Baby Watch: Day 9

Sometimes a picture says it better.  This has been today:

Waiting.  As my friend Jason put it earlier today, our son's first official act in life has been to procrastinate.  We'll have to work on that.  (Actually, I think both Jath and I were late, so we're not ones to judge).  In reality, three days late is not all that bad, and we can survive without a tax break for one more year thanks to a rather productive lame duck Congress.  It's only depressing because Jath's dad and sister have to leave tomorrow for Pennsylvania and we had a little bit of false labor last night, which made us all hopeful that they would get to be around for the birth.  Overall though we recognize that we're very blessed to have friends and family close by and that we have Jath's mom for another week.  And of course, there's still tonight/tomorrow morning.

As for the requisite "what a year it's been" sentiment, there's nothing like pregnancy to consume nearly all of one's conversations, plans, and healthcare dollars.  We're sure that 2011 will be the same, only with a name and a face--and diapers.  2010 has been a great year, starting in one corner of the state and ending up in another, jumping from public to private sector work, moving from apartment to home (still renting), and landing among friends old and new.

I think that's enough to justify popping the cork on the champaign in the fridge.  Until then, however, it's back to enjoying family and games and, oh yes, the virtue of patience.

Baby Watch: Day 8

We have a deadline.  After a successful--albeit lengthy--visit to the doctor's office, our MD scheduled us for an induction 5 a.m. Monday.  Jath will only be six days overdue at that point, but we're ready to be done.

We're hoping, however, that the induction won't even be necessary.  After performing a quick exam, the doctor looked at us in disbelief and asked Jath the following questions:

• Are you sure you haven't felt any contractions?
• And you're sure your water hasn't broken...maybe just leaking?
• Not even a little?
• And you're sure?

Apparently, Jath is already at 4 cm dilated.  In delivery talk, that's nearly halfway there, so you can imagine why our doctor was a bit surprised we didn't have a baby in our arms when we came in.  Other interesting tidbits from the visit:

• The baby's estimated weight has gone from 7.7 lbs (Dec. 17) to 8.15 lbs (Dec. 30).  Of course, they always say "give or take a pound".  We'll gladly give the pound.
• The estimated due date based on the baby's head size = Jan. 14
• The estimated due date based on the baby's abdomen and thigh bone = Dec. 23

For now, pray that the baby really wants to be born in 2010, like tonight even.

Baby Watch: Day 7.5

Still at home.  Jath did some more walking yesterday, this time through a large shopping center nearby, but the baby isn't quite ready to make his entrance yet.  We're trying not to rush him, but since people start leaving for home on Saturday, we are hopeful that he'll decide to come sooner rather than later.

After work yesterday, we enjoyed some fajitas for dinner.  For some reason, this led to a conversation about favorite foods, least favorite foods, diet variety, and how to tell someone you thought the food was fine but wouldn't exactly be bugging them to make it again.  The end result?  My father-in-law declared he didn't really care for ice cream, but would eat it whenever it was put in front of him.  Charissa and I decided to test the theory and suggested Graeter's.

Before we headed out to the square for a cone/cup/dish/shake, Robin stopped by to check on the baby and provide him some encouragement.  She then piled into the cars with us and we all joined way too many other people for an unseasonable treat.  I'm glad to report, however, that ice cream in December is still incredibly good.  Even Dad had some. 

Baby Watch: Day 6

The due date.  Our What to Expect When You're Expecting books tells us that approximately something % of babies are born after their due date.  We are now that statistic.

Jath did some walking around Target, PetsMart, and the Post Office today--actually, not much walking at the Post Office.  Although she's felt some Braxton-Hicks on and off,  we've not hit anything that would indicate full blown labor is on its way.  Fortunately, it's comforting to know that we're reaching the point where this baby will come sooner rather than later, no matter what.

In non-pregnancy news, I was one of six people on my floor at work today.  It was so quiet, the motion sensitive lights kept shutting off.  One of us had leave our office about every hour to go hit the button again.  Quite hilarious, but also a bit depressing.

