1.25.2010

34 week bio-physical profile update. baby is beefy.

I want a big beefy baby because I anticipate with our lifestyle and the 2 crazy kids I already have, that baby iver will be carted around like a rag doll and he needs to not be a fragile little chicken wing of a baby.

Today at our 34 week ultrasound we were happy to see chubby cheeks, big lips, and a lot of curly hair floating around his head. He is about 5lbs 8oz already!

big. beefy. baby.

1.21.2010

Ruby's First Art Installation




It was bound to happen. On all sides of her family Ruby has VERY creative and talented artists. I checked in on her the other night after she fell asleep and found this on her wall. No, the RUBY in Wikki Stix is usually not there. To be honest, I was so shocked and proud of her creativity I wouldn't have been upset if she had done it with a Sharpe Marker.


Custom Toy Portrait of gigi by Jennifer Maher

1.15.2010

bathing my stinky boy

I am really looking forward to meeting this baby! Any week now!

I am also looking forward to baby bubble time. A simple bath can really calm a baby and re-focus any sour moods. For mama too.

I have found with a very small baby that washing in the sink is easiest. I get myself all set up with towel, diaper, wash cloth, and soaps/shampoo and keep everything in arms reach so I can be comfortable as well as the baby. Leaning over a large tub to a small baby is uneasy and too much water is wasted.

The puj tub is a product that I am very excited to use for baby Iver's first (and future) baths. This new innovative bath seat lies flat and can hang on the back of the bathroom door for convenience, and easily folds together for use in a standard bathroom sink! Genius! The founder of pujbaby is so super smart that she has short instructional videos for all products.






Another product I am looking forward to pampering my smelly boy with is the BabySilk Spaaah Baby set. I can see this being a delight for the senses for both of us! MD Moms is the brain behind the BabySilk collection and Spaaah Baby is a gift set designed to offer clean and moisturizing products for delicate skin. I expect my little Danish boy to have delicate skin like his big sisters and can't wait to introduce him to the importance of pampering right from the start!


1.14.2010

i don't have gestational diabetes! yay!

Dr. Chill says my glucose test came back fine. Yay! Not that I was worried, I never had it with the last two pregnancies. It is just one of those things that can really put a wrench in things.

Actually, I seem to always have low blood sugar, unless I am pregnant. In my daily non-pregnant life I feel low and shaky a few times a day and like I need to eat or drink as a pick me up. This has led to weight gain. However when pregnant I seem to be on an even keel. I should discuss THAT with Dr. Chill when the baby is born. I could sure use figuring that one out and not gaining any more weight because of snacking on sugary items to keep me from passing out.

1.13.2010

very very tired. oh and pretty pregnant too.

So I am 32 weeks. I am still pretty on top of things work and mental-wise and my memory and to-do list crossing off is good and sharp for the time being, but I am DOG tired. I forget that I am pregnant and then realize why I am tired and then feel sad and guilty that I can't really just sit down and rest. The baby deserves better than this, but he is kicking away constantly so the chances of me getting any rest are slim. Hopefully he will take it down a notch on the outside!

I am grateful that my job isn't as a waitress or a teacher or a job that keeps me on my feet all day. But I still feel like I can't just take a break and lay down. I have so much to do and small children to chase after. I think of my third tri-mester when I was pregnant with Ruby. Seems like a lifetime ago. I do recall more lounging or at least working from couch on laptop. Definitely a lifetime ago.

1.10.2010

steamed milk:: you are my newest obsession

At 32 Weeks pregnant my newest obsession is adding steamed milk to my coffee. I suppose this is sort of like a latte but I use regular coffee instead of espresso. Oh that and I am no barista so I have no idea what I am talking about. All I know is I figure that if I have a cup or two of half steamed non-fat milk and half coffee I am cutting back on caffeine.

When we moved into our house the woman moving out was a woman scorned. "He was the coffee drinker" she spitted at us during our final walk-through. As if coffee equaled the devil. Then she pointed at her Krups espresso machine on the counter, clearly barely used and said it was ours if we wanted it. Sure! I thought to myself -"I will take whatever gifts with purchase you want to give me you psycho lady."

