1 Month and Kickin!

I can't even remember the last time that I "blogged" so I'll keep it short and sweet with some pictures.
Look what we found under the Christmas tree! Such a nice early present! So we took him the Georgia to show him off to the Culpepper side of life and still made it back for dinner. The next day Karen and I were able to celebrate 3 years of wearing rings together. Feels like a lot longer but that's just because we've done so much. Marriage is (still) awesome.

Christmas came a couple of days later and just had to get Jay to say hello and Merry CHRISTmas to everyone. (I think his mother likes to hold her pinky up as well but we'll work on his people skills when dealing with the masses later on. Prince James V doesn't have time to learn what his tongue is and that it's not polite to look down his nose, hold his finger in the air, and gently pass wind in front of everyone... yet.)

And now, on January 4th (the last day before returning to work and seeing what being a parent is REALLY all about) we were able to celebrate Jay's 1 month old day... or 4 weeks and 3 days old day since I haven't a clue as to how long a month actually is. So one last picture for all the ladies out there:

Week 40

Well, the due date came and went with no sign of the baby's exit from the womb and entry into the world. Shamus had a soccer game (2, actually) Monday (the due date) and his team got 2nd place! It was fun in spite of the cold rain and ridiculous tackle (Shamus was 2-hand tackled from behind while he was dribbling toward the goal... and the ref decided against calling a foul). I've been going to almost all of Shamus's soccer games since I quit teaching so I've gotten to know some of the players on his team. He made me stay home for one a while ago because it was too cold. But then the end of the pregnancy approached and it occurred to me that he doesn't play soccer with his cell phone attached to him and that he usually leaves his phone in the car. So we talked and decided that I should go to all of his games in case I go into labor. There have been a few cold games but I go wearing lots of pants and shirts and a scarf and gloves and 1 or 2 coats (I own one coat that still zips! It's a ski jacket.) and I have 2 blankets and I almost always have hot chocolate. Sounds pretty miserable, huh? I've had a lot of fun getting to know the other players and the other 2 spouses that show up to the games as fans. Once we get a feel for life with a baby, Shamus will join a team again. I can't wait to hear our son yell what all the other kids yell: "Go, daddy, go! Go, daddy go! Go, daddy go!"
The next night, since the due date passed and some friends of ours said Japanese food encourages labor, we decided to go out to dinner with them. I forgot how fun Japanese steakhouses are. We had a great chef, of course, and he made the fried rice into a cake and asked if it was anyone's birthday. I said, "I hope so!" and pointed to my baby belly. So I ended up with a chunk of rice that looked like a piece of cake with a match in it. He sang happy birthday to the baby and I made a wish (bet you can't guess what it was!) and blew out the match. We had a lot of fun going out with Peggy and Joel - they said that they ate Japanese just before Peggy went into labor with both of her sons! One of her sons came early - but after Japanese, and the other was a little late - but also after Japanese! Joel was guessing that it was the ginger so I was loading that onto my plate. Japanese food did not make the baby come out.
We had an appointment on Wednesday and they did a Non Stress Test. They put 2 round, black "readers" on your belly and strap them on with belts around you. Then they turn on the machine and it keeps up with the baby's heartrate on paper. It makes the zig zags when the heart rate changes. You can also make it zig zag by laughing. For some reason, I thought something was very funny (no idea what) and I started giggling. Then, I saw that I was messing up the test. You'd think that would make me stop. Nope. I laughed harder and harder! I finally quit laughing and calmed down for a few minutes, but then I looked over at the paper with all the crazy zig zags that I made when I laughed and I started laughing again! My doctor came in and I had to explain that the zig zags were me laughing. It took a while to get what they wanted on the paper (a higher heartrate for 15 seconds 3 times) but it was kind of fun sitting and chatting with Shamus (and laughing too much). We're going back on Monday to check on him and if he's not out by next Thursday then they'll induce labor. My doctor will be the one delivering, which is great!
Thanksgiving was tons of fun! My parents and Robby came up and Jim and Judy and Cleggan all came over! We had a ham, a turkey and a bunch of casseroles. Mom decorated our porch for Christmas (it looks so cute and festive!), the ladies cooked and talked, the guys watched some football and visited and ended up exploring the creek in our backyard, and Cleggan went around beggin for attention, decided to go to the creek with the guys, and promptly fell in. If you know Cleggan, you know that he freaked out a bit because he hates water. He was okay, though - just a little wet.
After dinner we played Ticket to Ride (a very fun board game that you may want to buy) and visited some more. We watched No Country for Old Men (at least, Shamus and the Culpeppers did... I knitted in the living room while they watched) and relaxed. Mom and dad and Robby are staying up here for the night and we're finishing up the nursery tomorrow! Maybe I'll go into labor since everyone is already in town! (I doubt it. That would be entirely too convenient.) I guess I'm pretty much fine with the baby not being born yet. I got to "host" Thanksgiving! (I didn't do much cooking, but we did get to use our China and pretty table cloth!)
Hope he comes soon!