To counter the drudgery of work, I made sure to hit up the Starbucks around the corner.  One reason I love Christmas is that people gift me Starbucks gift cards.  Since Jath and I operate on a Dave Ramsey-style budget, the guilt-free splurge is much appreciated.  And since I recently started using Starbucks's rewards program, the gift cards end up lasting longer and earning me some nice perks.  Being, however, one of those people who prefers to remain inconspicuous, even when taking advantage of things like coupons and other freebies, I'm always a little wary when I pay with my gift card and the cost of the syrup is deducted from my total.  I'm always wondering what the baristas are thinking.  Of course, when I reach the "Gold Level" (cost to do so, given my drinking habits, = $108), they will give me a Gold Card. It will take some serious internal pep talks to slap that baby on the counter without feeling self-conscious.  Oh well. Given the amount of money I've spent there over the course of the last 15 years, I think I'll take my rewards with my head held high.

Well, back to work tomorrow--unless God hits the launch button on this baby.

Baby Watch: Day 5

And still waiting...still.  I have to admit, I've changed my prayer from "Lord, let this baby come on your time" to "Lord, let this baby come on your time, and please make your time tomorrow."  Quite honestly, I'm less concerned about the tax break (still nice) and more concerned about Jath getting to cross the finish line on this pregnancy thing.  She's been tired/sore/swollen for awhile now and is to the point where she would endure almost anything to have this baby out.

So what did we do to encourage some progress today?  The Creation Museum.  I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on the message of this museum, but regardless, it's an interesting visit.  Due to the combined kindness of one of my father-in-law's parishioners and of two Creation Museum employees, we received the VIP treatment.  Where the special "visitor" lanyards didn't work, Jath's pregnant profile did.  For example, she was practically forced to the front of the line for the restroom by all of the mothers waiting ahead of her, and we made it into one show at least 5 people early.  Overall, the six hour day was stimulating and encouraging.  Perhaps the most interesting thing to me was to see some of the concept drawings for the giant "Ark" park they are building about 30 miles away.

After returning home exhausted, we chowed down on some local pizzeria pizza and played Farkle.  I did my best to play like my brother Mark (i.e., risk it all whenever possible) and the strategy ended up paying off.  After a brief hiatus, we returned to try another game of Mystery of the Abbey.  Although we all felt like we understood the strategy a bit better, the game still ended in a mad dash to name the killer and declare victory. Ultimately, Charissa emerged the victor, successfully ID-ing Brother Julian as he who hath donest it.

Tomorrow is back to work for me.  Jath is planning to get out of the house and walk.  Fortunately for her, the best places to "walk" during the winter also happen to sell things--lots of things.

Here's hoping tomorrow morning brings some contractions about 5 minutes apart!

Baby Watch: Day 4

Simmer down.  The later-than-usual post is unfortunately not an indication that I'm off in a hospital room.  Instead, the late post is simply indicative of a lazy Sunday.  Activities for the day:

• church
• homemade brunch
• football
• Settlers of Catan
• football
• canasta
• Five Guys
• Toy Story (thanks, Disney Channel and terrible weather in Philly)
• Toy Story 2 (ditto)
• Bed

Like I said, lazy Sunday.  Tomorrow is my last day before I'm back to work.  Fortunately, the week ends on Thursday (thanks, personal day & New Years Eve).    

Baby Watch: Day 3 (Merry Christmas!)

Merry Christmas! I hope you've a wonderful day of friends, family, and food (or family, gifts, and dogs; or even gifts, cats, and family).   Still no baby--although every passing hour is one hour closer.  Jath continues to think that "something" might be going on but says it's difficult to explain exactly what.  Regardless, we're not timing anything--yet.

Our Christmas began at a respectable 8:30.  We got the coffee on, the monkey bread in the oven, and sat down for a Christmas morning prayer Dad had written for the occasion.  After "amen", we gave the dogs their gifts (yes, I realize this makes us hopelessly middle-class North Americans).  Toby was thrilled to receive several chew toys and Cody, I can only assume, hates his new puffy jacket.

