Baby O's Nursery: Part 1

I say "Part 1" because we still have decorating to do in Baby O's room, but we're excited to have it all painted and the furniture set up! We found the furniture at Babies R Us on Black Friday and got about 50% off. It was the set we'd had our eye on for a while and was one of the only two on sale that day, so we really lucked out.

Crib

In case you are wondering what's lining the surface of the mattress, rest assured we did not select a space alien theme for the nursery. It's actually tinfoil, and we placed it in Baby O's bed hoping to deter Shady Lady from jumping in there and claiming it as her own. Cats do not like the sound or feeling of foil crunching under their paws...hopefully. We plan to leave it on the mattress for a couple of weeks before we put the non-space alien sheets on. You'll see Shady lurking about in the next photo...


Changing table and Baby O's cat sister

  

Dresser

 

Bassinet, given to us by Nikki and Tim...just happens to match the set perfectly.

The picture above is the inside of Baby O's closet. Can you tell we truly don't know if we're having a boy or a girl?! The majority of these adorable gender-neutral duds are courtesy of Auntie Kari, who recently treated me to a "Future Mommy's Day Out." We did lunch and manicures, and Kari gave Baby O clothes, a bottle dryer, and a beautiful silver coin bank. Baby O and I are so lucky to have such a kind and generous friend. 

The next two items have a lot of sentimental meaning attached to them. The first is a glider that belonged to Nate's Grandma Offerdahl (Gramma Elmo). She passed away a few years ago, and we know that seeing one of her great-grandbabies being rocked to sleep in her chair will make her smile. There isn't quite enough room for it in the nursery, so we have it set up in the guest room right next door:   

 

Next is a picture we plan to hang in the nursery. Any guesses on who this knock-kneed toddler could possibly be?

My Mimi and Papa had this picture taken of me when I was about 2 years old, and it hung in Papa's bedroom for many years. After he passed away in 2002, Mimi hung it over her bed until she died last year. I hope she'll love to see it in her great-grandchild's room.

We're happy with how the nursery is coming along, even though there is still some work to be done. The little touches of family history mean a lot to both of us. We can't wait to tell Baby O the stories behind them, and all about the people these items belonged to who love him so very much.

Birth and Parenting Class Part II: Infant Care and Post-Partum

A couple weeks ago, Nate and I finished up our Birth and Parenting Classes. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the first three sessions focused on the labor/delivery process and included a hospital tour. These last two sessions talked about what happens after the baby is born and comes home. Some highlights:

1. We were each asked express our biggest worry about bringing a baby home for the first time. One dad asked, "If you don’t support the baby's head properly, are the neck bones fragile enough where it could actually break off and fall on the floor?" I didn’t laugh at this question, because if he was brave enough to actually say it out loud in front of 20 people, he must have been really worried about it. The nurse assured him that the head will NOT fall off, but supporting baby's head is still very important.

2. The pediatrician who came in to answer questions is the kind of doctor you would like if you have the right sense of humor and are not one for beating around the bush. She told us that if you have your baby boy circumcised, you shouldn’t be alarmed if he "looks like raw ground beef down there for a week or so." GAH!!!

3. The nurse wrote this quote on the whiteboard: "There is no way to become the perfect parent. But there are a million ways to become a GREAT parent." I like this. She talked a lot about trusting your own instincts and keeping in mind that there is no one right way to do things when you take care of a baby. Babies all have different personalities and preferences, and moms and dads have different parenting styles. You just have to mesh the two together in a way that works best for your family.

4. We were given a home safety checklist. We already knew about most of the recommendations, but one was really surprising. One of the top choking hazards for babies under 9 months is Cheerios. Cheerios?? But the way she explained it makes sense…rather than chewing food, younger babies tend to play with it and try to swallow it whole (in part, due to a lack of teeth). For softer foods or foods that dissolve more quickly, this isn’t a problem, but Cheerios can actually expand in their mouths before they try to swallow. Combine this with the round shape, and you have to be careful. So if you want to feed your baby Cheerios, you need to break each piece of cereal in half. That sounds like a lot of work. I think I'll stick with the millions of other cereals for babies that aren’t choking hazards. Still good to know, though.

