Porcelain Goddess

Just a quick hello and an update. Karla had an appointment on Tuesday and everything is good. Her next appointment is in two weeks and then it's every week, etc after that. Overall she's doing well but has been having problems sleeping the past few nights, mainly due to intense nausea and/or indigestion. The past two nights she's thrown up and it's actually helped her get to sleep.

I'm not sure if she wanted me to divulge that or not, but there it is...

The little guy has been really, really active the past few days and my guess is he's ready to get out here and start mowing the lawn. That's what I'm hoping anyway.

Other than that, we've worked on organizing the baby's room, sorting through clothes and gadgets and gizmos, trying to get everything strategically placed, which means we'll probably rearrange everything after he gets here. But it's all good. We still haven't decorated anything really, but that will probably come in the next couple days or so.

We still have a month plus until the actual due date and it really seems like a million years away, but I know it'll get here before we know and then someone will be pushing and someone else will be sweating and then a little bit o' awesome will grace the world.

So, with that in mind, I'm gonna go listen to The Birth of Cool.

Braxton Hicks in the house!

Hello! Well, Karla had a check up yesterday and everything is still a go (as if there were another option at this point). The doc says that the baby is starting to shift into position and will soon begin his descent down into, er, wherever it is he'll be going and stuff to prepare for the great leap forward.

Also, we have a correction to make...we've been telling everyone that the due date is January 7. However, the doc says that was just the ultrasound due date and she's going with January 12. I still maintain that dude will get here when dude gets here and that's my final word. So, there is that.

As I type this Karla says she thinks she's having Braxton Hicks contractions, which I guess makes sense as that is supposed to be an early sign of effacement. Also, it's an inside joke with us and J & KC Smith when she was pregnant with Hayden.

Well, I'd like to tell everyone to watch Pushing Daisies tonight, 1) because it's a good show but 2) because it's not getting good ratings and deserves them. Of course we're doing our part being a Nielsen Family (oops, I'm not supposed to tell people that).

Ok, it's about to come on and we have every TV in the house set to stun!!!

Proof

Absolutely nothing to report really. I just wanted to prove to myself (and you) that this blog could be updated twice in the same week.

Karla is over her cold pretty much and so feeling good overall. Two nights ago the little dude was squirming enough for me to see him through her belly from across the room. Freaky + Awesome = My Baby. We ordered a book called The Baby Whisperer and it came in yesterday. I have no idea what it's about but Title + Cover = Cheesy Lame. You dig? Maybe Robert Redford will make a movie based on it. Wait, he already did. Ack! (Yeah, I know, not really.)

Today is our second shower and I'm looking forward to getting even more wasted than I did at the last one...wait, I mean, I'm really looking forward to sharing this wonderful moment with friends and family. And yes, even I will have a blood-relation there... (You all thought I was hatched, right?) What up, Amy!

See, this is the kind of stretching it update you get when the postings come this close together. Karla does have a check up on Tuesday (I think), so one of us will probably be back around that time -- or a week later -- with a more worthwhile post.

Squonk!

Late...again...

Hello and again, sorry for the lateness of updates. We mean well, we’re even inspired by friends who update theirs so regularly…but alas, what can I say? We don’t suck but we do lag…

At any rate, things are going well. Karla does not have gestational diabetes. It was a bit of a hassle finding out for sure. Apparently if the tests come back negative you’re not supposed to hear from them. Bogus! One never likes to assume these things, you know? No gnus is good gnus? I don’t think so. So, after a couple of irritated calls, Karla finally got the good news. And that was two or three weeks ago…again, our bad…

She had another check up last Tuesday (Election Day) and the doc said things looked and felt great. We asked her about inducing, something we’ve chatted about. Karla doesn’t wanna be hanging out at work or church, etc when her water breaks and deal with all of that. We’re very much creatures of habit and schedule so our OCD would like things to be as orderly as possible…and then after the boy comes out it’ll all go out the window. The doc said within seven days either way of the due date, if things look good and ready, we can plan to induce. And if not…well, I guess she can wear Depends or something.

