March 21 - tiring business

I overheard several people threaten to take pictures of Mama yesterday--she had some time between classes and I was picking on one area in her lower abdomen for my activities--so she got into a recliner at the show and fell asleep.

She did wake up in time to get her entry into the class but she was a little discombobulated for a few minutes because the chair didn't want to let go and she had been asleep. I guess baby-making can be tiring some days.

Results are in--all systems go

Mama is very happy that she passed her glucose test--gestational diabetes was not something she really wanted to worry about!

She also came back as negative for Rh antigen exposure (that's the protein on your red blood cells that gives you the + or - after your blood type.) Since she is Rh negative, and Daddy is Rh positive, I could be Rh positive. If something happened and our blood was to mix, and I was positive, Mama could make antibodies against the Rh proteins in my blood. This would not be good for me because the antibodies could attack my blood and cause my red blood cells to burst.

So Mama got an injection in the rump this morning to prevent her from making antibodies--just in case. She'd forgotten that she gets sick after rump injections, so it was a good thing that Daddy drove for a while.

I've been working out pretty hard over the last couple of days, so I'm quieter today. Maybe I don't like rump shots either.

March 13 - Hurry up and wait

Today was the "big" appointment for mama. She had to drink some orange flavored stuff that was very sweet, and wait an hour before giving blood. She wasn't very sick from it, so is hopeful that she might be ok.

But there was the long wait before she saw the doctor and could hear my heartbeat, and then the long wait for the blood draw (and she keeps freaking out the nurse because the best place to draw blood isn't in the "normal" spot) and now she gets to wait for results.

Once the results are back, she will probably have to go in for a RhoGAM shot--which she is not happy about--but it's best for me just in case I got Daddy's Rh factor on my blood.

After a suggestion from the doctor (or so it seems!) her ankles are swelling regularly. Oh, the joys of the third trimester. At least I am getting big enough that she can really feel me when I move around--like now. My favorite spot to dance on is the front of her pelvis--boing, boing. I like to twist and turn a lot too.

Baby bonanza pictures

Lots of stuff going on in the picture above--the top has two quilts that Mama's friend Teresa got for me--the back side of the Noah's Ark quilt is very nice and bright. The other blanket towards the right is frogs.

The bunnies are towards the left on the Noah quilt.
On the floor, the bumper and bedding set is still in the plastic to keep it clean and together on the left.
Below that set are receiving blankets
Up the center are the outfits that Mama got for me
Top right has three crib sheets, with a mattress cover to the outside below it.
The little packages have wee washcloths in sets
The bottom right has the surprise receiving blanket that Mama didn't realize she picked up, and a teething frog from Aunt June.

Some of the other items have their own pictures below:

This is the contents of the bag of toys--lots of things that rattle and shake, some have mirrors, some have multiple textures, and some are just soft.


This is the gratuitous frog for Daddy. It's in the corner of one of the blankets from Teresa. Her aunt has a quilt shop and this blanket has more frogs (with a camouflage background) on the other side.

This shows just a couple of the diapers, showing the outside when they are together and the inside with the absorbent layers. Mama knows that she will need more than what she was able to buy at the sale, but these are a start at least!


This shows the swing from Aunt June in the back, and the two bouncers in the front. I'm going to be *so* spoiled!

Romulus checks out the car seat. This one is good for the first few months, but I'll probably be to heavy for it before the first year is out.


I think Mama is right when she called it my bonanza!

March 8 - Baby bonanza!

OK, pictures to come later.

Mama saw some signs to a big "Kids Sale" that was held yesterday, so she went to check it out. Did I ever come out a winner!

Unable to decide between two very nice bouncers--she got both for me
An infant car seat with manual and base
Bedding set--loony toons--with a bumper rail for when Aunt June finds the crib I'm borrowing
Three crib sheets plus a waterproof mattress cover
Several flannel receiving blankets that should be good for burp cloths and maybe swaddling
Several packages of baby wash cloths
A small waterproof diaper bag for "wet ones" that will fit inside the bigger bag that Aunt Amanda got for us
Eight size small and nine size medium "all in one" cloth diapers--no folding, no stuffing, just wash and re-use
A number of outfits for me that were inexpensive ($1 or less each)
A bag of toys that includes stuff for teething, experiencing different textures, rattles and a few stuffed toys. About a dozen different ones--maybe more
A pair of bunnies--mama and baby--with the sewn eyes that are safe. Mama doesn't want to admit that she had her friend Teresa in mind when she picked them up--Teresa and her husband have a thing for bunnies...

There are still some serious holes in the "needs" column, but this was a great place to get a lot of starter stuff for me.

Guest post--"The Bear"

Regan here--

Several years ago--long before Russell was a thought that crossed my mind--I was at a giant benefit "garage sale" at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Towards the end of the day, they were all but giving things away to save them from at trip to the dump.

I found an old, beaten up stuffed bear. Obviously this guy had been well loved, and I am sentimental enough that I couldn't stand the thought of him being cast away forever. So I picked him up--and figured that I would find a child for him. For the last several years, I've been waiting.

We found the bear in a box last night, in a pile of things to be set aside for Russell. My friend June was looking at the stuffed toys with an eye towards safety. Most of our stuffed animals do not pass the safety test--but the bear does! He has sewn on features that are safe for little ones.

So I found the child for the bear. I just never imagined that this was how it would happen when I picked him up at that sale.

March 1 - Three months to go

Mama asked Daddy last night if it looked like her waist had really expanded over the last couple of days. He admitted that it looked that way. She was really feeling like there had been a big difference very recently.

I also put on a "belly mover" show for her yesterday. She was ordered to lie down (she says that she's not good at just watching when there is work to be done) and I made her belly move. A lot. A bounce here, a kick on this side and a punch over there. It was too bad that no one else was able to see it--but there was no doubt that I was utilizing my entire internal gymnasium!

I have stopped moving any time that Daddy's hand is in a place to feel me. Mama's worried I might be a practical joker.