5. The nurse also talked about un-wanted parenting advice and had the following suggestion: Nod. Smile. Be gracious. Then tune it out and do exactly what YOU, as the baby's parents, know is best. Despite what others might think, they can’t do a better job raising your child than you can.

We signed up for one more class the first week of January, Infant and Child CPR. Here's hoping we NEVER need it, but we want to be prepared for anything. My doctor said one surefire way to guarantee you won’t need the class is to just go ahead and take it. Makes sense to me!

Shifting Priorities and Maintaining Balance

As Baby O's due date draws closer and the idea of being parents becomes more and more real to Nate and me, a lot of thoughts are swirling in our heads. Even though the baby isn't "here" yet, we find that the way we think about our lives and how we make decisions is already changing drastically...because we have a third person to consider when doing so.

Some decisions are smaller ones...for instance, neither of us had ever gotten a flu shot before this year. For me, the reason was pretty lame to be honest: I was deathly afraid of needles and therefore reasoned that I'd rather get the flu than be poked in the arm. Nate had never really had a full-blown case of the flu and didn't see the need to get a shot. But then something happened late last spring. Fate laughed in our faces and we both got a horrible, horrible case of the flu. It turned us into a couple of whimpering balls of mush that were completely unproductive for several days. Fast forward to the beginning of this year's flu season...we are expecting a baby and the last thing I want is to get the flu while I'm carrying a vulnerable little one inside of me. And that fear of needles is long gone due to pregnancy turning me into a human pin cushion. Plus, we had to consider that Baby O's winter due date is right in the middle of flu season...from what I've heard, newborns and the flu don't mix. So after considering everything and doing some research, that decision was a no-brainer. 

Another decision that faces new parents is whether to stop working to take care of the baby, or opt for other childcare options and continue with their careers. Nate and I discussed this a lot, years before we were even expecting...and we've always agreed it would be best for me to go back to work after our baby is born. Both of us had stay-at-home moms growing up, and we loved it. Some of our friends and former co-workers also stay at home with their children, and are very happy with that choice.

So, while we are definitely aware of the benefits of going that route, we decided on something different for ourselves. Why? There are lots of reasons. First, lets be real: finances. Life is expensive, kids are expensive, unknowns can be expensive...everyone knows this. Secondly, I do enjoy working outside the home. I like the structure of getting up and going somewhere every day, I enjoy the adult interaction I have with my co-workers, and my career is something I take pride in. For me, it's a big part of keeping my mind sharp and my skills current.  

And finally, this choice was made easier knowing that Baby O will have excellent care after my maternity leave ends. One of my dearest friends, Kristin, sends her children to her own mom's in-home daycare right here in Lakeville. Very soon after we found out we were pregnant, I called Kristin's mom (Marilyn) to check her availability for May of 2012 and was thrilled to learn she would have an opening that month. Marilyn is very experienced, has a beautiful home and is someone who we trust completely. An added bonus is that Baby O will get to spend his days playing with Mark and Kristin's two awesome little girls, Alexis and Brooklyn. Some of the other parents at Marilyn's daycare were high school classmates of Nate's as well, so having all of those connections is very reassuring. 

We made this decision with Baby O's best interests in mind, too. We both believe that exposing your children to other kids and giving them the chance to socialize, play, learn and cooperate is very helpful in the development process. I worked in a pre-school for many years and remember how satisfying it was to watch those friendships and life lessons play out day after day. Now, this is not to say that we won't both have times when we feel sad or guilty dropping Baby O off in the morning and wish we could spend the day holed up at home, snuggling, playing, and ignoring the outside world. However, Nate is lucky enough to work from home a day or two a week, and my job has very generous paid time off so anytime Baby O needs an at-home day, we'll have the flexibility to accommodate that...and will be very happy to do so :) All things considered, we are satisfied with this decision and know it is the best one for our family. 

Maintaining balance is something else Nate and I think about a lot. We know that our life will change drastically the day Baby O is born (in some ways, it already has). Our child will be our first priority, but we don't want other parts of our lives like our marriage and our friendships to completely fade into the background either. It will take more advance planning and the nature of the outings will change, but we want to keep seeing our friends and having date nights when we can. Our friends are a second family to us, and we can't imagine our lives without them. We know Baby O will love them as much as we do. And of course there's our marriage and my wonderful husband...without which we wouldn't have our sweet Baby O. Nate and I promise to keep laughing and talking every day, watching bad horror movies together and going out for Mexican food when time allows...just doing the little things to stay connected as a couple. Happy marriage = happy baby, right?