We had our first of two showers…er, two weekends ago? Man, we’ve really got to get on top of this thing! Ok, anyway…it was a really great time and we again appreciate all the wonderful gifts and time we got to spend with such good friends. We’re truly blessed over here and we love you guys! You all know who you are.

Ok, before I start getting sappy over here…

Karla is actually feeling pretty peppy in the last trimester, and really the only thing holding her back is a rotten cold that she may have gotten from me (whoops). Her only other complaint would be pain in her “swim suit” area, which the doc says is just her body adjusting for delivery. Turning over at night and getting out of bed to hit the head (which she really doesn’t do very often) has become a bit of an involved situation, but luckily I sleep through most of it, so no worries guys. She’s got a cute “little” baby bump going on and looking at her stomach, it almost looks fake, like a big piece of skin colored plastic, which is a bit freaky. She can now stick her tummy through a door before the rest of her comes out, and that is funny stuff. And as for movement, the funny little frog squirms and punches and kicks and even hiccups pretty regularly. She’s seen him moving a few times beneath her shirt, something I’ve not had the nerve to try and check out yet… “Aliens” anyone?

Well, dinner is close to being ready (broccoli cheese quiche!!!), Karla is playing Ms. Pacman on her iPhone and I’m listening to The Stone Roses while typing this up. It’s a perfect 21st century family setting; all we need is the little guy.

Aight, we’ll holler soon!

Man, we're lousy at this...

I just realized it’s been a month since our last post, and while not too terribly much is going on, there are some things we can report on.

First off, Karla was tested for gestational diabetes (wow, I had no idea I could spell either one of those words), and the first test came back positive. So, this past Monday she took the three hour test and man, they really did a number on her arms trying to find enough veins to tap for the procedure. No results yet but they should be in any day now. My cousin Amy, due in December, said she got a positive on the quick one and a negative on the long one, so we’re hopeful that Karla will get the same results. So stay posted for those and maybe we’ll put them up before the baby is born.

The baby’s room is now fully functional; we can blow up planets and everything with it. Putting up the curtains was a test in “we’re trying not to use those words any more,” which I got about a C+ and Karla a strong A- (overachiever). The decorations are still in the works, but if the funny little frog decides to make an early appearance, we’ll be able to accommodate at Hotel What Up.

Karla has been feeling better in general lately, possibly/probably due to some iron supplements she started taking a few weeks back. The baby kicks a lot more but never seems to do it when I’ve got my hand on her belly, and believe me, that has been noted and will go on his permanent record (queue Violent Femmes). Also, he’s been responsive to music, so Karla was walking around the house last night with headphones wrapped around her tummy, blasting Travis “The Man Who,” which I’m sure he liked but it’s no Echo and the Bunnymen. Am I right? Anyone?

What else… Oh yeah, we got the glider in. Since the couch is murder for Karla, we’re keeping it downstairs until the baby is born. Getting it upstairs will be another test of words not to use. I know this because I failed said test trying to just get the thing in the house. But it is rather comfy and plush and fit for a Gladstone.

Other than that, things are pretty much normal. I wonder how much different “normal” will be one year from now?

Aight, WG out!

Updates

We went to my monthly appointment on Monday and everything is fine. Nothing exciting going on. I was pleased to find out I hadn't gained too much weight because I've been feeling so big lately. I just want to be within normal range. I'm not scared of gaining weight as long as I'm not gaining too much.

I've been having bad back pain (in my sciatic nerve) which I have found out is common in pregnancy. The difficulty is trying to get out of bed at 3am without crying out in pain and waking William up. I have to move very carefully which is no easy task when you are surrounded by a huge body pillow that doesn't allow you to move easily. Man, I feel old and fat... but it will all be worth it.

The baby's room is coming along really nicely. We bought a chair on Friday along with a rug. Those are the two final pieces for the baby's room. They won't be in for 4-6 weeks so we're anxiously waiting to see how everything is going to fit together in his room.