I bought espresso but haven't had the courage to experiment on my own. I leave that up to the real baristas. For now I steam milk. It makes me feel fancy.


1.07.2010

delivery essentials : what to bring part 2




This week on my Pregnancy + Newborn Magazine Blog I talk about Part Deux of packing your hospital bag. What YOU need for labor/delivery. Stay tuned for next week when I round out the article with what you need for baby and homecoming!

1.05.2010

sweet dreams




I am all about lounge wear. Yes, this is a luxury when working from home but also a necessity when in your last months of pregnancy, or first months of recovering from delivery. If you want to nurse you also need to consider accessibility. Fashion. Accessibility.Necessity. These can all come together if you choose carefully and make good investments.

My latest choices for lounge wear have been rather high end but excellent investments in fit, quality, and coverage. I want to know that what ever I am choosing to wear is acceptable and appropriate for being around my children and the occasional Fed Ex guy who rings the door bell (another part of being a WAHM).

Recently I tried a "Sleep Dress" from Miravos. An exquisite line of nursing apparel made with Bamboo. The sizing is right, and I have been wearing their sleep dress even at almost 8 months pregnant. The coverage and length is great and I plan on wearing it as often as I can before and after baby. I will bring it with me to the hospital, wear it with pants to lounge in, and feel chic and comfortable the entire time! Miravos is not only loungewear, they have lovely tops and dresses and I imagine we will see a lot more from them in 2010.

Miravos was founded by Maud Maron. A mom and believer in eco-friendly nursing wear.

Miravos is manufactured in New York City, USA from sustainable bamboo. Bamboo grows without pesticides and has a natural anti-bacterial agent called "bamboo kun" which remains in the fabric even after fifty washes! Bamboo is a perfect fabric for both nursing moms and babies since it offers exceptional breathability and coolness, as well as excellent moisture absorption and ventilation. And of course, it feels wonderful!


{disclaimer:: Miravos sent me a sleep dress to try so that I could give you the deets first hand}

1.04.2010

pre-term labor signs?

UPDATE::

Drove to OB's office. Got checked (insert uncomfortable face) and he says cervix is not changed. Thick.Closed.Long. Yay!

He says he can feel baby's head but it hasn't dropped. It is still floating. Apparently I have an Olympic swimmer in there and he is just practicing his flip-turns. I guess the next thing I embroider on the blank hats that I have been stitching will be a little fish!

-----------------------------------------------
earlier in the day.......

Ugh I feel like this baby wants to come out now. But he needs to stay in! At 31 weeks I have several signs of pre-term labor. Heading to doctor later today to make sure my cervix isn't changing with these "signs".

What are my signs? Having gone through labor twice before (both times early but not this early) I concur that a check is in order.

-contractions sometimes every 2-3 minutes lasting 45 seconds each with need to breathe it out
-lower back pain radiating to front
-frequent trips to the bathroom of both genres
-lots of baby movement but a feeling that he has dropped into pelvis more
-just feeling "not right"


Wish me luck! I would hate to go on drugs to stop the frequent contractions but it may be necessary.


Checkout more pre-term labor signs at

March of Dimes
Keem 'Em Cookin

1.01.2010

preparing for d-day part one



My 30 week article at Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine has been posted and it is all about what I am currently thinking of in terms of this baby and the fact that he will be here in ten weeks or less. What to bring to the hospital!

Thank goodness I have been there, done that, so I know what to bring and what I can go ahead and leave at home. As a two-part article, I am discussing Straight From the Belly exactly what I think any expecting mom truly needs, and reminding readers to ask friends who have "been there" for advice if this is your first time.

Next week stay tuned for Part deux of the blog about specific items to bring and what you may want to do concerning any gifts you receive while in the hospital. Bet you didn't think about that one right? Well try being wheeled out of the hospital to your car with a baby, a bag, possibly older siblings, a husband, a sore tummy and twenty billion balloons and crap stuffed bears that you feel like you have to bring home, not to mention flowers in water. (Okaaaay....I can tell I am not getting any gifts this time around in the hospital...oops).