Bumpdate - Week 31

Due Date: February 3, 2012

Weight Gain: Yes. It really picked up in my second trimester (all of the vacation eating had something to do with it I'm sure) but so far in the third trimester it has stabilized a little bit. Baby O continues to grow as you can see from the picture above, but the rest of me has looked about the same for the last couple weeks. I'm just hoping I can make it all the way through with my shoes and wedding ring still fitting. So far so good....

Cravings: Still anything sweet, but also protein. I heard that is typical for the third trimester.

Aversions: Still nothing. I heart food.

Sleep: Less and less. Uuuuggghhhh... get used to it, right? About four nights a week, I wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and can't get back to sleep for a couple hours, or until right before my alarm goes off (which is my FAVE). Sometimes it's because of Baby O moving around, or me tossing and turning while trying to get comfortable...but more often, it's just because I don't feel tired. My doctor said that hormones can have this effect on some pregnant people. Last week I tried going to bed later so I'm more tired when I fall asleep, and that seems to help a little bit.

I am loving: The holidays. I've always loved this time of year, but now it has extra special meaning. I keep picturing how much fun Baby O will have next Christmas, when he is almost a year old and hopefully interested in tearing into his gifts.

I miss: Lately, coffeee. Which is weird because I've never been an every day coffee drinker. Every Sunday, Nate and I would make coffee and read the paper, and some nights in the winter we would mix in some Bailey's. Maybe it's the winter that reminds me how much I love those little traditions.   

I'm spazzing about: Until recently, the nursery. It was filled up with racks full of my and Nate's clothes because Nate was re-painting our master bathroom and walk-in closet. But, that's all done now and Baby O's room is mostly cleared out. We ordered a crib, changing table and dresser on Black Friday (5 am Babies R Us doorbuster = massive savings) that's due to come in this week. We also have a paint color picked out and a list of everything else we need before Baby O is born. The goal is to have it all done by New Year's....just in case of an early arrival. 

Best thing about this week: Our 32 week appointment is on Thursday...another chance to hear the heartbeat!

I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery all set up.

Milestones: This week, Baby O is 17-18 inches long (already close to birth length) and weighs well over 3 pounds. He has at least 3-4 more pounds to gain before delivery day...or if the May family genes kick in, 7 or 8 pounds. I weighed almost 11 pounds when I was born. God bless my mother!!  

Movement: Almost constant when he is awake. But, I am noticing longer stretches of no movement as Baby O's sleep patterns become more defined. As soon as he wakes up, he lets me know! The kicks and punches are getting harder. My stomach moves on its own now, enough for me or anyone else who is staring hard enough to see.

It's a...: Still don't know...oh the suspense! I absolutely cannot wait for the baby to be born and for Nate to tell me. I think about that more than the whole labor process itself.

Exercise: Not as much as I should the last few weeks, I admit. We have a nice layer of snow on the ground so walking is not the safest option anymore. I've done my third trimtester workout DVD three times so far, and I'm VOWING to bump it up to twice a week at least. Now that I've promised this on the internet, I must follow through. Thanks for the motivation you provided just by reading this, ha!

Diet: Pretty good, despite the holidays. Now that the baby is growing and leaving less room for my stomach, I eat smaller more frequent meals and don't feel constantly hungry anymore. Even though they might be doused in brown sugar, butter, and or gravy, I have been getting in LOTS of veggies like sweet potatoes, rutabagas and green beans. And of course, my favorite honey crisp apples mixed in with stuffing and apple crisp. During the week at work I try to be more disciplined in eating the healthy stuff, without the extra fat and sugar mixed in.  

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: See answer above...keeping my promise now that it's out there for all to see.  

Other goals: To be very careful in slippery parking lots.

Back to School: Birth and Parenting Class

A few weeks ago, Nate and I enrolled in Birth and Parenting Class, which we have taken to calling "Baby Class." Last night, we completed session 3 of 5, which included a tour of Fairview Ridges, the hospital where we will deliver. Standing in the labor and delivery room made it seem SO real...it actually made me a little nervous, in a good way. I felt more excited than anything. 