Here's a picture of our baby bedding (the colors are a bit deceiving - the grey color is actually a brown and the words "Cole" are not emblazoned on the quilt). :-)

We finally registered on Saturday at Babies R Us and Target. That was an interesting experience to say the least. Babies R Us took forever and it was quite overwhelming. We were there 2+ hours and after going home and doing more research, I worked 2+ more hours going back and changing some of our registry items based on people's ratings. "What does a baby need?" -- that was the question of the night. We registered for some expensive stuff (that we don't expect folks to buy) because we found out you get 10% off on your registry items when you close everything out. Who knew a car seat would be be $170. And that's just an infant car seat - only up to 30 lbs - and after that we have to do this all over again. Yay. Kids are truly expensive. I am just now beginning to learn all of this. Eek. William and I are entering a whole new world (and demographic).

I'll hopefully update more regularly soon once we get the house squared away. The second trimester hasn't been all roses as the books say. Today I went to church and had to walk out before the sermon started because I started breaking out into a cold sweat and thought I was going to throw up. I was really looking forward to being in church too. It was all because the room was a bit warm. I sat in the car with the air blowing in my face and told William to go back in. I just literally "chilled" in the car and listened to my podcast of This American Life. I guess I'll download our pastor's sermon later (thank God for podcasts).

I feel so much like a wuss lately. I also took Thursday off to just rest because I've just barely been able to walk anywhere without feeling completely fatigued and breaking out into a sweat. My heart has been doing the flipflops again and I can't stand for long periods of time. The doctor said I was on the verge of being anemic so I've been taking iron supplements (in addition to all the other vitamins I already take). Hopefully those will kick in soon!

Speaking of kicking, William felt the baby kick for the first time on Friday night. I think he was a bit shocked at how it feels. I've been trying to get him to feel it but he always just misses the window of opportunity when the baby is kicking away. As soon as he places his hands on my belly the baby is like the frog that just ribbits and stops the song/dance performance. (Some of you know the cartoon I'm referring to, hopefully!)

That's it for now!

I'm going to pretend that it's 7:45PM last Monday and I'm dutifully updating our blog complete with scans of the ultrasound and the results of the exam. So, with that in mind… Things went really well and we found out that we're having a little boy, which made us laugh when she told us because about 95% of everyone we know has said we're having a boy and of course we were saying we wanted a girl. But really what we want is a healthy and happy baby and the way it takes a leak is totally irrelevant. So all you gals having little girls in the near future or with daughters within a three year range…game on.

We're going to name him Bono and I think you all know why and if you don't, ask Clay Satterfield and maybe he'll send you his doctoral thesis Bono is Awesome and Here is Why. It's been strange and exiting actually referring to the baby as "he," which gives everything a much more personal and realistic quality, making him feel more like part of the family rather than some abstract idea which may or may not be truly happening.

And now back in real time, it was a busy Labor Day preparing for Mr. Vox (that's Bono's last name) and we FINALLY got everything moved out of his room (well, ok, not the closet…Karla, that's your territory), which enabled us to give it a good vacuuming and a once over with the wet/dry vac as well. Karla decided that all the room really needed was a touch up and not a full scale paint job. I guess we'll go that route and then see what we think. We plan on assembling the crib, etc sometime this week and trying out our first idea for an arrangement. Stay tuned for pix of the progress once we get further with that.

We also spent some time (and money) with getting the new office/playroom/hang out room/studio/disco up to speed and it's starting to take some shape though is still far too chaotic at this point for any photos. Part of the chaos is due to Ikea, who are currently on my "do not trade with" list. I think I've complained most to Sarah about this so go to her for details 'cos this is a happy place.

