Breastfeeding Class – CHOMP
Had my first breastfeeding class today at CHOMP. I was a few minutes late to class because i overslept! I dont normally set the alarm because i’m pretty good at waking up on time but lately not so good at it. Plus when i got to where i needed to be, there was a sign that said the class had moved to a different room but no instructions on how to get there! OMG, it took me a while to figure out where the hell i was going in that place! But i found it. When i arrived, i was the last one of course. There where about 6 other couples there and 1 other lady with no partner.
The class was pretty informative, though i have been doing my own research on it and trying to learn as much as i can. The class was being led by a lady is a lactation consultant for the hospital so we will more than likely get a visit from her when we deliver at the hospital.
We talked for a while, then watched a video, then “practiced” with some baby dolls. My baby doll was black! LOL! And had a very long tongue and was super heavy! It was funny, some girls got “preemie” babies, some had no diapers on… all in good fun. Practiced the cross cradle hold, and the football hold.
I think i have had my share of warnings from sources that breastfeeding isnt easy. I am not really looking forward to having my boobs be sore and leaking and full feeling or hurting, etc. But i know it is best for the baby and i will try to do it for as longa s i can.
An interesting statistic that the teacher said was that the average length of time that mothers breastfeed their children WORLDWIDE is 4.5 years! In the US it is only 6 weeks – because you know what happens at 6 weeks, gotta go back to work! It is kind of sad i suppose, we really should have more time off for bonding with a child. Speaking of which, i still have to figure out my maternity leave. I will get 6 weeks disability from the state, then hoping to get another 6-8 weeks of Paid Family leave. But i will probably start working from home by then.
34 week Ultrasound
Had my 34 week check up today with the OBGYN and he wanted to do an ultrasound to check amniotic fluid levels and the growth of the baby.
Baby’s cheeks where so chubby compared to last time! It’s hands were up close to it’s face and it was moving around a bit in there. We were able to get a pretty good profile shot this time (last time we couldn’t).
The doctor measure all it’s parts – the femur, the head, the abdomen, and some other stuff. Mostly it’s measuring 1 week behind. The abdomen was about 2 weeks behind and the doctor seemed a little concerend at first but at the end of the check up he said its still within “normal” range and not to worry.
The weight estimate of this little one at it’s current state is about 4 lbs and 4 ozs. So i think that’s pretty good! Here is a scary hollow eye shot! I think he/she was waving at us. Just a few more weeks till we can see that pretty face.
Baby Shower
Torie, Patti and Rita threw me a baby shower on June 12, 2011. It was held at Rita’s big 5 bedroom house out in Creekbridge. I invited a few family members and some close friends. I didn’t realize that it was graduation time so quite a few people couldn’t make it. But it was still a good turnout and my party-planners did an excellent job!
Rita made the invitations and the decorations. Its a Mommy and Daddy bunny and a baby bunny with an umbrella! Torie also made me a binder of guest’s well wishes and predictions for the new baby.
I love how you can see the bunny butt! LOL!
When i walked in i see a big wall of my belly shots! A little embrassing but still cute. Here’s all my gifts too!
Torie made these cute bunny cupcakes! Marshmallow body and chocolate bunny ears!
This is the diaper cake Rita made, and the carrot favors Patti made. Inside was chocolate crisps wrapped in a bunny foil.
We enjoyed some snacks (chips, fruit, veggies, crackers and cheese) and soda, while everyone filled out a piece of paper with advice, well wishes, and guesses on when the baby will come.
There was also a baby pool calendar where you can bet money on when the baby will come.
Of course Patti but the baby will come on HER birthday! =)
Everyone decorated a onesie using fabric pens. A few people said they’d take theirs home to decorate and send back to me.
Here are the finished shirts!
I got anothe diaper cake from my cousins Sandee, Candice and Aunty Mary. Chock full of goodies and diapers!
They drove all the way up from LA – in the morning and then had to drive back home to go to work the next day! I am so glad they could make it up.
Opened all my gifts. Jeff’s mom sent a special gift for me to open which was a baby memory book.