Baby Class has been helpful so far. The first 3 sessions focused on labor and delivery and included topics including early signs of labor, stages of labor, options for pain control (YES PLEASE), possible complications, the role of the partner, and breathing and relaxation techniques. We also watched vidoes of medicated and non-medicated births. I give all the credit in the world to moms who do it without an epidural, but seeing the difference between the two experiences affirmed my decision to have one if I end up delivering in the traditional way. The nurse who teaches our class has has 3 of her own kids and gave birth to all of them with no medications or epidural. You can tell she absolutely favors this method based on her own experiences, but she did a good job of explaining the different options and helping us balance the pro's and con's of each. The main thing she stressed is to keep an open mind because every mom and every birth is different. 

We were also given plenty of reading material to look at on our own. While the written information is good, the pictures are, well...


Just what every expectant mom needs: A bad perm and a white bodysuit.



Nate promises never to gaze at me from behind a tree branch in tight jean shorts, as long as I don't ever get a bowl cut.

In addition to the pictures, there has been no shortage of laughs during the class discussions. It's so interesting for us to watch the other couples interact and hear what they have to say. Last night the nurse held up a giant pair of foreceps and was met with dead silence until the woman next to us asked (timidly but seriously), "Do they come in any smaller sizes?" 

In an earlier class, we were separated into Mom and Dad groups and each were asked to list out both the joys and challenges of pregnancy. Under the joys, the women wrote, "Spending money on cute things." Under the challenges, the men wrote, "Spending $$." Enough said. It just goes to show that even though we are all going through the same thing, each individual experience can be entirely different.  

The first night of class, Nate and I got the giggles during the relaxation techniques. It just felt kind of awkward sitting in a dark room, breathing deeply with our arms wrapped around eachother in front of 20 other people. We made a valiant effort to control our laughter, but holding it in makes it so much worse. It's the silent kind, where your whole body shakes. By the end of the exercise, I had tears running down my cheeks and Nate's face looked like a tomato. Not wanting to be the "problem kids" in class, we successfully pulled ourselves together the last two weeks. 

Weeks 4 and 5 of class will focus on newborn care. They bring in a pediatrician to answer questions, tell you what to expect and what to watch for the first few weeks. I'll update again after those sessions to let you know how they go. 

Nate, Baby O, Shady Lady and I all wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!!! This is my very favorite holiday and I can't wait to spend lots of time with the ones we love. Nate and I are also continuing our traditional Black Friday shopping spree. The major retailers have upped the ante this year and we will be out there at midnight to get some awesome deals on gifts and of course...baby stuff! I think the midnight start will actually be easier than getting up at 4 am, as we have done the last several years in  a row. Shopping for nursery furniture is good motivation, since we only have a little over two months to go...

Babymoon #2: The Carolinas and Savannah





OK, I'm going to rewind here and tell you about our recent trip to the Carolinas and Savannah, Georgia. The last week of October, we flew into Charlotte and drove to Raeford, NC to see our wonderful friends, Lisa and Steve (Couch Guy). They were our roommates in college and are now married and living near Fayetteville where Steve is stationed in the US Army at Fort Bragg. They are also expecting a baby (a boy) and are due right around Christmas!

They were kind enough to host us for three days. Staying at the Zaun's house is an event. There were literally roses and candy on our bed when we arrived. Ms. Lisa has got that whole southern hospitality thing DOWN. We had a blast exploring all kinds of fun places, including the army base, downtown Fayetteville, Wilmington (where Dawson's Creek was filmed), Wrightsville Beach and Myrtle Beach.

While in Wilimington, we toured the Bellamy Mansion. Lisa and I spotted a well in the backyard and  re-enacted our favorite scary movie, THE RING. I think Nate and Steve were a tad bit creeped out by this...

Here are some more pictures of the Bellamy Mansion, Wrightsville Beach and Myrtle Beach...

We said goodbye to Lisa and Couch Guy, knowing the next time we all see eachother, life will be very different. It seems like yesterday we were climbing telephone polls and spring breaking in Daytona Beach during our time together in college. But we couldn't be more excited for the future, knowing we are all on the cusp of one if life's most interesting journies: PARENTHOOD :)

Nate and I left Myrtle Beach and drove south to Hilton Head Island, where we did a lot of beach walking, pool sitting, eating...and that's about it. It was SO relaxing.



