Feb. 10: It’s chilly here in Madison today. I think the thermometer is hovering around -10! Michael and Lisa came over for a waffle breakfast this morning, and Bryan and i are thinking about heading out to the mall to walk around for a while. It’s just not a day that I feel like walking around outside!
LuAnn is putting Andrew down for his afternoon nap, and I’m calmly hoping to go into labor. I was having some mild contractions through the night last night, but when I got up in the morning, they stopped.
I’m taking that as a good sign that my body is heading toward labor.
Thanks to everyone who has called and written with wonderfully supportive and loving thoughts. I feel like we’re wrapped in a warm community of support.
Stay inside today!
Our week in pictures
Feb. 9: We’re getting ready to go to Kids in the Rotunda for some story and songs this morning, but first I thought I’d upload some pictures of Andrew from the last week. They’re ready for viewing in
the gallery.
We’ve reached my “due date”
Feb. 8: Well, here we are! I think that since Andrew came five days early, I really had it in my mind that this baby would come early too. I go to bed each night hoping that I’ll wake up in labor, but I keep sleeping through the night! Each meal I wonder if it’s my last pre-baby meal, but nothing has happened yet. My 20 week ultrasound put the due date at Feb. 14 rather than the 8th, so there’s always the possibility that the baby isn’t even actually late yet. Yet, the waiting…especially knowing how the risks to the baby increase as time goes by…isn’t super easy!
Bryan and I sat together and talked to the baby a lot as she had a rollicking party in my belly. Hard to imagine that we’re so close to holding her:)
I had my 40 week midwife appointment. She did an ultrasound to confirm again that the head was down and to to make sure that the baby had a good amount of amniotic fluid. Baby’s heart rate was good, and she was pretty active. I continue to have lots of non-painful contractions, but there’s not much sign of progress toward labor. But you never know…maybe tonight!
From BabyCenter.com
How your baby’s growing:
It’s hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it’s a snug fit through the birth canal during labor.
This so-called “molding” is the reason your baby’s noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it’s normal and temporary.
How your life’s changing:
After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and… you’re still pregnant. It’s a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you’re relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.
You still have a couple of weeks before you’ll be considered “post-term.” But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.
You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby’s overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it’s a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).
Fetal heart rate
monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what’s known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.
If the fetal testing isn’t reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you’ll be induced. If there’s a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.
Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it’s “ripening.” Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don’t go into labor on your own, you’ll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42
weeks.
Cute things Andrew is doing
Feb. 7: Andrew has said a number of super-cute things in the last week, and I need to write them down before the memories flutter away.
Pirates
The other morning, Bryan was talking to Andrew in pirate talk. “Avast ye squab! Ye be eat’en your orange or yeh be walking the plank!”
Andrew looked earnestly at Bryan and said, “Don’t scare me. I’m just a little boy!” After laughing, Bryan said, “Alright then, wee lad, if yeh don’t want to walk the plank, I’ll just make yeh me first mate.
Have a parrot.” Andrew placed the imaginary parrot on his shoulder and said, “He’s a little parrot!”
Tiger
In the mornings, Andrew likes to come in bed to cuddle. Then he crawls down to the foot of the bed under the covers and starts to growl. When we ask what kind of fierce creature is in our bed, he calls out, “I am a Bengal Bengal Tiger!” Eventually, after some coaxing, he crawls back out and proceeds to eat us. “mumumumummmm”
Dancing
Andrew has a play saxophone, and he and Granny have been dancing for probably hours to some of the songs it plays. Then they lie down on the floor and Andrew becomes a bouncy pillow for Granny to rest on.
Secrets
The other night after dinner, Andrew leaned conspiratorially over to Bryan and said in hushed tones, “I have a secret. We could do play-doh.”
Story Hour
We’ve been to story hour at the Pinney branch library for the last couple weeks, and it’s so fun to watch Andrew. He’s really reserved, but he’s paying such close attention. Even though it takes a little coaxing to encourage him to move along with the songs, he talks about them for days afterward. And during the reading of stories, he actively listens even when all the other kids are racing around the room.
Snug inside during the storm
Feb. 6: Wow…we got a huge snowfall today. I’ll be thankful that the little miss stayed quiet today, because it would have been quite a mess to try to get to the hospital through this blizzard.
LuAnn and one of our great neighbors shoveled out much of the driveway. I bet LuAnn didn’t imagine she’d be shoveling 18″ snow as part of her helping-us-out activities this trip!
I stayed pretty mellow today. Ended up taking two naps, took a long bath, and just hung out. Thanks for everyone out there who’s thinking of us!
Waiting, waiting
Feb. 5: It’s been a quiet day here. I think I’ve done nearly all the planning and preparations I can think of, so I found myself sitting around this morning in a bit of a funk. Fortunately, I had lunch plans with Karen, so that got me out of the house. I ran some errands, did some shopping for Andrew and for the little one, and in general enjoyed being out and about on my own. Andrew took a three-hour nap for his granny today, so she got some quiet time here in the afternoon.
