Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Maternity Ward Tour

Last night Atom and I took a free tour of the maternity ward at our hospital. I think it is really nice of them to offer these tours. It will be a comfort knowing where to go and who to talk to, when I know I'll be freaking out about impending birth. I am pretty sure everyone in our group are first-time parents, because they all had the deer in the headlights look. We were shown where to register and the lactation boutique (where you can buy breast feeding supplies for a hefty price), and then we headed into the maternity ward. We were shown a LDR (labor, delivery & recovery) room, which is pretty nice. You labor, give birth and recover for a few hours in this room. All the rooms are private, which is pretty much why I wanted to give birth at this hospital. Luckily it is also the hospital right by our house. We were then taken to the private rooms in the Family Center, which is where I'll stay for a few nights after delivery. Atom got to see the oh-so-comfy looking recliner-bed-chair he'll be sleeping on. There was excitement in his eyes (ha!). One pregger lady got a little overwhelmed and started crying. I can relate. It definitely sunk in that this experience is real and there is no turning back now. We also got to swing by the nursery and see three newborns all swaddled and peacefully sleeping in their little plexiglass boxes. Atom asked if we could take one home for a trial run, but the security level is super tight, so it was definitely not an option. They take some pretty cool steps to make sure babies are not abducted. They have a baby Lo-Jack system! We are very happy with the hospital and looking forward to our stay when the day comes to meet our little man.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Newest addition to the nursery

As I mentioned before, my wonderful sister-in-law Angie saved my baby mobile from my mother's house. It was hanging in my mother's craft room and I never thought to grab it when I was there. She mailed it to me last week and I decided this one will hang in the corner of the room over the rocker and somewhat above the changing table. I think it's uber-cuteness should keep Baby Shock distracted through those late night feedings and diaper changes.
Atom noticed that the bunny is wearing pants and none of the other animals have pants. I suppose he must be a raskally-rabbit, therefore someone put pants on him. I feel very lucky to have things from my childhood that I get to share with my kiddos. Now I just need to pull down the box in the garage that has all my baby blankets so I can use those too. Actually, I think that is a job for daddy. :)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

20 Week Appointment

Baby Shock and I went in for our 20 week check up. We saw our third and final doctor of the practice, Dr. Hodges. He's the only male doctor in the office. I can safely say that I am comfortable with any three of them delivering Baby Shock. They are all very kind and responsive doctors and I appreciate that they never rush me out of the office. In fact, I feel bad for not asking enough questions when I'm there. The exam went well and Dr. Hodges said everything is progressing perfectly. That is always good to hear. Due to baby's increase in size since the last appointment, finding the heartbeat was a breeze. It's always re-assuring to hear it pumping away every 4 weeks. Baby's kicking is only getting stronger and actually startled me last night when watching TV. We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Half Way There!

Today marks 20 weeks of pregnancy. That means we are half-way done! That thought makes me excited and anxious all at the same time. Everyone asks how I'm feeling, so I just wanted to give a mass update on detais. I haven't had one case of morning sickness since I got on this roller coaster ride. The worst thing I have dealt with is backne (back acne) and slower digestion (don't make me spell it out people). I have been dealing with some serious nasal congestion that is now turning into a nasty cough, but I think it may finally be going away. If not, our next appointment is this Tuesday and I will ask the doctor to fix me. I'm still waiting for my pregnancy "glow", but I'm not holding my breath on that one. I do believe I am beginning to feel this little squirt squirm around in there. I have gotten a few good kicks that felt like someone flicking me from the inside out. Once was during the relaxation portion of yoga and the second time this little punter got me right in the bladder. I can't wait until Atom can feel him moving around too, so he can share in this awesome experience. I think I am beginning to enter the butter-finger stage of pregnancy that Loree warned me about, because I can't keep anything in my grip. I think I should invest in some steel-toed shoes to avoid any damage to my feet. So other than that, there really isn't much to report. I have been posting my weekly belly shots on Flickr if anyone wants to see what this kid is doing to me. We want to say a big "Thank You!" to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Steven for the new items for the nursery:

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Rock n' Roll

I love our glider and ottoman. I didn't want the typical wooden glider. I wanted something that I could put in the living room once baby's room turns into a big boys room. So I picked out an armchair glider. Let me tell you, I came home and sat in this sucker and passed out after a few minutes of rocking. I think it's safe to say that it will be effective in rocking baby Shock to sleep. This was our one splurge for baby, but it's also for mommy and daddy. This is the latest addition to the nursery: (it is a chocolate brown color, but the sunlight made it look weird)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

What's in a Name?

So now that we know what we're having and have announced it to the world, everyone is asking..."What are you going to name him?" Sorry folks, hate to disappoint or keep you hanging on the edge of your seats, but we're not telling. That's right! We are going to keep the name a secret until this little squirt is introduced to the world. "Why?" you ask. We know quite a few opinionated people and frankly, we don't want anyone's opinion on the matter. Don't worry, we're not naming him anything wacky, crazy or horrendous. We just want to have one little surprise to keep to ourselves.

Drum Roll Please.....

Well folks, all of you who voted that we were having a girl ended up being wrong. That's right, we're having a boy! We had our ultrasound today and there they were, his little boy-bits on display for us to see.

It definitely took us by surprise. Both Atom and I were convinced it was a girl, but it looks like the boys out-swam the girls this time. The sonogram technician gave us quite a few pictures this sonogram session. I have uploaded them to Flickr and you can see them all HERE.

Baby Shock says hi:

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Beginnings of a Nursery


What once was our office, has now been transformed into the nursery. We put together baby Shock's crib today. Our glider and ottoman are on the way and momma can't wait to rock the night away. Just a few more pieces of furniture left, then all we'll need is a cute little baby to make it complete.

Daddy's Got Skillz

Daddy, aka Undercover Bob Villa, aka Atom, used his painting skillz to repaint the nursery last weekend. We decided to stay with the same color, which we like to call "grello." It is a nice gender neutral color that matches well with the theme of the room. It leans more to the yellow, but has a hint of green.

We also had a ceiling fan put in to keep the air circulating in the room.

Apparently doggie thinks this is his new room.