried about whether he's breating in the middle of the night. Worried about whether he's eating enough. Then worrying about whether he's eating too much. All the while, you're absolutely exhausted, which makes all of it that much tougher. Whew.

Little Fenn is 8 weeks old now. The past 2-3 weeks have been a lot easier. He's much more content. Very little fussing unless he's hungry. He's becoming more independent - not minding sitting in his swing or seat for a while. Which is quite a change because for a while, he wasn't happy unless being held by mommy or daddy.

In the past couple of weeks he's started to do some smiling. Today he smiled at me by far more than any previous day. It makes you proud to look down at that little smiling face.....kind of like he's finally giving you his little seal of approval.

We're only 5 days from Fenn's first Christmas. He'll be 9 weeks on Christmas Day. Yeah, he won't get much out of it this year. I took a little time out this week and went shopping by myself to get him some presents. It was the most fun I've had shopping in a long, long time. Almost surreal that I was buying presents for my little boy. Yeah, he's not going to get a lot out of his first Christmas. But his Daddy sure will.

Mommy is fully recovered and has lost every bit of her baby weight. She is an unbelievable mother. She's got those innate mothering skills and cherishes her little boy.

Daddy has been able to relax a little bit more. Still probably overly protective - but no guarantee that I'll fix that.

Postpartum Burp Rag Disorder

My lovely wife has been fantastic with little Fenn so far. She handling everything so well. She's worn out - but treats him like a little king - and has even managed to be nice to me over the last couple of weeks (well, most of the time....).

She does have one issue though......burp rags. She never has one. If she's in the bedroom, the burp rag is in the living room. If she's in the living room, the burp rag is in the nursury. And, the rare times she does actually take a burp rag with her....she drops it on the floor and can't find it.

I've even tried to strategically place burp rags all over the house. I put one on the couch, one on the chair....I stuff one in Fenn's diaper and Anne's bra. Doesn't work....they still disappear. For Anne....the baby and burp rags are allergic to each other.

So....I love being a Dad so far. I've tried to take good care of Anne and Fenn over the past 17 days. But, my biggest and most important job....far and away....is being the Burp Rag Retriever.....

9 days

Well, I've been a little busy over the past 9 days.....just now getting around to annoucing here that William Fenn Hager was born 10/23/10 at 5:27 pm - 7 lbs 4 oz - 19 1/2" long.
It's been a very fun past week. Also very tiring as we get used to Fenn's eating and sleeping habits. Challenging - but obviously worth it!

Mommy did very well - and was surprised at how easy the labor and birth really were for her. 9 days later - she looks fantastic and you wouldn't even know she had a baby! She's nearly fully recovered - and probably ready for Fenn's little sister....

The past 9 months seem to have flown by - and seem to have creeped along all at the same time. It's sometimes hard to fathom - as I now can stare at my little son - that's he's been the same little growing baby that we've talked about all this time. He's a fantastic blessing to us - and, most likely the cutest baby ever created!

Today is the Day!

Anne's water broke this morning. We've been at the hospital all day - been a long day so far. Contractions started slowly, then sped up, then got very painful. Then dialated 3 cm - then an epidural. Now, a little calm before the storm as we progress! Mommy feels much better after the epidural!

Little Boy Scorpio

Well, unless Fenn is born in the next couple of days - he's going to be a Scorpio (strangely - some places say Scorpio starts Oct 23, some say 24th).

Anyway - I don't put much stock in it - but for fun - I decided to see what that meant.

Scorpio - One site I looked at called them 'mysterious little angels'.

Baby Scorpios know what they want and have strong personalities. They are quick to learn, active and intelligent (of course!). They are very curious, particularly about things that are hidden or a mystery to them.

Baby Scorpios are prone to accidents because of their need to be places or do things more quickly than anyone else.

Scorpios like to have a private place of their own - in their room or a secret hiding place - to give them a sense of security.

Scorpio children are loyal and loving to family and friends - but are wary of strangers. They also bear pain better than most, so parents have to look closely for signs of discomfort.

Scorpios tend to be introverted in their interactions with other kids. They can be vengeful if anyone takes or breaks their toys. Parents need to teach tolerance, because Scorpios like a good fight.

Scorpio babies never play or compete just for the heck of it. The goal of winning is always the reason.

I also read several places where Scorpio babies have a hypnotic gaze - to the point where it makes some people uncomfortable because they stare without any expression.

Come on Fenn - don't creep me out by staring at me all the time!

39 weeks....and a day

Well, we're now only 6 days away from Fenn's due date. We're getting very anxious - kind of ready to get things rolling.
We had an appt a couple of days ago. Nothing much has changed. No dialation but pretty well effaced. We go back in Monday morning. The Doc wanted us to come early Monday morning so that if things had progressed - we would have Monday and Tuesday to decide on possibly inducing. But - he also said not to count on it.
It also looks like he won't let us go beyond 41 weeks - so two weeks from today - a baby should be here!