I'm not sure when Karla's next appointment is but I'm guessing it's pretty soon. She's been feeling much, much better lately. Her cold finally, finally went away (three weeks) and her heart has only acted up in stressful situations (like driving through CRAZY Cincinnati traffic this past Friday). She's had pretty good energy and a pretty normal appetite, no real cravings and not even really a lot of issues needing to hit the can every 20 minutes, maybe once during the night if that. The baby moves around quite a bit she says but not enough where I can feel him yet, though I do put my mouth up to her tummy and sing Bowie, you know, "Ground control to Major Tom…"

Wow, this is really happening. Eek!

I've found a bunch of old, old pix in the rearranging process and your bonus for this session is one of myself and M Andrews at J and KC Smith's wedding way back in June 00…just a couple of 20-something swingers (you did know Michael was a swinger, right?).

Until the next time...

Place Yer Bets

So the big question lately is of course, “What are you having?” A chipmunk, yo. I think right now it is about the size of a chipmunk. Seven inches? Something like that. I know that as of this week we begin measuring shim* from head to toe instead of head to rump (and Karla thinks I don’t pay attention). Anyway, right after we tell the asker we don’t know yet, they give us their opinion as to boy or girl. I think I’ve mentioned on here that we’ve both wanted and felt like we’re having a girl. Aside from a couple of online Chinese astrological quizzes that Karla has taken, there is really no scientific or logical basis for the latter, it’s just what we’ve been feeling. However, nearly everyone has told us they think we’re having a boy and considering every other pregnant gal we know is having a girl, the law of the ratio would dictate that we are having a boy. Right? Probably not.

I’m curious to know what YOU think. Some of you have already told us, but let’s get it down on permanent record. So roll some dice, draw straws, flip a coin, consult the stars, do do that voodoo that you do so well or just go with your gut. The results will be in on Monday, August 25 and the winners get bragging rights. Is there anything better? Effrin just told me he thinks it’s a girl, so you folks all pack it in and go with that ‘cos I’ve never known him to be wrong in matters of this kind.

*Shim is a pronoun blend of she/him/her/he, etc. Did anyone else have Dr. Johnson at Lipscomb and if so, do they remember how he’d come up with those unisex pronouns on his assignment instructions? That man was a revolutionary.

Hearts and Paints

Not too much to report that’s directly baby related, and yet some things to speak on as result of the pending bundle o’ joy. So…first off, everything is fine…however, when I was down in FL visiting Thelma Dearest (that’s my mother), Karla was having some heart concerns. Basically her heart beats hard/quickly/irregularly at random intervals. This has happened a bit in the past, but usually it’s every few months. Here it was happening every few minutes. So, I coaxed her into setting up an appointment with a specialist this past Monday who thought it might be sinus arrhythmia and set her up on a heart monitor for 24 hours. We got the results on Friday and basically she has a symptom called PVC where the lower chambers of the heart fill up with too much blood and so have to pump extra hard to get all the blood out, etc, etc (any of you medical jocks out there who want to expand on this please feel free). This occurs about once per minute. However, this is the only symptom she has and she has no other symptoms related to sinus arrhythmia or anything else. So, basically everything is fine and it “should” go away after the baby comes. Thankfully this issue has calmed down the past few days and has made her able to help out with the following…

…Friday and Saturday we painted our bonus room. Few have entered this domain of sweat and cat litter where I had all my work out equipment and the cat had called its lair until making the fateful trip to FL a couple of weeks back (btw, TD, that’s Thelma Dearest, says Pye is doing just fine for those of you concerned). We’ve been trying to sell my treadmill and Bowflex for the past few weeks on Craig’s List and finally this past Thursday a bite came through on the latter and we used the brass in pocket (man, I really hate that song) to purchase the paint for our adventure. And adventure is a bit of an understatement. The famed Lewis and Clark would be hard pressed (and were vastly more qualified in their field) to overcome more harrowing obstacles than the dreaded slant walls, shifting drop cloth, sticky roller, oppressive heat (this room is not very well insulated) and of course the proverbial fumes. But with roughly 11-12 hours of work, some paint in the hair (well, basically all over) and one cd case (that’s about 1500 cds) spilling all over the floor later, we beat the odds and conquered the beast. The color is “silver screen,” which is just a fancy way of saying gray. We’ve spent this afternoon cleaning up and I’ve attached a few pictures to show you the progress thus far. We have an electrician coming in to do some rewiring (more on that later) and other tricks up our sleeves for this room, which will basically become my office (the baby is taking over my current work locale)/a play room (complete with fridge)/recording studio (complete with groupies)/hang out room in general (complete with me).