Lots of clothes, diapers and blankets! I LOVE this mousie pajamas. So cute! You can see more of my shower gifts on my Flickr Set for the Baby Shower.
Now here are some photos of the guests!
My gym buddies, Paula and Sandy.
My closet living relative (geographicalyl speaking), Momi – she is my Dad’s cousin.
Rebecca, my long-time friend Renee’s sister, who is also pregnant and due in September with a little girl!
Carrie and her 5 month old daughter Lilia. We went to college together.
Miss Rita – hostess with the mostess and friend/co-worker.
Patti and her 8 month old boy Evan. He is too adorable in that outfit.
Torie! My “wife” and ex-roomie! I didnt get a photo WITH her,… nor did i with her sister Amy, below.
Heres all my gifts after being opened. There was a diaper raffle so i am pretty set with diapers – least for a little bit! Candace won the diaper raffle. We also played the guess the belly size game with the ribbon. Amy won that one! Most everyone’s guesses were “too big” but Amy’s was “just right!”
I had a fun time with my friends and family. I still can’t believe i will actually have to use all these tiny clothes and smelly diapers in just a couple of months. How will i do it all? Glad to have a few friends that can give me advice!
33 Weeks + 4 Days
Here is my 33 week belly shot! Day of my baby shower. While i’ve been looking forward to the weather heating up so i could wear more dresses, there were really only a couple in my closet that looked good on my big belly! I think i look a lot “bigger” in a dress versus in jeans and tight tank.
Getting more uncomfortable as weeks go by, harder to breathe and bit harder to sleep at night to get comfortable. My mountain of pillows is ruling our bed. I have two under my head, one for my back and a body pillow in the front! Normally i only use 2 pillows, one for my head and one for my legs.
The last class i taught was back in May. While i could probably still teach fine, i just rather not have to worry about remembering routines and when i might have to possibly teach. So i’ve been going on walks during lunch and sometimes after work – with or without a partner. Still doing Turbo Kick and weights/squats/yoga at home. It’s hard to slow down but i am doing ok with it.
Hospital Tour
We’ll be delivering our baby at Commmunity Hospital of Monterey Peninsual (CHOMP), since my doctor’s practice is in Monterey and he only has priviledges at that hospital. We took a tour of the hospital with two other couples who were all due within a week or so of each other.
(I didnt take any photos but i found these from someone else’s web site)
We met by the koi pond, which sounds nice and all but it actually is kinda stinky and noisy to tell the truth. It is in the lobby of the hospital. The hospital looks like it was made in the 60s or something – really flat with low ceilings and their square logo is plastered everywhere on the wall pattern. A little strange. But its got a pretty nice ambiance overall. I think public perception of the hospital is highest compared to any other area hospital (Natividad or Salinas Valley)
The birth center is easy to find, right past the snack bar! Jeff noted this on our after-tour-survery that this was the “most important thing” he learned. (Hey you can see the logo on the wall here! See what i mean, excessive use of that pattern! LOL!)
Right at the entrance of the hospital is a Dennis the Menace statue. The creator lived in Carmel and donated a lot of artwork to the hospital. You’re suppsoed to rub the toe for a safe delivery. (Be sure to hand santize after that!) Maybe they should rub more areas of the statue more often – look at how golden only the toe is!
Here is the waiting area. It’s weird how they have wicker furniture. My OBGYN office has wicker furniture similar to this too.
I dont have a photo of the room but i found out that most of them have a big wall of windows, which is nice. There are only 2 rooms that don’t – which is the one we toured. Each room is private and has their own bathroom (shower) and a bench area that converts to a bed for Daddy. They told us pretty much everything we need to know about what to expect on the day we arrive, like where to go, what i’ll need to get dressed in, pain medication (Fentanyl, epidurals), what the baby will wear once it’s delivered, etc. It was a lot more information than i expected so that was good.
We have to schedule a pre-admission interview that we’ll do about a month before the baby is due, i assume to fill out paperwork and such. Overall we really like the hospital and the staff (our tour guide was a labor/delivery nurse). It took us only about 20-25 minutes to get there. Hoping we dont have to spend a long time here in the hosptial though — quick labor for me? Maybe something like 5 hours sounds good… or could be 25 hours… oh man.