Week 39

Bartok is moving quite a bit! It's weird - I can feel his fingers. But also exciting! He has fingers!! :) I was talking to a friend of mine who wants to be a doula (See Week __ to find out what that is) and she asked if he was head down and if his body was on my left side. I know he's head down because the doctor checks but I had to think about the baby on the left side thing. Turns out that only my right ribcage has been kicked for a while now. I can't remember any appendages sticking out of the left side of my baby bump... but I can remember several on the right side! So I guess he's on my left and that means ready for take-off! Other than that, not a whole lot of progress. On Monday, the doctor said it's softer and I'm still at 1 cm. I have another appointment this coming Monday - which is the due date!! I'm hoping we won't have to go to the appointment because we'll already have a baby in our arms by then. I went for a jog yesterday (doctor's orders... kind of...*) and this morning I measured the belly (which isn't an exact science - so don't get too excited) and I think the baby dropped because I was 43 inches around at the button and now I'm only 41!! Also, last night in bed there was some serious moving inside - so much moving that the baby was actually moving me! *"Doctor's orders" means that there's a family doctor in our shepherding group and he advised his wife to "jog around a cornfield" at the end of her pregnancy and she went into labor that night. Later, as we were discussing some prayer requests, he jokingly said about 2 different requests that those people we were praying for should try going to a jazz bar to relax and enjoy some music. He casually added on that I shouldn't go into the smoky jazz bar, but that I should go for a jog around it. (We were praying for me and the baby along with the other requests.) He's a funny guy - and he's a real doctor. So I jogged. Next on the list of things to try: Walking and eating Japanese. We have friends who ate Japanese on their due date and went to the hospital that night. Apparently they met a few other couples at the restaurant who had done the same thing in past years. So Japanese Steakhouse, here we come! Maybe afterward we could all go for a jog on full bellies.

Week 37

Monday we went to the hospital to meet the doulas. A doula is a woman helper trained to help women through childbirth. We're getting one! I'm so excited! A doula does not have special degrees like nurses and doctors and really only know about the birthing process and a little about breastfeeding. They help mom get into the best positions during labor and if the baby needs help turning, they know how to do that. There is a decreased rate of unplanned C-Sections, the use of an epidural, and labor time associated with the use of a doula. They have all kinds of distractors (like cold packs and hot packs and massage techniques) so that mom doesn't think so much about the pain. They tell dad how to help more if he wants input. They translate machine beeps and doctor talk into regular English. They give advice on what to do if there's a problem - even if their advice opposes the doctor's. They make sure that mom and dad are well taken care of and that mom and baby have figured out the breastfeeding stuff. And one doula stays with you the whole time - unlike nurses and doctors who may have to leave if their shift ends during your labor. What could be coola than a doula when I'm in labor?

Week 36

This week we celebrated Halloween! I went to a friend's house (Darlene) who is an artist and had her make me a costume. Isn't it awesome?!?! She spent almost the whole day on it! I hope that it gets used again, either by me or whoever is pregnant next Halloween. So if you're hoping for a baby bump in October 2009, keep this costume in mind! You can borrow it for free!
We were ready for lots of trick-or-treaters but we only got 12. And more than 12 kids live in our neighborhood! And 2 sets of 3 kids showed up in minivans (which makes me think they don't live in our neighborhood since it is walkable). Sooooo we have tons of Halloween candy left! Darn.

I have ONE more month of being pregnant! I can't believe it!! 4 weeks! (Unless he's late... then more like 5 or 6...) We're kind of ready. I mean, we have everything we need to bring him home from the hospital but there are a few things I'd like to do before he comes home. Like finish the nursery and maybe decorate for Christmas (depending on when he comes). I'm really excited about next week because we get to dog sit Cleggan!! I can't wait to have a dog! And a great dog, at that! He's house trained and he talks. Of course, his talking sounds kind of like Dory talking Whale in Finding Nemo. But it's still talking!

According to my Bartok growth and development site, his "primary" and "most important job" is to put on weight. Don't you wish you were him? Me too. He's more than 17 inches long and weighs around 6 lbs. I guess if we only weighed 6 lbs then it would be our job to chunk it on. As it is, it's our job to not chunk it on. But that won't stop me from eating that leftover Halloween candy!! Maybe I should try exercising a little to balance things. We'll see.

