Oh My God, She's Pregnant (Diamond Head Crater)

On day two of the Baby Moon (yesterday) Mommy and Daddy went on a hike. Mommy is almost 7 months pregnant. Daddy said the hike was probably more like a walk and it was only 3/4 of a mile. Mommy forgot one of the cardinal rules when doing anything with Daddy (do your own research). How hard could it be? There were several touristy people around with flip flops and street clothes? (Mommy forgot the second cardinal rule, don't judge the trail by what the tourists have on.) Certain tourists from certain countries will hike in flip flops and carry large cameras regardless. The trail started out rather simple. It was a long and flat paved road. A woman passed Mommy and Daddy and told Daddy "You might need to carry her part of the way." Hah Hah Hah.

Soon they were off the paved wide road and on a dirt path. Mommy had water and they stopped here and there. Then the switchbacks started and the trail started on a ever increasing upwards slope (in fact later Mommy learned that the trail clims 560 feet). The trail was packed with people. Behind Mommy and Daddy was a group of Japanese high school age teens. Mommy called them the "Alohas." The group of 50-70 kids said "Aloha" to each person that walked by them. Each of them said it, every time. So you heard a chorus of "Aloha, aloha, aloha, indescript Japanese.... aloha, giggle giggle, more indescript Japanese." The train soon turned to a steep stair way of 74 concrete steps. The "light" at the end of that tunnel was a 225 foot long narrow tunnel. By this point, due to water breaks, the "Aholas" had caught up with Mommy and Daddy. So they walked through the dark tunnel (which didn't have much air) with the sound of "Aloha, aloha, aloha, indescript Japanese.... aloha, giggle giggle, more indescript Japanese."

In addition to the Alohas, Mommy also started to hear people talking about her. Now after the tunnel Mommy and Daddy were on the second "stairway" which was 99 steeps steps. People were now saying, "Oh my God, she's pregnant." Every once in a while the on lookers who were panting and complaining about the summit would stop and talk to Mommy. One person said, "You must be in really great shape." Mommy replied "Yes, that or I'm just stupid." Another group coming down from the hike yelled to Mommy, "Wow, that baby is going to come out running a marathon!" Other people would just utter things like"that's amazing" and "Are you going ALL the way to the top?" "yes, but I'll take breaks Mommy said." At some point (in fairness to Daddy) he did say, you know if you want you could just wait here and I'll go up and come back down." Mommy quipped back, "Oh yeah I'd love to sit in the sun and wait for you to come back. No, I'm here now. I'm going to finish this too." Daddy said something about Mommy needing to think smarter and Mommy said something like "Well maybe you shouldn't have said this was easy and 3/4 a mile." Daddy then replied, "I never said it was 3/4 a mile. I said it was .8 a mile. Plus there's the incline." That would have gone on more if Mommy (after realizing she was becoming a side show star) hadn't decided to bask in the "did you see there's a pregnant woman coming up?". Then there were more spiral steps and followed by the last set of metal stairs. The top was beautiful. As always, the hike up is hard but the end product makes it worth it (that's Mommy's justification for natural birth). On the way down, there were more people who shamelessly stopped complaining about the uphill when they saw Mommy coming down. At the exit of the park, Mommy and Daddy took a picture by the Diamond Head Crater sign. The girl that took the picture said, "Did you go up ALL the way to the top? " "Yes." "But really the WHOLE way."

This is what Mommy says happened, I don't really know. The sun and constant rocking motion put me to sleep. But Mommy was comforted when I started to move and kick after she drank a smoothie.

Air Plane Drama

Mommy and Daddy are on the Baby Moon in Hawaii. Mommy arrived Thursday night (Hawaii time). The plane ride was LONG. She flew from DC to Cali and then Cali to Honolulu. The overall trip was ok. The first leg was in "regular" class and the second was in first class (thank God for upgrades!!). The two parts couldn't have been more different. On her first leg Mommy was beside a man who kept coughing and had a weird random skin disease. Parts of his hand arm and neck were ruby red and purple and parts were flaking. Did I mention he was coughing too? So Mommy being paranoid and slightly hypochondrictic went through her mental rolodex of diseases to figure out what was wrong with the poor soul beside her. Could it be (unfortunately) Kaposi sarcoma, or something as simple as a birth mark or burns from him heroically saving a baby cat from a burning barn? But what if it was Impetigo or scabies???