I took the car to the police station yesterday to get the car seat checked. I'd messed up a couple of different things - so I guess it's good we got it checked out. It's all set now and ready to go. I even went and got my flu shot yesterday so I don't get the little guy sick. I'm starting to run out of things to dream up to do in order to get ready.

He's only got 10 days left if he's going to make it here in time to wear any Halloween clothes.....and if he's going to have an October birthday.

Anne is still feeling pretty good all things considered. I think she's ready to get him out though. He's big enough now he's all up in her ribs and it's pretty hard for her to get comfortable. He sticks out a lot too. Sometimes it looks like Anne has a softball coming out of her stomach. I don't think she does though.

37 Weeks

37 Weeks today! We had an appt Monday - and the Dr told us he doesn't expect to see Fenn in the next couple of weeks. He also said he doesn't let people get more than a week past due. So, looks like we'll be around the 20th at the very earliest, and around the 3rd of November at the latest. At least that narrows it down!

Thanks to fantastic family and friends, we've had 3 showers, and have most everything we need. All we need is somebody to use all this stuff.

Time has really gone quickly over the past few months (I think even Anne agrees!). But now, it seems to be slowing down a bit. We're in the home stretch and are just ready to see the little guy. Friends Jennifer and Jamie...and Brooke and Dustin have both had their little girls in the past couple of weeks - So it's our turn!

Anne still feels good for the most part. She's having a harder time getting comfortable to sleep - but all things considered - we've been very fortunate.

So.....the remaining question....Will Fenn make it in time for Halloween or not? Any bets?

New Photos!!!

At our appt last week the doctor decided that Fenn was measuring a little small compared to his due date - so we had an ultrasound today to make sure everything was growing like it should. We don't meet with him again until next Tuesday - but according to the ultrasound tech - everything looks good. They can also use the measurement for the head, abdomen and leg to come up with the baby's weight. They say he is currently 5 lbs, 7 oz!!! Which is not small for 34 weeks.
She also took some pretty cute photos of his face. You can especially see his nose and mouth really well. I'll put a couple of them below. The bottom one had the umbilical cord in the way (which makes him look like he has an ear where his eye should be). The top one.....he moved a bit.....and got a little bit of a grin. Cute, huh???

Nursery

Ok - Here are a couple of photos of the nearly finished nursery. A little fine tuning to do still - but we're getting close! Notice those fantastic Bathtime Monkey curtains????? Nice work Anne!

Fabric Fun

So, after registering yesterday at Babies R Us - we went to a movie. On the way home after the movie I asked Anne if there is anything else we needed to do while we were in that part of town. She mentioned maybe we should go to JoAnne's and see if we could find any fabric we liked for baby curtains and crib skirt. Man, I really wished I hadn't asked that question. JoAnne's ranks somewhere between going to the dentist and swimming in sewage.
But....being the fantastic and accommodating husband that I am - we drove over to JoAnne's. And I'm not ashamed to say it was the most fun I've had doing any baby activity to date. That's because I was able to talk Anne into a fabric that I just had to have. I even went to a SECOND JoAnne's so that we could get more of the fabric to make sure we had enough!!
Ok, sometimes I can be a 35 year old little kid.....but I'm pretty excited to sit in Fenn's room and stare at his eventual curtains. Pictures below!

Ta Daaaa!

No sweat. Actually, quite a bit of sweat....but no too difficult. Below are a couple of pictures of Fenn's new bed! It matches our armoire pretty well - which is what we were hoping for. We're going to use the it for storage and a changing table.

Wish Me Luck

The crib has arrived! The good news is - I really like the color of the wood. The bad news is....there is a loooott of assembly required. Of course we knew that - but - now I've got to try to make it look like a crib. I've heard a lot of horror stories thru the years about Dad's trying to put cribs together. Here's hoping that they've gotten easier since most of those stories!
So far I've come up with two excuses to delay starting. First....I don't want to get in trouble for Anne not getting to help - so I can't finish before she gets home. Second, I decided I better let the screwdriver battery charge for a while. Battery is probably charged now....so it's probably about time to get started.

OH, WAIT....I better go open the AC vent in that room.....then it's going to take a while to cool off in there......