We’re experiencing the start of a major snow event here. Laura, my doula, called this afternoon to see if we were seeming to be heading toward labor (no) and to remind me to give extra time for her to come over and for us all to get to the hospital since the weather may be pretty difficult.
Baby girl continues to move about, but doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. I told her that life out here in the world is pretty good.
Sure, it’s a little bright and a little cold, but there’s good things like milk and snuggling, and my darling dear, there are shoes!
It hurts my heart
Feb. 4: I wrote a post a couple weeks ago our how my friend Karen’s friend Cindy was at the end of a five year struggle with breast cancer. This morning, Cindy passed away. She was at the hospice center where Mom was at the end. My heart grieves for Karen and for Cindy’s husband and kids and all the people who love her. It’s five months since Mom died. It feels so weird to have death be something that I know on a much more intimate basis that I have ever before. And at the same time to be right in the moment where life is beginning.
There’s a lot more to this rich tapestry of life than I knew three years ago. I want to take it all in and accept it and make it OK.
Karen made a nice page on her website for Cindy.
Com’on, Baby…we’re ready for you!
Feb. 3: Andrew is on day three of his no-napping game. Hmmmm. I don’t think I approve:)
Bryan’s mom came into town yesterday. Her plane was able to land only after getting diverted to Iowa for more fuel since the runways were covered in snow and it had to circle for a while before getting cleared.
I had my week 39 midwife appointment on Friday. We got to hear the baby’s heart beat and she measured my belly. No signs of imminent labor, but I’m sending the baby lots of positive messages that the world is a friendly place and she should go ahead and check it out. Please proceed to the exit, little one:)
We got together this morning for brunch with Andrew’s little friends Alex and Budgy and their parents, Vicki and Mike and Veronica and Benson. It was a fun time. This afternoon, we’re heading to Sarah and Wes’ house to watch the super bowl and eat yummy food.
BabyCenter.com
How your baby’s growing:
Your baby’s waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it’s likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
Forry’s obituary
Jan. 31: Terry is back in Madison after spending the last week in Salem with his mom. A memorial service is planned for February 23, the week of Forry’s 93rd birthday. An obituary follows, which can also be found on the Salem Satesman Journal’s website.
Forrest M. Haller Obituary
SALEM – Forrest M. (“Forry”)
Haller, 92, died peacefully at home on January 24, 2008. Forry was born on February 20, 1915 in Arnegard, North Dakota to Adolph I. and Della A. (nee Rohney) Haller. The family moved to Red Wing, Minnesota in 1922. In 1932, he graduated from Red Wing High School. Several years later, he went west and eventually found a job with Northrop Aircraft in Los Angeles. Over the next 25 years, with a hiatus during 1945-49, Forry rose to head Northrop’s production engineering operations, and he was General Supervisor of Missile Planning there. He worked on numerous Northrop projects, including the YB-49 Flying Wing airplane (a precursor of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) and the SM-62 Snark missile. Forry was married to Thelma (”Topsy”) Arstill on October 22, 1945, and they moved to Palm Springs, California, where they helped to build and manage the White Sun Guest Ranch in Rancho Mirage. In 1947-9, they lived in Portland, Oregon before returning to L.A. From 1951 on, they lived in Manhattan Beach and Los Alamitos, California before retiring to Salem, Oregon in 1972. Forry is survived by his very special wife Topsy, to whom he was married for over 62 years; two sons, Terry L. Haller of Madison, Wisconsin and Michael D. Haller of Salem, Oregon; one grandson, Christopher W. Haller in his senior year at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington; and two brothers, Donald M. Haller of Salem, Oregon and Deane A. Haller of Red Wing, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his father, Adolph Haller in 1940, his stepfather Fred Gerdes in 1964, his mother Della (Rohney) Gerdes in 1972 and his brother Lyndon W. Haller (wife Lela) in 1999. A memorial service will take place at 2:00PM on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at the First Presbyterian Church, 770 Chemeketa Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97301.
Vacuum terror
Jan. 31: Andrew may not appreciate me sharing this with the world, but I found it to be so earnest and tender that I just wanted to write it down.
Andrew feels very afraid when he hears loud noises: coffee grinders, blenders, lawn mowers, and especially the vacuum cleaner. This morning, I wanted to vacuum up the hallway carpet a bit. Andrew was playing with puzzles in the living room, and when I came over to tell him I was going to pull out the vacuum for a few minutes, he got really panicky. He started breathing fast and then started crying and trying to pick up all his puzzles at once. I promised him (as I always do) that the vacuum won’t hurt him. It helps Mommy clean, and it just makes a lot of noise while it does it.
Eventually, I calmed him down, and he went into his room clutching three of his toys, mumbling something about “saving them.” When I peeked into his bedroom after vacuuming the hall, he was on his bed with his toys under his blankets. Oh, he is so cute I just want to eat him up:)