Once the dogs were taken care of, we began our gift exchanging.  Many very thoughtful and wonderful presents changed hands, including some that I had barely been able to keep myself from purchasing only weeks before (somehow, they knew).  Best gift opening moments of Christmas 2010?  In no particular order:

(1) Charissa opening our old camera containing a picture of the hiding place of her new camera
(2) Jath opening a gift "To Jathniel. Love, Mom & Dad," exclaiming "I think this is for Aaron", passing it to me, my continuing to  pull back the tissue paper, beginning to say "ooh, very nice, thank you," Mom exclaiming "That's for Dad!", my passing the gift to Dad, and Dad proudly holding aloft the eggplant colored shirt and tie combo that had now been opened three times.  
(3) A few gifts later, Dad half opening a package and informing us that this must be for Jath.  He was of course, correct, as Jath finished unwrapping a knit sweater top.
(4) More games! (Things, Mystery of the Abbey, Trivial Pursuit Cards)

We spent the afternoon picking at more fantastic foods (pigs-in-a-blanket) and eventually sitting down to play MotA.  For those used to the more straightforward, win-or-lose style of clue, MotA takes some getting used to. Needless to say, we all decided we'd probably do better the second time around.

Now, we're sitting down to an expertly carved turkey (ahem), stuffing, brussel sprouts, and pumpkin pie.

Merry Christmas!

Baby Watch: Day 2

Still just watching and waiting.  Jath says she feels "something" but isn't quite ready to commit to it being anything yet.  However, she is currently making monkey bread for tomorrow morning while commenting that she might not get to eat it.

What was on tap for today?   Sweet sleep (until about 9:30) and lots of lounging.  We enjoyed some coffee and donuts, courtesy of Dad, and watched some exciting local news to start the day.

At 1 p.m., we headed out to our favorite brunch place:

We've had multiple discussions with multiple friends and family members about whether this restaurant's name is a help or a hindrance.  According to my brother, FirstWatch sounds like the name of a Sunday school class for the elderly.  Others have commented that it would be a better moniker for a security company.  I for one associate it with slammin' good hash browns and "meh" coffee, but I'll let you be the judge.  My choice this time around? "Cheese to the 5th degree"--a grilled cheese sandwich featuring Swiss, Havarti, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and some other cheese on Parmesan crusted bread. Yes, it's as good as its name.

After lunch, we braved the local grocery store to pick up some last-minute supplies.  Because everyone else in town apparently had the same plan, our "20 minute" stop lasted nearly an hour.  The upside? A platter of shrimp, even more coffee, ingredients for pumpkin pie, and ready-to-eat desserts.  

We made it home just in time to watch The Gruffalo on DVR.  Apparently this short film is for children.  Apparently, some children enjoy sleeping in CGI-induced terror.  I, for one, am keeping this series on the shelf in favor of "One Fish, Two Fish" for awhile.

At 5:30, we were off to our church's Christmas Eve service--an abbreviated version of Lessons and Carols.  Despite the heat coming on only about 5 minutes before service started, we much enjoyed the time spent breathing and pondering the miracle of Christmas.  As we lit candles and sang Silent Night, I couldn't help but wonder whether ours would be. 

Back at home, we're picking through food, drinking decaf coffee, and doing what all the world does this night: waiting. 

Baby Watch: Day 1

It's the final countdown! (cue Will Arnett dancing around on stage flashing magic accessories and poor self-awareness).  Yes, we've been waiting for Baby for quite some time, but we really haven't been expecting baby until recently.  Now that Jath's family is in town, we can actually expect him without panicking about whether our loved ones will make it in time to wait in the hospital lobby in HIPAA-induced ignorance.  Seriously, according to our lamaze instructor, not even Julian Assange could find out whether we had checked into the labor & delivery unit.

So what's happened so far?

12 a.m. (Can you spot the proof in this picture?) - The family arrived from PA; they came bearing gifts, a dog, roast beef, and a carafe of milk (among other things).

1:30 a.m. - we actually got to sleep.

Morning- At this point, our schedules diverged quite a bit.  My father-in-law and I still had a day of work left, so we hit the coffee early and hunkered down in front of the laptops for some good-ol'-fashioned telecommuting.