A Place To Sleep

We received Fenn's mattress via Fed Ex yesterday! No crib yet - it should be here within a week - but at least we have the mattress. So he's got a place to sleep if he decides to come early.
I'm posting so seldomly on here now that when I do, I doubt many people see it. There just isn't a lot of news right now plus I've been pretty busy with Real Estate activity over the past couple of months.
We are officially in the third trimester now - 28 weeks yesterday - which is 70%. In a way - it seems like the past 6 months have flown by. But, 3 months also sounds like a long time to wait.
In addition to ordering the crib, we've been working on other fun stuff in the past week like creating a will, talking life insurance,etc. May as well buy a grave while we're on such fun tasks!

We are going to see Dr Sullivan every 2 weeks now. They are pretty quick appts. Mommy blood pressure, weight, and baby heartbeat and measurement - and we're done. Anne has finally started to gain a little weight - although it's still just a total of about 9 lbs. So - she'll probably gain 10-15 lbs over the next 10 weeks or so. She's starting to get a bit more tired, and becoming a little less mobile - but overall, still feeling very good.
Anne has decided Fenn has a sweet tooth. She says after she eats ice cream or other sweets he gets more active. Sugar high I guess!

Photos of Fenn!

Ok, these are several weeks old now.....but I never got them posted. These are from when we found out we were having a boy.
And the latest news for those that haven't gotten the word - our baby boy will be named William Fenn Hager - and he'll go by Fenn. William is my Grandpa Carlock's first name, and Fenn is my Grandma Hager's maiden name.

So....everybody say Hi to Fenn!!

You're Baby Is About The Size Of.....

Two posts in one day? Whew.

So, we've been reading a book called Your Pregnancy week by week (loaned to us by our friends Amy and Justin who had a little boy in January....thanks Amy!). Each week, it tells you about what size your baby is in ounces, in length (crown to rump length is how they measure since the little things don't have room to stretch out), and then it compares it's size to something practical to give a visual idea about how big the baby is. Anne and I have gotten a kick out of some of these...so I thought I'd share them:

Week 3 - "The embryo is about the size of a head of a pin"....that part isn't that funny - but I remember laughing at the next part: "and would be visible to the naked eye if it weren't inside you". Duh.

Week 4 - "Size is one milimeter - which is about the size of the letter "o" on the page of the book".....or the screen of the computer I guess.....um, depending on your screen size.

Week 7 - "your growing baby is about 4 to 5 mm. This is about the size of a BB pellet". Ok, I actually don't remember this one. But a BB isn't that much bigger than the letter 'o' on the page we learned about 3 weeks ago. What kind of vicious BB gun uses BB's 5 times bigger than the "o"?

Week 8 - "About the size of a pinto bean"!

Week 9 - "Close to the size of a medium green olive". You know.....as opposed to small or large green olives. And why is it just a green olive? Why not black olives....Racists.

Week 10 - "is the size of a small plum"

Week 11 - "is about the size of a large lime". I'm pretty sure I've seen large limes that are smaller than small plums. All about your perspective I guess.

Week 12 - "your baby has doubled in size in the past 3 weeks". So, no visual aid here - but I think it's safe to say that it means at this point....the baby is the size of TWO medium green olives.....

Week 13 - "It is about the size of a peach". I think the author was hungry a lot.

Week 14 - "your baby is about the size of your fist". Ok....Anne and I both read this....who is she talking to? Whose fist? Anne has dainty little nurse fists....and I have big manly meat eating fists.

Week 15 - "about the size of a softball". See. I told you he was an athlete...

Week 17 - "by this week, your baby is about the size of your hand spread wide open"....as we all sit here and look silly looking at our hand, spreading our fingers out, etc. I thought this one was weird. They went from doing round things - to a spread out, sprawling hand. Kind of makes me picture a baby going from a fetal position to suddenly doing jumping jacks.

Then they kind of just switch to weight for several weeks:

Week 18 - 5 1/4 ounces
Week 19 - 7 ounces
Week 20 - 9 ounces

Week 21 - 10 1/2 ounces...."It is about the size of a large banana"!
Week 22 - 12 1/4 ounces

And tomorrow - We are at week 23! So, for week 23.... "your baby weighs almost 1 pound. Your baby is about the size of a small doll". Small Doll? I would think opinions could vary greatly on what size a 'small' doll is. But hey, at least we've moved from fruit to something human-like!

Head of a Pin to a Small Doll in 20 weeks!

Looks Like He's Gonna Be A Soccer Player.....

Twice in the past week I've been able to feel sausage by putting my hand on Anne's stomach. It's not major, but can definitely feel him kicking around in there. He should be about a pound by now - so if you multiply those kicks by 7, I guess that's what he'll be able to do in 3 months......

So, since he's already obviously athletic enough to kick and jump.....I've been trying to decide which sports he should like! He needs to be good enough for college scholarships.....and in a sport where he can make a lot of money and pay for my retirement....but the sport has to be safe enough that I don't have to worry about him getting hurt. As much as I love football, that may rule it out. Looks like we're down to Baseball, Basketball and Golf. I guess I'll wait a couple of years and see what skills he has.....