Week 35

Exciting news on the OB front!! The baby is head down!! Yay! That means that if I were to go into labor, he'd be ready to come out the right way and therefore there's less of a chance of a need for a C section. Woo hooo!! I have to keep reminding myself that this does NOT mean that he's ready to come out. And he shouldn't yet. The due date is Nov 24th but it's really plus/minus 2 weeks. So he needs to stay for another 2 weeks before he takes his first deep breath and lets out a quality cry. (I read that the end of the pregnancy is prime lung development time.) I am selling books through Usborne and I really like the rewards system they have for schools - the school gets free books based on what the kids' parents buy. Unfortunately, I don't have any school bookfairs planned yet but today I sold books at a Fall Craft Fair in a church. It went alright, I guess. I ended up making a little but I'm still in the hole from the first investment. My goal is to earn at least what I invested. I would love for this to become a side income for our family but I'm not sure how to make that happen in a way that I would enjoy. I do feel good about sending out the website - especially since there are some really good deals on there. If you're interested, here's the site: www.ubah.com/x2470 They have some really cute books and they have several different Bible-based books for kids. All the books are high quality and they have some fun activities, too. So if you want to buy some kids books (Christmas is coming!) check out the link. If not, don't!

Bartok is now 18 inches long and weighs 6 lbs!! So I'm not "40 lbs overweight" as Shamus says... I'm 34 lbs overweight! Yay! Bartok also has kidneys now. And he's producing waste. I guess he's getting warmed up for the changing table! I was thinking about putting something by the changing table that would make people want to change diapers. Maybe we'll post the funnies on the wall above it each week. Or I could put some candy on the shelf underneath. His movements are also different now. Instead of pitter pattering from the inside of my belly, it's more like an ocean wave of large rocks, except that it doesn't hurt. But if I had to describe it, that's what I would compare it to. I guess he's just rolling around a little in there and there's not really room to do a full punch or kick.

Week 34

Last Saturday our church had a baby shower for me! It was really fun to see everyone and celebrate with them. I had a few students from my English as a Second Language class
Last weekend we bought a crib!! We were talking to some people at church and they asked if the nursery is ready and we said not quite. They said they were trying to get rid of a crib so Shamus and Jim went to pick it up on Sunday and we put it together! Yay! Now we just need to get those pink dressers painted white and moved in there.
This week we went to a new shepherding group through church because the other one is so far and the new one is so close. I've been praying about finding a mentor since the ladies' retreat and it turns out that 3 of the ladies I met at the retreat are in this shepherding group! Maybe God is setting up his answer to my prayers. :) One great thing about the new group (for now) is that it meets every other week and our old group meets every week. So we can go to both! I'm not sure how well we'll do going to both after we have a baby. But I just can't see leaving the other group for good! I'm sure someday we'll have to because of the distance and because of our desire to lead our own shepherding group... but I'm really going to miss our time with the other group. Hopefully we'll continue to see each other at church and at Bible studies. Right now I'm doing the church ladies bible study on Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal which is about Titus 2:3-5: "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." We're spending one week on each characteristic to strive for. I've read this book before but our ladies Bible study teacher does a lot of extra research and adds to Carolyn's teachings in such a way that I feel like this is my first time through. I highly recommend this book! It continually reminds you of your high calling as a wife and mother and how by God's grace you can do all of the things listed in the verse. Today was a big day in the life of a pregnant woman: We went to our birthing class! All day we were at the hospital learning about labor and delivery. We watched videos (everything from Bill Cosby's stand up to a c-section to a natural delivery) and discussed. We practiced breathing and different positions... but only for the part of labor that you're at home. I've read about the other breathing (the hee-hee-hee-hoo stuff) and that it's for when you want to push but the doctor wants you to wait. The teacher had our husbands massage our feet, backs, necks, arms, and hands and then made us tell our husbands how to improve. It was wonderful! I think Shamus enjoyed it overall, too. The only downer was that it was only one day so we didn't really get to meet anyone and make friends like so many other couples do through birthing classes. One thing that was really weird was that the teacher told us she usually has classes where about 90% of people are having the same gender baby. Our class was boys. There were 2 couples who didn't find out the gender and only 1 expecting a girl. Out of about 18 couples!! After the class, I have mixed feelings about labor. Part of me doesn't want to go through that so I started telling the baby he can just stay in there. But a bigger part of me wants to meet this little person and take care of him and watch him grow. Hopefully the whole "I don't want to give birth" thing will go away before it's time. I'll be praying about that.
This week, Bartok is just chunking it on. He's getting fatter. With fatter arms and legs comes more intense punches and kicks! So I'm betting that if my baby is fatter than yours then he can beat yours up. But we'd rather they be friends so I guess we'll never know!