Meanwhile, Jath opened our Christmas present from her sister: one-of-a-kind custom artwork for the baby's room, created by Charissa herself.


The pictures are amazing, albeit slightly hard to see in my hastily-snapped photo.  Needless to say, we think they'll be worth some serious $$$ someday.

While we worked, the ladies enjoyed some riveting entertainment on cable and DVD, including:

Turned off after 45 min because we could feel Al Gore smiling

Watched in its entirety--despite the fact that it featured voice work by Eddie Murphy.

On currently, probably because the alternatives are local news, Judge Judy, and  "Biggie and Tupac" (thanks for keeping it festive, VH1).

On tap for tonight? Jath's got some chili in the crockpot, we've got some pictures to hang, and I've got Christmas Vacation saved on the DVR.  Hide your cat!

Gifts to Remember

I ran across a picture today that made me want to share just how great my husband is.

He might not always think so but he is a very thoughtful and very good gift giver. Our very first married Christmas together he got me this:

Now admittedly, at first, I had no idea what this was. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn't also a little nervous about what else he was getting me that year. But then he explained. Often as I would stand at the stove cooking our newlywed meals I would let out little "ouch" shouts as tiny drops of grease would jump from the pan catching my exposed skin. It was annoying and sometimes quite painful and it’s not easy to stand 2 feet away from the stove while you’re cooking bacon. Hence Aaron’s very thoughtful gift, a splatter screen from Crate & Barrel. “It’s so you won’t get burned anymore,” a sweet and very practical gift from my even sweeter practical husband. I loved it.

This year we've decided not to exchange gifts as all of our efforts and most of our money has been put towards the upcoming birth of our baby. A gift that despite what my doctor says will be just the perfect size for us this year. Not too big and not too small, a gift as memorable as a splatter screen only sweeter.

38 weeks

snowy december

There's no denying it feels like Christmas time today. We awoke to another medium sized snow this morning our third since December started. So far I've been surprised by all the snow. Cincinnati didn't strike me as a place where we'd get a lot, but I'm glad because December and Christmas just aren't the same without it and a fresh dumping every few days keeps things fresh and beautiful. 

The downside? Apparently they don't plow or salt around here. Seeing as how it's now about one in the afternoon and our street is still covered and in some places barely passable. So if you're planning a visit to our home in the near future you'll probably need your 4 wheel drive if you'd like to make it to my driveway...

It Snows Here Too...

Yes, I had already shoveled a path only 1 1/2 hrs. prior.

Who would have thought moving south would have zero effect on our winter snowfall? All this snow is fresh today.

Peaceful for now.  I'll report back on the commute tomorrow...

Quick Hits from the Week Past

So it's approximately 11 p.m. and I realize I have been delinquent in posting pictures from the past few days. To what do I attribute the late hour?  Try: The Middle, Modern Family, Psych, Community, 30 Rock, and The Office. (Yes, our DVR was a bit full).  I promise we did leave the couch to let the dog out, do the dishes, and switch some laundry--it's not like we're that All-American.  Anyway, some quick hits from the past few days.

Friday - we invested in a new rug.  Toby's thankful for the traction.

Then it snowed...a lot.

On Saturday, we braved the snow and cold for our first Real Family Christmas Tree 

We're smiling through the freeze. 

The reindeer added a nice touch, and the place even provided a sled in which we could drag our freshly cut Christmas tree.  As you can see, it also got to come home inside the car.

Jath did most of the arranging. I helped by making coffee for myself and then offering words of encouragement. 

Smells like Christmas.

On Tuesday, Jath's small group came over for our monthly dinner.  Since it was December, the party was appropriately Christmas themed.  Activities included Christmas Pictionary, Christmas cookie decorating, and watching Toby try to process playing with a 14 month old and 2 1/2 year old.

Missing from the picture: 3 parents and one dog owner, perhaps watching over 3 children and one dog?

The Small Group (this is actually one of my "pre-pictures", which always turn out better than the real ones).

This coming weekend is our last before family and friends begin to come for Christmas.  I can't believe we're already this far into December.  On the agenda? Christmas shopping, getting a haircut, getting an oil change, and raking the last of the leaves.