23 weeks tomorrow!!!

Blue it is!

Ok, the news is already 3 days old now - so it's probably not news to anybody now - but there's been too much going on to get a post up.
I think we both honestly were going to be very happy either way - but it's nice to know now. We're talking more about names - and we can get to work on the room now! In a way it still seems to early to do some of that - but we only have four months left - and I'm not sure how much in the mood Anne will be to do much of it the last month or two.

One of my first comments was that part of the good news is we don't have to save for a wedding.....

The ultrasound was fun. The real reason for this ultrasound is to check on the development and well-being of Sausage. Every measurement was very normal, very normal heatbeat, etc. They even confirm that the heart has four chambers, which I think is pretty crazy since the heart can't be much bigger than a pea. Sausage (which by the way....sounds better for a boy than a girl....so it fits even better now) was about 12 oz as of Thursday.

Sometimes I've wondered if it's really clear enough for the ultrasound tech to really know if it's a boy or a girl. Kind of wonder what the percentage chance is for a mistake. Well....I'm not worried about that for our baby. We saw it very clearly, and before she even pointed it out to us!

I'll post a couple of our newest pictures later! Baby's wardrobe is starting to grow too! Grandma Hager bought him (wow....see, it still hasn't even set in that I can actually say 'him'!)... a pair of overalls the other day. My Grandpa Carlock used to buy overalls for my nieces - so now he can match. We were also in Kelly's in Westport this weekend for a going away of a friend - and 'Red' - one of the guys that works there - gave us a little mini Kelly's shirt. And Leah - our friend that moved - gave us a little care package for him that has a swaddling blanket.

By our due date - Baby was 20 weeks and 1 day for our ultrasound. By measurements, he was 20 weeks and 2 days. So, right on target, and he's actually made up some ground, because he used to measure a few days earlier than the due date.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night thinking how crazy it is that the little guy is only 12 oz - and he's half done. He's going to multiply in size 6 or 7 times (or 11 if you're Liane....) in the second half!

20 weeks and 4 days today! I apologize if this post is all over the place and filled with errors - my mind is all over the place right now - and I don't currently have time to proofread!

Two weeks until pink or blue....

Everything checked out well at the Dr appt today. Baby's heart is thumping right along, and mommy's blood pressure and weight are perfect. We made our 20 week ultrasound for 2 weeks from today - so in two weeks - we'll know what we're having(unless we decide not to find out....but I doubt that happens)

Dr Sullivan is predicting a girl....but he admitted that he's wrong all the time and there really is no skill in determining that until you see the ultrasound. I guess he figures he's got a 50/50 chance of guessing right. Although, if he's below 50%, he should probably just pipe down.

I should also mention that baby's new nickname is Sausage.....

Anne has an acquaintance that called her baby Bacon until it was born.....I decided that Sausage would be a nice upgrade over Bacon. So, a couple of weeks ago I started calling the baby Sausage and it's kind of stuck (for me anyway....I don't think I've heard Anne actually say it yet).

In other updates....we found out you can buy split queen box springs (two pieces) for only $120 or so. So that room crisis isn't a crisis afterall - just a minor bump in the road. We also went to USA Baby for the first time last week to look at furniture for Sausage. Whew, that stuff is expensive. I threatened to try to make a crib (I'm a little too big headed since I built our shelves)....but Anne doesn't trust my carpenter skills nearly enough for something our baby will be sleeping in.

I'm off to the lake for a couple of days - a little guy trip for Memorial Day. Anne works Friday and Saturday - so we didn't have anything going on.
So, I'm afraid I'm leaving Anne home to both bring home the bacon AND take care of the sausage......

18 weeks and 1 day today!

Musical Rooms Attempt #1 = Failure

So, we worked today to finish getting the upstairs cleaned out. Suddenly it occurred to me....there's no way our guest bed queen box springs were going to fit up the steep stairs. So, we tried it....sure enough....no way. Not sure why I didn't think of that sooner.

So...back to the drawing board! We may be in the market for a new guest room bed. For those that may visit us - sorry - but it looks like you're being downgraded from a queen to a full size bed!

16 Weeks

We are at 16 weeks today! We've started making a few preparations in the last week or two. Musical Rooms has started. We are making room upstairs for the spare bedroom....so that we can turn the spare bedroom into the nursery. I'm not crazy about using the spare bedroom - because it seems way too far away from our room. But it really is the most logical choice for a nursery. I think I have Anne talked into putting the crib in our room for a few weeks at least before baby moves to the nursery. Once the move to the nursery takes place....I'll probably be camping outside the nursery door.....