The final leg of our trip was Savannah, Georgia. I can't say enough about this place...it's beautiful, historic, artsy, and overflowing with friendly people and some of the best food we've ever had.

We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast that was located on Forsythe Square which also happens to be one of the Forrest Gump filiming locations throughout Savannah (not the B&B itself, but the sqaure):

If that last picture looks a little eerie, it's for good reason. We learned after we checked in (of course) that the Forsythe Park Inn is haunted and has been featured on the Travel Channel. I won't post any details on here for the sake of those who might get nightmares from reading about it, but here's a link to the story if you're curious: http://hauntedsavannah.blogspot.com/2005/12/forsyth-park-inn.html. Upon learning about this, I was fascinated and Nate was horrified but we decided to stay anyway.

That didn't stop us from following through with our plan to take a haunted tour of Savannah. Our guide's name was Lunatic Laura and she picked us up in this beautiful hearse:



Then we drove around in the darkness, visiting some of the city's many haunted destinations. Walt Disney visited this home many years ago and liked the design so much that it eventually became the inspiration for the Haunted Mansion at Disney World:



The building below is an abondoned psychiatric hospital...it gave us the creeps more than any of the other stops on the tour. Could they even try to make it more gross?



Once we got tired of being scared, we turned our attention to the more beautiful parts of the city...the architecture, the food, and the history.

Our favorite meal was at Ms. Wilkes Kitchen. This is a lunch spot that's only open from 11-2 each day and there is always a line down the block of people waiting to enter. You sit at huge tables with whoever they happen to seat you with, and there is no menu. They just keep bringing out bowl after platter after bowl of classic southern fare...collard greens, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, black eyed peas, you name it. A family style meal with a group of strangers is a good way to make new friends.

We also took a walking history tour with an awesome guide known as Savannah Dan and spent a lot of time just wandering around, taking everything in.



I'll wrap this up with some observations about the south...

• Lots of Waffle Houses, pawn shops and people selling baskets in ditches.
• Actual road signs warning you that a Church is just up the road. Children at play, deer crossing...and Churches. Watch out for the house of God, it can sneak up fast! 
• Things seem to move at a slower pace...especially the way people drive in the left lane.
• People are more talkative, open and friendly. I got more comments on the belly in one week in the south than I have the entire time I've been pregnant in Minnesota. 

Nate and I loved every minute of our Babymoon. We know that traveling in the future will be very different because we will either have our little one with us, or be missing him and wondering how he's doing the whole time we're gone. We're excited to share these photos and memories with Baby O someday. It makes it all the more special knowing he was there with us the whole time.  

Week 27 - Third Trimester

Sorry for the long stretch between updates! We were out of town on our Babymoon the last week of October, and ever since then our internet has been down at home. The tech that came out today couldn’t figure out what was wrong so they are sending someone else out in the next few days, hopefully. Once we are back online, I will update you on our trip and post some pictures.

Today marks 27 weeks, which officially puts us in the third trimester. Wow!! Baby O is due 3 months from yesterday. On Tuesday, we will start our Birth and Parenting classes which meet once a week for five weeks….for two and a half hours each time! I had no idea how complicated babies were :) Friends who have been through this class told us that some of the questions people ask are pretty entertaining.

Pregnancy-wise, things are going along just fine. I'm still feeling very good overall but sure enough, the closer we get to the due date, I feel like the baby is slowly taking over my body. I started getting nosebleeds last week due to the increased volume of blood in my system and the dry air. It makes me feel especially beautiful when it happens at work. Nate set up a humidifier at home a couple days ago, and thankfully that seems to have taken care of the problem.

I also toss and turn a lot at night, trying to get comfortable and avoid laying on my back as much as I can. If I'm in a position that Baby O doesn’t like, he wakes me up to let me know and then I flip over once again.  The last week or so, I am getting more of a sense for his sleeping and waking patterns, which I hope he will continue after he is born. Why? Because he is up and moving almost all day long, and then is very quiet at night (except when I lay in a position he doesn’t like, as mentioned above). What a perfect angel!