Oh, I almost forgot, we picked out and purchased our crib/dresser/changing table set at Babies R Us (sorry copyright folks, I can’t make a backwards ‘R’) this past week. We went simply intending to look and, well, you know how that goes. But I’m happy with our purchase for safety reasons especially ‘cos it all has flat corners and nothing that the little tyke can easily bust its little head on…you know, for when it gets to the head busting stage. They’re white, which isn’t my favorite, but will go perfectly with the babies room, etc.

Karla has a baby appointment tomorrow morning. There’s no ultrasound scheduled so there may not be much to report, but anything worth reporting will be (or maybe me simply making random observations because that’s essentially my life).

It’s Doris Day today on Turner Classic Movie’s “Summer Under the Stars” and if you’re not watching that you should be watching the Olympics. Go Sweden! (I mean USA.)

I’m gonna love ya, I’m gonna miss ya…

July 14 Visit

We had another doc's visit this past Monday. We were running late and the traffic wasn't helping, but we got there with about a minute to spare. The waiting room was jam packed and I figured we had a long wait ahead of us, however, I was pleasantly mistaken when we were called back about two minutes after sitting down. Dr. D was as perky and pleasant as ever and after a quick peak under the hood and another listen at the heartbeat (which she had to search for...I guess the Funny Little Frog was out for a soda), she answered some of our trying questions about if Karla can get her hair died and eat soft cheeses. I know I was on the edge of my seat. So, everything is still looking good and our next visit is in about a month, with our next ultrasound in about six weeks...where we'll find out the make of this here critter! I'm sure we've told everyone that we're hoping for a girl, so let's all keep our fingers crossed and when it ends up being a boy, we can all laugh at the whimsy of life.

Also, Cocteau Twins' 1996 swan song "Milk and Kisses" really isn't a bad album despite what I thought in 1996. Go check it out. And isn't it funny that the album cover looks a lot like our Funny Little Frog (see previous blogs for reference)?

And finally, I've attached a picture of Pye, our old and cranky cat who is about to be transferred to FL to live with my mom because of the baby (I'm sure you know that cat's will suck the soul out of a baby). She was pouting during her vet visit last week and I just had to share since it's somewhat related.

Do-da...

The results are in...

Just a quick post to say that everything turned out "perfectly normal" with the test results from several days ago. Also, we are fully ensconced in the second trimester, so our risk rate drops considerably. And on a related note, house preparations began in earnest last night. Not only are we converting my office to the baby's room and converting the bonus room to an office/play room, but we're sorting through every closet, cupboard and cranny trying to make space for all things baby. Really, this is something that should have been done years ago, but we'd have probably just filled it with more junk. Three and a half trash bags full later, we're definitely seeing some progress, but the light at the end of the tunnel is basically a firefly.

Happy Tuesday (Weld)!

"High Risk" Exam

Well, this post is a week after the fact, but better late than never…

Last Friday (June 27) we went for another doc’s visit. Since Karla will be over 35 at the time of delivery she’s considered “high risk,” which makes my eyes roll, but I guess it’s an insurance thing. Regardless, I don’t mind the extra tests ‘cos if there is anything wrong, I’d rather know sooner than later. So…we were up early as this was an 8:30 appointment near Baptist, and listened to the Cars’ self-titled debut on the way (it was just what I needed). After parking in the wrong garage, walking around lost for a bit and consulting some directions on Karla’s iPhone, we finally called the place, which had an automated service giving pretty specific instructions. Good to know…after the fact.