We also took our first 'baby bump' picture a couple of days ago. Nothing huge yet - but you can definitely tell there is a little showing going on.

Should continue to be a little low key over the next four weeks. We have one appointment in a couple of weeks - and at that time we'll make our 20 week ultrasound appt. So, in about 4 weeks - we'll probably learn the gender. Then things will really take off with names, clothes, furniture, paint, etc. I guess we better enjoy the calm of the next 4 weeks!

I think the next step is to dress Pupps up like a baby....to try to teach Hula Hoop how to act around babies....that way she is well behaved by October.

What's In A Name?

So, we still have six months, but we've done a fair amount of name searching. Girls names came fairly easily, but boys names are pretty tough. I've talked to friends that had the exact opposite experience though - so I guess it varies.

We won't stress too much about it. We'll continue to leisurely discuss it over the next 6 weeks until we find out (assuming we do) what the gender is. Then it will be time to get down to business.

I wonder how much it matters? How much does your name really affect your life? None of us are probably very qualified to answer that unless we've lived the same life twice with two different names....and I can't think of too many people that have done that.

I can think of a lot of names that are cute for a baby, but not as cute for a college student. There are a lot of names that are good for an adult, but not all that cute for a baby. But coming up with a name that is cute for a baby, not embarassing for a teen, and professional for an adult is a bit tougher. Got to find a name that won't get your kid made fun of in middle school, and won't turn your child into a stripper when they are in their 20's......that's a lot of pressure.

I like names that are a little less common....but at the same time - don't make people roll their eyes when they hear it. I'd like it to be a little different...without trying to sound too much like you're trying to be different. We'll get it figured out - and really, it's a pretty fun process (until we get it narrowed down and don't agree on which one is the best).


Now - an update on the baby - we had an appt with Dr Sullivan(OBGYN) Tuesday. All is well. Baby's heart is rolling right along. Mommy's blood pressure is fantastic. Mommy still hasn't gained any weight - which isn't abnormal. She should gain 11-14 lbs over the next 10-11 weeks. Doc confirmed that we are indeed thru the first trimester and are early in the second trimester (Wooo Hooo!). And he also confirmed that I can ease up on the eating restrictions. Deli meat is ok as long as it's from a reputable place. And when asked if getting steaks cooked medium is ok....his response was "I prefer medium rare". Thanks a lot Doc.

For the record, he did say it was good that I was being strict during the first trimester since so much of the important baby development takes place during that time. But now that we have made it trimester #2, we can relax a bit more on those restrictions. He patted me on the shoulder on the way out and thanked me for taking care of mommy - so it wasn't all for nothing!

Doc also assured us that he will be there, day or night, for our delivery (assuming we don't do it some crazy time like 34 weeks and he's on vacation).

So, no appointments for the next four weeks - then we'll see Dr Sullivan again. And at that time - we'll schedule our next ultrasound (the famous gender determination one).

14 weeks and 1 day today!

Looking Like a Real Baby!

As I mentioned - Here is the latest photo. You can see the left arm pretty well. The right arm is up in front of babies face. You can also see the umbilical cord.....and don't miss the cute little crossed legs!

Latest Dr Visit

We had our nuchal translucency ultrasound yesterday. Almost all good news - along with some very, very minor bad news (don't worry).

Good News:
1) Ultrasound results were very good. Baby's chances of having Downs Syndome or other chromosomal issues is something like 1 in 12,000.
2) The baby has come a long way in the last 3 weeks. The limbs are real live arms and legs....looking more and more like a real baby. This was our first trans-abdominal ultrasound.
3) The heartbeat was rolling right along at a very normal pace.

Bad News:
1) If the baby continues to be as active over the next 6 monts as it was during our ultrasound.....Anne is going to be in a baaaad mood.....
Ok, so that's not really bad news. It was actually very exciting to see how active the little thing was. It took the ultrasound lady many tries at getting the proper measurements because the baby would kick and jump every time she tried. Practically doing somersaults in there....

I was relieved after this visit. Three weeks without an ultrasound seemed like an etnernity after getting one every week or two. I suppose I need to get used to that, because I don't think our next one is for like 8 weeks now.

I asked the genetic specialist (no doctor this time - this lady is the one that determines how worried you should be about risks in your pregnancy)....anyway - I asked her if the 1st trimester was over AT 13 weeks, or at the end of that 13th week. Her response? 16 weeks. What? That's the first we'd heard of that. When I divide 40 weeks into 3 - I sure don't get 16.

Anyway, we are 13 weeks tomorrow - so however you want to chop up the trimesters - we are at least winding down the first.

3 months down - 6 to go!

AND NOW..... momentarily I'll share our latest 4-D ultrasound...