Otherwise, I honestly have no complaints. I am just so thankful to be having a healthy, uneventful pregnancy and am also very happy that Baby O is growing and thriving more every day.  

In other news…we recently had our first baby shower, hosted by Nate's co-workers. A couple of his team members are expecting babies, so it was also in their honor. The ladies who planned it found all of their spouses, including me, on Facebook and invited us as a surprise. What Nate thought would be a regular Thursday afternoon happy hour turned out to be oh so much more!! I loved seeing the look on his face when he came around the corner and saw me sitting there with his work peeps, surrounded in baby balloons. And yes, we had already traded some Nate stories. There are just so many. The shower was a lot of fun, and we were touched that they all did something so nice for us.  

That's all for now. More to come soon on Babymoon #2…

Bumpdate - Week 25

***I saw this on a blog I read regularly and thought it was a cute idea...You are supposed to give a "bumpdate" every week but I am a little late for that so I'll just do it here and there. Read on if you want details on Baby O in week 25.

Due Date: February 3, 2012

Weight Gain: Isn’t this question optional? Why yes. I believe it is. I will say this about weight gain, though: I’m more okay with it than I thought I would be. As long as the extra poundage is the result of my body gaining what it needs to in order for the baby to be healthy, and not simply because I have been eating enough to feed a whole city block…it’s alright.

 
Cravings: Honey crisp apples! I buy 7 or 8 every week, and they are gone before I know it. They’re just so good in the fall, so I have to take advantage. The rest of the year, apples are that dark red, soft and chewy kind we all remember from the school lunch line. Blech!

Aversions: Hmmmm. Nothing.

Sleep: The last month especially, I fall asleep by 9:30 or 10 almost every night and wake up by 5:30 or 6…these new sleeping and waking times are earlier than normal, but when all is said and done, I don’t sleep longer in a given night than before I was pregnant. Can’t do naps…couldn’t really even take them in my first trimester because then I can’t fall asleep at night. And yes, I am enjoying this luxury of uninterrupted sleep while it lasts, because I realize it will be a distant memory once February rolls around.

I am loving: Finally looking like I’m pregnant, rather than a girl wearing clothes that don’t fit. People in public are actually starting to notice. Nate, Darren and I went to a haunted theme park recently and one of the monsters came up behind me and mumbled creepily: “Let me guess…it’s a boy.” Darren thinks it would be the COOLEST if it turns out that Freddy Kruger correctly predicted the gender of the baby.

I miss: I think I’m supposed to say wine. But these days, alcohol isn’t really appealing (I’m confident this won’t be the case forever). So for now, I will say Jimmy John’s turkey sandwiches, since I cut out lunchmeat just to be on the safe side. Also - steak. Since I can’t have it medium these days, I don’t want it. Although…my dad did grill me up a well-done steak a few weeks ago and I’d missed it so much that it was still de-lish.  

I'm spazzing about: I’m told I’m not supposed to do this anymore, since it’s not good for the baby. I’ve never been much of a spazzer anyway. Stuff that used to make me mad before I got preggo makes me laugh now.

Best thing about this week: I had my 24 week appointment on Monday and got to hear the little heartbeat again!

I am looking forward to: Vacation, and seeing Lisa, Couch Guy and Baby Z!

Milestones: Baby O is the size of a rutabaga this week. What does a rutabaga look like? Beats me! But, this means that he is 13 inches long and weighs about 1.5 pounds.  

Movement: A lot. I love it. A couple of weeks ago, the movement started to wake me up at night. But this is pretty sporadic…I sometimes go 2 or 3 nights without being awakened at all. Nate and I can feel and actually see the little high-kicks from the outside now!

It's a...: See above. Freddy Kruger says boy. Most of our friends and family think it’s a boy too. Mark and Kristin’s little girl Alexis actually nicknamed the baby “Tommy” the day we told them we were pregnant. She also asked Kristin to take him out of my tummy so she could hold him :) One of the few people on the girl bandwagon is my friend Blair (one of the most intuitive people I know), and she says she has never been wrong. This is kind of impressive, since she is a pre-school teacher and former nanny who spent the last 15 years working with children and families. Will Alexis, Freddy Kruger, and the rest of the majority prevail…or will it be Blair and the vibes of the universe? Only time will tell.  