Update on the Nursery
Finally! The comforter wall hanging is up in the nursery! (Thanks Jeff!)Looks good on the wall. I just noticed the sheep on the lower left looking up at everyone – so cute!
I bought this giraffe light cover switch online last week. I love the little blue birdie hanging out on the tail. Cute little touches really make the room alive. Still working on adding more…
We took off the closet doors, as i mentioned earlier, during the asbestos removal. Previously i had a bunch of my clothes, luggage, and sleeping bags stored in here. Well last week i actually managed to get everything out of here and placed in either my closet, under our bed, the new drawers, or the garage! I was amazed.So we want to keep it open like this, without closet doors, to maximize the space in the room, since i dont think we’ll need to be hanging clothes in this room for a while.
I moved the bumpers that were hanging in the crib to the closet area above. Apparently the new protocol is to not use the bumpers in the crib, as the baby can get their face stuck on it and stop breathing (SIDS). But still, all the bedding sets come with them, so what to do? Some people use them as valances, but since i already have those (got my second set last week to fill in the gaps!), i thought, i’d just place them up there. It fits perfectly.
Here is the mobile i set up all by myself! I actually put it on the wrong way at first. But its good now. The directions say that you should stop using it once the baby can crawl up on its hands and feet, at about 5 months.
Today we went back to Babies R Us to look at gliders. I didnt really think i wanted/needed one but while we were there looking at cribs we sat on some and they were so nice! I can imagine how easy it would be to have this to rock the baby to sleep and to nurse on it. This one seemed like a good fit for me. It wasn’t too big nor too small, it comes with an ottoman, and a nursing foot stand. The chair reclines as well and has a locking mechanism. I like the green and white but Jeff didn’t really like it and i think it might be TOO much green for our already green nursery. So we decided to go for a white wood with a dark brown chocolate twill fabric. You can see it here. We wanted to order it today but i had thrown out my 20% coupon just yesterday! Dang i could kick myself. So we had to buy a product to get a coupon for the next promotion period, which starts in mid June. I guess it will all workout — we dont have a big enough car at the moment to haul it back to our house and we’ll probably get a new car for Jeff within that time frame. Plus we’ve been spending a lot of money recently so it will be good to give our pockets a rest before spending the cash on this — its a lot more $$ than the crib!
A Flag for Memorial Day
Jeff noticed that we had a flag pole stand thingy in the front of our house. I never noticed it before, but while we were out shopping at OSH, he asked if we could get a flag. I said sure why not. We got one with a flag, a pole, and a stand, even though we thought we didnt need one. Well luckily it all came together because once we got home, we realized the pole was way too thick for the existing stand. A few drills later and voila we have a patriotic flag to fly on holidays!
Happy Memorial Day!
Right next to the flag, by the walkway leading to the front door, we have a huge bush of hydrangeas. They are just now starting to come in for the summer. I love the transition from green to pink! I also noticed today on my drive to the gym that all the hills are turning from green to brown! Its not that pretty when its in that “inbetween” stage! 🙂
This weekend we didn’t do anything too eventful, besides continue to sharpen up the house, nursery, etc. I will update about our living room projects once it is all done!
The weather was a little strange this weekend. Sunny, warm, nice, windy, rainy, all in one. We ended up bbq’ing on Saturday night and it RAINED for like the 10 minutes Jeff was outside grilling hot dogs! How funny. We had a good, relaxing holiday weekend though. We’re not much for going out and being out and about anyway, though a part of me tells me i should GET OUT NOW while i can before the baby comes! Call it nesting i guess, or we’re just deep rooted homebodies. 🙂
Michelle’s Birthday, Schipper Design Happenings
Today was my coworker Michelle’s birthday. We all recorded ourselves singing her happy birthday in the bathroom (LOL) because the day before we had had a “you tube moment” watching Eric Whitacare’s Virtual Choir and was a little inspired i guess. Not quite the same concept but still a little fun. Will put the video together. Who’s Will? Oh yeah, Will is a new designer who does graphics/web/video/video/3d and seemingly everything else under the sun. We’re really fortunate to have him on the team!