What Will Day 1 Be Like?

I was wondering this morning exactly what it will feel like once the baby actually arrives. You hear people describe it - but I'm sure it's something that you just can't understand until it's happened. I'm wondering how I'll handle it. In a lot of ways I still feel like a little kid myself. Am I actually allowed to take care of a little miniature human? And am I qualified?

Then, I realize I'm 35 (yeesh). My brother already had all 4 daughters by the time he was my age. When my dad was my age, my brother and I were 11 and 8 for crying out loud. I really can't imagine that. I mean, I remember my dad back then. To think I can remember my dad when he was younger than I am now is a strange thing. He sure seemed to know what he was doing. My kid will look at me sitting around, typing on a computer in my shorts and wonder what he/she got themself into. I think maybe men matured earlier back then. When my Dad was 20-21, he was half way around the world fighting a war. When I was 20-21 I was goofing of in Introduction to Business class, playing video games, and eating 99 cent cheeseburgers at midnight.

The whole thought process makes you take inventory. I'm not all that worried about being a decent parent. But you have to ask yourself if you have all those skills you need, all the knowledge you need to be a really good parent. The kind that can drop their kid off at college 18 years later and know that they've given them the best possible preparation for life.

Somebody remind me to ask my parents if they knew all of this stuff when they started, or if they made it up as they went along. I mean, they had to figure it all out at some point for me to turn out as good as I have..... : )

The Hormones Make An Appearance!

So far I haven't seen much proof of Anne having any hormone related mood swings or irrational behaviors. Today, I think I've seen the first occurence.

We have a rock pathway (ie; 1" to 2" river rocks) that goes along the side of the house. Anne went out and pulled some dandelions out of the rocks - and where the weeds were - the rocks were a little muddy. So....she decided that she was going to pick a bunch of these muddy rocks up, move them over into the yard and the driveway....and wash them off. I told her I didn't really think it was necessary, because we were outside and the rain would wash the rocks off. That wouldn't do. I decided - judging by the look on her face at my questioning this decision - I better let it go and went inside.

10-15 minutes later I went back out and she had muddy feet, muddy pants, muddy hands....but the rocks were nice and clean and are now back in our pathway with the other rocks.....

When I went back out - she was smiling and I told her that it was one of the weirdest things I'd ever seen - and we could just blame it on the hormones.

Here is the 4-D scan I mentioned. You can see an ear, arms, a bit of facial features.....I think. Looks a bit like lumpy mashed potatoes....but at least you can start to some things forming. And this was two weeks ago - by now baby's probably jump roping!

Baby's First........

Well, even though baby is still months away from making an appearance - he/she had a first major milestone two days ago......Baby's First Royals game.....!
Baby thoroughly enjoyed the day - the weather, the food, the smells.....Ahhhh. Unfortunately, the Royals weren't able to pull out the win for us, but we're rather used to that at this point.

11 weeks today folks!

Break Time

It's been a while since my last post. I apologize to all of my fans for that.......

We're in a bit of a lull right now. We were in Eureka Springs on a little vacation for a few days. It was our "babymoon"....a little calm before the baby storm.

We are also, for the first time, in an extended period without doctor visits - so the news is slow. Our next doctor visit is April 19 - when we have our nuchal translucency ultrasound. For those of you that are nuchal rookies (like me), it's main purpose is to check for chromosomal defects such as Down's Syndrome.

Baby is currently 10 weeks and 2 days. It's exciting to get up into the double digit weeks, and to be only a couple of weeks from completing the first trimester. Apparently the baby is somewhere between 1 to 1 1/2 inches now - or around the size of a small plum.

During our last visit, which I haven't mentioned on here - we actually got a 4-D ultrasound done, where you could see the baby a bit better. I haven't scanned it yet, because it's connected to several other scans, and I haven't gotten the nerve to take the scissors to them yet. It does have more definition - you can see limbs, ears, etc. It also kind of has a bit of a lumpy, alien look though.......

Anne is still feeling really good. She had one day last week where she had a really bad headache and was exhausted - but by the next day whe was fine. She also got a little winded on some of the steep hills in Eureka Springs, but nothing serious. She's actually lost 2-4 pounds during the pregnancy so far. That's realitively common for women having morning sickness, but Anne hasn't had that. Last week,, the doctor told her to eat a double cheeseburger.....I don't think she minded that advice.

We've got our fingers crossed. For the most part, sickness is only in the first trimester and has usually subsided after about 12 weeks. A couple of more weeks and we're likely out of the woods.

Happy Easter everyone!

Newest Photo!

As promised - Here is baby at 8 weeks. Pretty cute, huh?

Endocrinologist

.....That's it. Fancy Doctor = Reproductive Endocrinologist.