Exercise: Lots of walks. The beautiful weather we have been enjoying during the last few weeks of “Aug-tober” has been perfect for exercising outside. I have a favorite 3.5 mile loop around the neighborhood that takes exactly an hour. I also have a “Moms Into Fitness” (groan) prenatal exercise DVD I do about once a week that is really good at stretching and strengthening my back muscles. I’ll probably end up doing this more as the weather gets cold. The star of “Moms Into Fitness” is a peppy mother of three who weighs maaaaybeee 105 pounds. This can be both inspiring and annoying, depending on the day.     

Diet:  Well. I’m hungry all the time. And I am loving anything sweet these days. But I’m trying to satisfy that craving by eating fruit instead of all of the delicious and sugary alternatives that stalk my dreams. Otherwise, I take my prenatal vitamins, drink a ton of water, limit red meat to once a week, incorporate veggies and whole grains into every meal I can, and get lots of calcium (which prenatal vitamins do NOT give you enough of). I’m not a poster child for the perfect pregnancy diet, but I’m doing the best I can for sure. What better motivation is there to eat well than being pregnant? I haven’t come across one yet.  

Exercise goal for the upcoming week: More walks...but this time on the beach!!  

Other goals: Start making a list of things we need for Baby O. This is overwhelming. I am very much a minimalist, and am focusing just on the essentials. A few of my friends helped me out by sending me lists of things they love and use every day, and other things they suspect I think I’ll need, but really won’t. I’d rather discover a need and go out and buy it, than buy something and never use it. So thank you, mommy friends! :)

Why We Waited

Nate and I were married just shy of 6 years, and together for almost 12, before we found out we were pregnant. This is a pretty long time by many standards but for us, it was perfect. We are planners in every sense of the word, and any decision we make (especially one this important) has a ton of thought and consideration behind it. There are lots of reasons for the intentionally long and winding path we took to parenthood. First, we have always lived in the moment and enjoyed where we were at in every stage of life without dwelling on what should come next. I know this sounds funny coming from people who call themselves "planners," but this is the best way I can describe it: We knew that kids were in our future, but there were certain things that needed to be done before that could happen and we wanted to have a good time along the way. There was hard work to be done in terms of our careers, saving up, buying our house and getting it ready. 

But there were also less tangible pieces that needed to be in place, beyond the logistical and financial stuff. In the midst of this hard work, we fell more in love, built friendships that will last forever, had the opportunity to travel, and learned many life lessons. In a word (or five)... we just plain grew up. Once while on vacation in Arizona, we met a man who was married to his wife for several years before they had children. This was his advice to us: "Don't let anybody tell you that you won't have a family until your children are born. The day you get married, that person you vow yourself to IS your family. Any children you have down the road are welcome additions to that family. But it all starts with you two." Nate has always been enough to make me happy, and I never felt like anything was missing. I see our future kids as the culmination of our many years of love and commitment to one another, and I couldn’t be more excited.

We both feel strongly that it's crucial not only to provide for your children in the physical sense, but also provide for them in terms of teaching and leading by example. Newlyweds Angie and Nate circa 2005 likely would have been good enough parents if a little blessing had come along sooner than expected. There are plenty of younger parents (including our own parents, back in the day) who do a fantastic job of raising their children, and we certainly understand and appreciate that every couple is different. For us, it was important to take our time and build a life that we could feel 100% comfortable bringing children into, and become the kind of people our kids will look up to one day. We know we still have a lot to learn and more growing to do, but we’re going into this with our eyes wide open.