We had the choice of two tests. I’m not even going to attempt the medical terms, but basically one was “invasive” with a “risk” of miscarriage but was more accurate, and the other was simply a blood test and an ultrasound. Invasive??? No thanks!

After the customary paperwork and a bit of a wait, we’re in the exam room with a technician and a nurse practitioner. For purposes of this blog entry I meant to remember both their names but forgot them before we even left. My bad. But both were very nice, very chatty and the ultrasound went very well. I was amazed at how developed the baby looks (I’m not sure I can call it a funny little frog any more -- yes I can). My initial thought was that this was just some generic textbook footage of a baby in profile…and then it moved, a small little hand coming up as if to scratch its head and then going back down and pausing about halfway. I could make out fingers and everything. I kept my cool but was doing somersaults in my stomach. It looked very much like a little girl, quite cute if I do say so, though I know without checking out the equipment it’s impossible to say at this point. The truly amazing thing is that the little rascal is somewhere between two and three inches long. Fully developed and I can stick it in my pocket with my cell phone. Or would that be bad for it? We also got to hear the heartbeat, which reminded me of something like a Brian Eno percussive loop. Too much? Ok, ok...

Anyway, we were told that they were basically checking for two things: the skin fold on the back of the neck “that all babies have at this stage” and the nose. I definitely saw the nose right off and was at first upset about this thinking it had acquired my state-sized nasus, and that it shouldn’t be so freakishly developed at this point. I was wrong. Thankfully this was all “perfectly normal” and one of the ways they confirm that the baby doesn’t have down syndrome (or trisomy 21 for you doctors out there, or three of chromosome 21 for you slightly less educated but not totally ignorant commoners out there). The skin flap was also “perfectly normal” at 1.9, er, feet or millimeters or cubic tons or something.

Afterwards we had a nice talk with the nurse practitioner who, from my perspective, scared the begeezus out of us with all the talk of trisomy 21 and trisomy 18 and what to expect if one or the other should occur, etc, etc. I’ve been pretty laid back with this entire deal so far, but after that pleasant little exchange I needed a serious drink. Unfortunately all they had was water and soda. Again, no thanks.

The blood test was in another area and I waited in the hallway next to this little girl (who just stared at me when I said “Whatcha know, kid?”) whose mother was getting blood taken as well. The technician here was also chatty and Karla said afterwards that it really hurt when she took her blood. Nice one. We won’t know the results until Monday (as in July 7).

So, as we round of the end of the first trimester, all systems are go, all conditions normal, everything is as it should be. Karla has been less nauseous lately but seems to have picked up a cold which is slow in going away, but she’s getting there. She nearly passed out at work earlier this week we believe due to low blood sugar and is trying to be more mindful of eating her snacks exactly every two hours regardless of if she feels hungry or not (thank you Goldleaf Financial for keeping her so busy that she forgets to eat…jerks).

Unfortunately the latest ultrasound pix us are extremely dark and did not transfer well when we scanned them. However, I took some other pictures of the excursion which I’ve posted for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

P.S. I was wearing my new Chucks too, which I'd purchased on a business trip to Frankfort, KY earlier in the week. Awesome, I know!

Other two pix

For the sake of completion and my OCD, here are the other two shots of the FLF (that's Funny Little Frog for those of you joining us late) from today's ultrasound. Only 10 weeks old and already takes a better photo than me.

Friday the 13th

Today, we went to the doc for our very first ultrasound. Before actually seeing the baby on the monitor, it was a vague possibility coupled with sleepiness and discomfort. I must say that even after taking the pregnancy test, it doesn't become tangible until you actually see it. I have to admit I got weepy (but most everything makes me weepy these days).

We are 10 weeks & 2 days along. The baby is almost 2 inches long. It's heartbeat is normal - 174 beats per minute. Drum roll.... the due date is January 7th.

Pretty exciting stuff - check back for more fun baby facts/updates!