Gummi Bear

We had our final visit with our fancy doctor yesterday. I don't remember how specific I got in earlier posts and am too lazy to go back and read - but we've been dealing with two doctors thus far. One is Anne's regular OB/GYN. The other is a fertility specialist (there is another name for this that I can't currently come up with). The fertility doctor has basically just helped to make sure the body is doing what it should in order to conceive, monitor the early pregnancy, do the early ultrasounds, etc. So most of our dealings to this point has been with this fancy doctor (or more specifically, her staff - we've seen her a total of two times for about 10 minutes).

So yesterday, we got one more fancy fertility ultrasound. Baby is up to 15 milimeters (about half an inch to us metric-hating Americans). Still just the size of a small cashew, but starting to take shape. The doctors and nurses like to say it looks like a gummi bear at this point. You can see it a little bit - with the nubs for limbs. We could definitely see the increase in size and change in definition yesterday compared to 10 days ago. And the best part was, they turned on the sound this time and we got to hear the little heart beating along (sheesh, if the baby is the size of a small cashew - how big is that little heart??). The little thing is up to 169 beats per minute, which is apparently just right.

Everything checked out just fine - the fancy doctor signed off on us, and has sent us back to the non-fancy OB/GYN. So, we now have our next appt with him next Thursday.

Anne continues to feel really good. It turns out that our issues last week were indeed just some kind of bug. She is 8 weeks and 2 days today, and still really no sickness. If she can sneak past the next couple of weeks - she may be home free!

I'll try to remember to scan the latest ultrasound later today and post it. And I should also say, I think this fancy doctor was a blessing. Most people haven't even been to the doctor at this point - so it's been very nice to have had the reassurance of the early ultrasounds. Although...."blessing" probably would not be the word I would use if not for Anne's very good KU insurance.....

The sickness...

As I had mentioned - Anne has been very lucky with the morning sickness. No real symptoms. About three days ago - she suddenly felt terrible. Very tired, aches and pains, chills, nauseua, etc, etc. We thought it had really set in.

Two days later.......now I am very tired....aches and pains....chills.....bad stomach......and Anne is feeling really good.

So, I'll let you make the call....either Anne was just sick with the flu and passed it on to me.....or I now have morning sickness.

Baby's First Photo

Ok, this isn't from a Wal Mart photo session or anything.....but at least it's something. And it was free (well, for me it was....but I wasn't the one sitting in the chair with a gown on).

We Have A Flicker!

Great news - About two hours ago we got to see the little miniature flicker of a hearbeat on the ultrasound!

We had our 6 week ultrasound last Wednesday. Everything looked normal with the exception of the hearbeat - they couldn't find one. Now, this wasn't all that odd. Since we were there at exactly 6 weeks - maybe just a few days before it was visible. So, we made an appt to go back in again today.

Still, I've been a bit freaked out for the last 5 days. Even though some people go until 8-10 weeks without seeing the heart beat - I was still pretty nervous (and doing my best not to let Anne know....).

I was pretty anxious this morning. But the little heart was just flickering right along on the screen! 117 beats per minute.....which is apparently very good.

They also measured the little thing to 6 weeks, 3 days, which is just about right on schedule to what we thought.

We'll be 7 weeks along in two days! Time is already flying by. Anne is still feeling pretty good. Maybe a bit more fatigue setting in - but all things considered - so far so good.

Now that I've seen the heart beat, I'll be starting to get pretty excited. I've been holding out a bit because in my research I've found that the chance of miscarraige decreases significantly once you've seen a heartbeat (and decreases significantly again once you've made it to 12-15 weeks). There's one down!

Note to Self: Ease up on the Rules...

Well, we're basically 5 1/2 weeks thru now (which mean we're in our 6th week actually.....it's all kind of confusing....). Anne hasn't really had many symptoms as of yet. No sickness yet, not overly tired (although, she's always nodding off at weird times....so I don't really know how I'll tell when this happens).

ME, on the other hand.... We were watching a movie the other night - probably about three days after we found out we were pregnant - and part of it was about a father dying and having to leave behind his wife and young daughter. I about lost it. We'd only known we were pregnant for 3 days and for some reason that hit home so much differently than it would have a week earlier. Can't even really explain it - it just brought out some new emotions. Ok, I need to go do something manly after telling that story.

So I gave Anne a massage the other night. I've been forcing her to eat more veggies. I told her to go to bead early last night to get her rest since she worked yesterday and is working today (she disregarded this order by the way). I'm pretty sure she is going to be really tired of me before long (except for the massages). I'm so nervous about everything going well that I may go a little overboard at times.