If you look closer in the picture, you’ll notice something else exciting. Earlier this month we also switched our computers to MACS! Yes! Normally design studios have PCs but since Kathy’s husband Ken (aka resident IT guy) knew everything about PCs and not much about Mac’s, the company was originally set up with Dells. The transition has been pretty smooth. It took a while to get used to it but i really dig it. And it’s so purty! And i think i’m getting a new laptop (though i have a personal laptop at home) to use for work when i’m on maternity leave so i can work from home.
Here are the cupcakes i baked from scratch for Michelle’s birthday. I used America’s Test Kitchen’s Dark Chocolate cupcake recipe (for a dozen instead of 24 cupcakes – god i cannot deal with 24 cupcakes every time it is someone’s birthday!) and i also wanted to make a fun frosting, and saw fresh strawberries in my fridge so i looked up some recipes and came up with this delicious thing. OH – chocolate and strawberries, need i say more? It was perfect. All you do i make regular frosting and mash up some fresh strawberries with your hand, letting go of the extra juices, then whip it all in to the frosting. You’ll need a thick frosting to begin with (read: lots of sugar) because the berries do make it a bit softer.
Here is one more pic! Reminded me of a pretty rose once i piped it on there.
30 weeks, 4 days
Belly is poking out a bit more! It’s been getting more challenging to move around and do stuff, and i am very protective of my belly (like it hitting up against a counter or something). I have been having a hard time staying asleep at night. I don’t have trouble falling asleep so much as that it wake up the middle of the night for seemingly no reason. Yes, i usually go pee, but i dont think that i why i get up. Maybe the baby kicks me and i wake up but i have no memory. I have been having really weird baby dreams as well… oh your typical, delivery, breastfeeding, diaper changing kind of dreams.
Other symptoms … my sciatic nerve has been a pain in the butt literally. Most likely because i sit down at work all day on a god awful chair. I even got a new one but then that one was WORSE. I just bought a new exercise ball and plan on sitting on that at work, alternating with my regular chair. I’ve had a bothersome sciatic nerve before i got pregnant, so now it i just a lot worse, makes i hard to walk sometimes. My tailbone also hurts a lot too.
But besides those things i’ve had it pretty easy i’d say! I am still teaching classes on a sub basis, usually about 1-2x a week. Not sure when i’ll “stop” but trying to keep to a somewhat regular workout schedule. I’d say i am only exercising 50% of what i normally do, maybe even less. Every other day or so, i’ll get a workout in. I’d like to do more, but.. i also know it’s good to kind of take it easy. I am really look forward to getting back in shape after the baby is born.
The Office
Jeff and I worked hard this weekend! We were busy working on the house, putting stuff up on the wall, assessing the plumbing situation, and putting more stuff away.
We put up the vertical blinds in the office to replace the broken horizontal blinds that were there previously. Now Butters can look at the window without crashing into them and bending it. Its funny because the night before we put the new blinds up, in the middle of the night i heard him run in the office and crash into them, which he has never done in the middle of the night before, that i can recall. Usually he does this after his “poop energy”. Anyway, it works well.
We moved the games bookcase to the office. It was previously in the second bedroom/nursery. Also moved the fan in here from the master bedroom. We never ever used it in this new house, and now i use it everytime i’m working out (duh).
Here is the desk and the bookcase, pretty much unmoved from where it was previously. The painting i did a while ago, was previously in the living room above Jeff’s desk.
When we removed the asbestos they had to remove the closet doors and their tracks to get everything. So we decided to just chuck the closet doors (they’re just plain, not too nice) and get new ones. Well, i figured i dont really like closet doors anyway (already have them off my master closet) and drapes function better in my opinion. So i went to Target today and bought the tension rod and some brown drapes. Its works great and adds some color to the room. Eventually we might get real closet doors. I’d like to get mirrored ones for the office if that is the case.