Also…as anyone who is a parent knows, kids are a lot of work. They are wonderful, but a LOT of work! I worked in a pre-school during high school and college, and this point was truly driven home for me during those years. I loved working at Westwood…it taught me so much about children and their awesome little minds, but it also gave me a front row seat to what was in store in terms of the life changes that come with parenthood. As my dad told me more than once, “Marriage is change. But Angie, kids are REVOLUTION!” So, I’m not going to lie. Nate and I have thoroughly enjoyed 12 years of selfish fun…sleeping in, impromptu date nights, and living life on our own terms. But several months ago, something finally clicked and we knew that we wanted a baby more than anything in the world. Chasing our dreams has been a lot of fun...now we're ready to chase some kids around the house too. J     

Baby O's First Vikings Game

This weekend, we ventured down to Kansas City to see our beloved Vikes play on the road for the first time. In spite of their hideous record, they are still beloved. More importantly, this was Baby O's first NFL game, and I'm pretty sure he loved every minute.  We have lots of hopes and dreams for our little bundle, and one is that he follow in Mom and Dad's footsteps and become a Vikings fan. We were joined by our friends Rock and Kasha who are also expecting, and due in early March. We did a little tailgating and discovered new ways to multitask with our baby bumps.

Then, time for kick-off!!!!

The game was exciting, and it was really fun to experience it in such a beautiful outdoor stadium, but the end result was not what we hoped for (one more tally mark in the "L" column). So, we consoled ourselves by eating lots of delicious BBQ:

We loved our time in KC with Rock and Kasha and would really like to go back one day. On the baby front, all is well. I am a little over 22 weeks and finally broke down last weekend and bought a bunch of maternity clothes. I wanted to keep wearing my flowier summer clothes as long as I could, and just buy what I would need for fall and winter. Baby O was kind enough to hold off on his massive growth spurt until the seasons began to change, so my plan worked out just fine. Now I am breathing, sitting, and bending much easier thanks to pants that go up to my armpits. They look dreadful on the rack, but feel like heaven once you put them on. Baby O is constantly on the move now, and kicking hard enough for Nate to feel it too, so that has been really fun for us both. The time is going so fast...we are due four months from today! We can hardly wait.

Daddy O

A lot of the time during pregnancy and childbirth, the focus is placed mostly on the mom and baby (which is understandable). The mom gets most of the attention, the questions and the belly rubs, the mom goes in for the doctor’s appointments, and everyone asks how the mom is feeling. But what about the dad or partner? This person’s life is changing too, in big ways. No, he isn’t battling morning sickness or experiencing an unprecedented rise in clothing size. But he is watching the person he loves most go through some massive changes, all the while wondering how different his life and his relationship will look in a few short months when the baby is born.

A couple weeks ago, I was reading one of my pregnancy books and came across a section called “Dad: On the Outside Looking In.” I showed it to Nate and he laughed, but then remarked how it’s kind of a sad thought. Every relationship is different, and men might have varying levels of interest in the whole pregnancy process even though they love their baby very much. I'm lucky that Nate has been a very involved dad, even though Baby O is several months away from being born. He has come to every doctor’s appointment with me and seems genuinely interested in all things relating to the baby. He even reminded me recently that we really need to start shopping for nursery furniture. As many of you know, he is the decorator in the family, so this isn’t too surprising.

I make a concerted effort to include Nate in everything that is happening with the pregnancy. I don’t ever want him to feel like the man in the book who is on the outside looking in. This will continue after Baby O is born. An article I read recently talked about how important it is for moms to back off and let dads have time alone with the little one to develop their own methods for care-taking. Not only does this give Mom a break, it also gives Dad time to bond with the baby in his own way, increases his confidence in his parental instincts, and shows him and everyone else that he can do a really nice job caring for his child. Baby belongs to him every bit as much as he belongs to Mom.

I asked Nate what he is most looking forward to when the baby first comes home from the hospital. His response: “I’m excited to give him lots of hugs.” Seems kind of funny, but it’s actually right on the mark. In those early weeks before babies begin to smile and interact, it’s sometimes hard to know what to do with them beyond the basics like feeding, bathing, and diaper changing. Giving out hugs seems like a good plan to me.

I am overflowing with anticipation for this baby to be born as the day draws closer. But I am just as excited to watch my husband grow into a loving father, which is already happening right before my eyes. Nate is known for his charisma, outgoing personality, fun sense of humor, and his undying love and commitment to football and cheeseburgers. However, over the last 12 years I have been blessed to watch the kid I met at a college house party blossom into the man of my dreams, and the father I’ve always dreamed of for our baby. Those of you who know him well are aware there is much more to him than meets the eye. They say that no matter how long you are with someone, your partner can keep surprising you and revealing layers of their soul you didn’t even know were there. I can attest to that. And I’m forever grateful that our baby will have Nate as a father.