For example, a few days ago I sat down and did a lot of research on things you should and should not do when you're pregnant. Natually the list of "Don't Do's" got pretty long (for the record - I only put things on the list that I found on at least two differences sources). Yeah, this list didn't go over very well with my lovely wife. I think my timing could have been a bit better - and I think I should have explained it a bit better when I gave it to her. It really was just a list of things for us to further research, ask the doctor about, etc. She took it as a set of rules. Not good......

And I can see why she thought the list of rules was a bit over the top (examples - Don't drink tap water and Don't cross your legs). But I'm sticking bye the No Hair Dye rule Anne - no chemicals for my baby!

Anyway, we're feeling our way thru things. Apparently the baby is still only a little over a millimeter long, but the heart and eyes are starting to form and it may be possible to hear a heartbeat sometime next week. They say the chance of a miscarraige decreases significantly once you've heard a heartbeat, and then decreases significantly again after 12 weeks. Going to be a nervous couple of months!

Making a Baby

Anne and I decided late last year that we wanted to work on trying to get pregnant. I learned thru the process that there are an awful lot of things that have to go right in order to get pregnant. I don't think they went into quite this much detail in health class in high school - or at least I wasn't paying attention. Periods, cycles, ovulation, etc, etc, etc. I joked with a friend the other day that if I'd known that getting pregnant required this much precision - I would have been sowing more wild oats earlier in life (I'm kidding Mom)......

Anyway, regardless of the necessary precision, it didn't take us too long. We took a home pregnancy test on Wednesday Feb 17th. It was positive. Well.....I'm pretty sure it was positive. Some genious that works for EPT decided it's a good idea to put two windows on those tests. One has a hash mark that supposed to let you know it's working. The other window is where you get a plus or a minus. Now, I'm not going to tell these people how to run their business - they've been making home pregnancy tests longer than I have......But didn't they realize that a hash mark in one window can look a lot like a minus sign in the other window?

Now, they tell you which window is which, so you know that hash just means the test is working. But come on.....I'm already nervous......the last thing I need to see is ANY minus sign, regardless of which window they put it in. Anyway, there was a faint plus sign in the other window. Not wanting to get too excited, I was complaining about how one line of the plus sign was darker than the other (and natually the faint one was the up and down one that would turn a minus into a plus). So, between the faint plus sign, and the stupid negative has sign 1/2 inch away in the other window......I was just not liking this test.

So, into the car and off to Walgreens we went. (Not to get off target here - but I really wish they wouldn't put the home pregnancy tests and ovulation detection kits right next to the condoms, etc. This is a happy time for me - I don't want to feel like a guilty teenager buying condoms when I'm trying to get to find out if I have a baby coming).

At Walgreens, we see these very nice DIGITAL pregancy tests. Fantastic! Not plus, or minus, or dash, or equal sign, or slash. If you're pregant - it says PREGNANT. If your're not, it says NOT PREGNANT. Now we're talking.

A bit later - we're back at home......and we're looking at a test with a nice, clear, digital "PREGNANT"!

So, that was one week ago as I write this. We've since been to three doctors appointments, and everything looks very good. We are 5 weeks pregnant today and have estimated delivery date of October 27. HANG IN THERE ANNE.......ONLY 35 WEEKS TO GO!!!!

The Story Behind the Title

I decided to call this The Real Estate Baby. As most of you know - I've recently been working on a career change. I've gotten my Kansas license and am awaiting my Missouri license. Once I have it (which should be within the next 2-4 weeks), I'll be up and running and ready to help people buy and sell real estate. That's a bit of a plug. And to plug a bit further - if anyone knows anyone that needs to buy or sell in Kansas right now - I can help!

So, I thought The Real Estate Baby was appropriate. Two reasons. First, two very big changes in our life in a pretty short amount of time. Second, whether or not our baby gets to wear clean diapers....or whether we have to rinse out and reuse.....likely depends on how successful my new career is. They are kind of intertwined......

So, that's the general idea. A couple of more items:

1) As I type this, nobody other than my wife knows we are having a baby.
2) As I type this, nobody...including my wife....knows I'm starting a blog about it. She's at a class today and will find out when she gets home.

So, essentially I'm talking to nobody at this point. I just thought it might be nice to have a little reading material ready when I tell people about this.

If you've never read a blog before - you have to work your way up. New posts are always at the top.

Ok......now that we've gotten all of the formalities out of the way.....I'm free to start talking about the baby....which still sounds so strange.....it hasn't really all set in yet!

Introduction

Well, if you're reading this, you've heard our big news. We're having a baby!
I decided I wanted to kind of chronicle our journey along the way. I've never blogged before, but thought this may be the best way to share our experiences with our friends, family, and possibly a few complete strangers......

So - Welcome! Feel free to leave any questions, comments, etc.