But Mommy had even bigger things to worry about on the flight. Pregnant woman are more susceptible to getting deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is when (after improper circulation) a blood clot forms and then that clot can travel to your heart and cause a pulmonary embolism. Yes, I know big words for a baby but Mommy reads lots of medical literature and other random books on health. So the doctor (and all the websites that Mommy checked) said she make sure to walk around the plane (so blood doesn't pool in her legs) EVERY hour. Yes, every hour Mommy was instructed to walk around the plane EVERY hour.

Buy how could she? How could she get up from the window seat with Mr. Purple Arm Cough A lot and the woman (didn't even get to her, she was old and had on a neck brace) in the aisle seat? Mommy hoped the pair would have to go to the bathroom frequently. But a las they appeared to have 5 gallon size bladders. They never had to pee. Mommy watched as other people milled about the plane, stretching their legs, using the bathroom at will, and enjoying life.

So after almost two and half hours, Mommy had to do something (she could feel her legs getting heavy despite all the yoga feet exercised she was doing) and she woke up Mr. Purple Arm Cough A lot and told him and Mrs. Older Neck Brace she had to use the bathroom. Rather begrudgingly the pair got up and let Mommy out. Yes, she was up! Now she wanted to walk around. Unfortunately the bathroom was two rows in front of Mommy and Mrs. Older Neck Brace didn't sit back down. Instead of taking her seat and finishing her crossword puzzle, she strangely waited (watching Mommy) for Mommy to come back and take her seat. Dag-Nab-It. Mommy had no choice bu to use the bathroom and then come back (like a good girl) and sit down.

An hour later (nervously checking her watch) Mommy knew she needed to get up. She was trying to drink as much water as possible to stay hydrated. Maybe her blood wouldn't coagulate if she was hydrated? When she was approaching two hours (again) she asked the pair to get up so she could go to the bathroom. She asked nicely in her softer high pitched voice (the voice she uses when she calls someone for the first time). The man rolled his eyes and huffed and puffed. What! Are you serious! Mommy was mad. Not only did she wait for a long time to get up again but she was pregnant. So Mommy said to the pair (this time with her Petersburg/SE DC/no me moleste voice), "I'm pregnant. I need to pee. The baby sits on my bladder. That's what pregnant women do, we pee."

The second leg of the flight was much different. People asked smiled at Mommy's big belly and asked her questions about being pregnant, men helped her with her suitcase, she had lunch and later they served cookies and milk. What's most importantly, on a six hour flight, Mommy got up seven times!!!!

Forest done!

Mommy worked on the nursery over the weekend. She painted the first part of the forest mural, the trees and the grass (yes, that's grass not little green mountains). At one point she was going to paint the animals of the forest too but as she is not a real live artist, she decided to purchase vinyl wall art. She hopes to have the owls, birds, and squirrel up on the wall soon. Then the other wall will be painted blue and a vinyl tree with an owl will be added. Finishing touches include a rug that looks like green grass and reupholstering the rocking chair. Oh, there's also trying to add in the years of creative supplies (beads, batik making items (mom wanted to start her own fabric decorating hustle at one point, scrapbook supplies, paint, and other items that responded to a moment of creativity) into the "Owls in the Forest" theme.

Seriously?

We are in our third trimester!   Helpful and loving people have been getting more and more involved.  Everyone has an idea of what Mommy shouldn't be doing.  Just today a coworker told Mommy she couldn't move a chair from one office to another (it was light made of particle wood not like some type of African Ebony wood).  Um... Over the weekend when Mommy's mom, aunt, and cousins visited we learned tons of new things.  Like Mommy shouldn't pick up the cat.  She shouldn't even be petting the cat.  Who knows what kinds of diseases she'll pick up?  She shouldn't sweep the floor.   She shouldn't cook dinner.  She shouldn't wash clothes (definitely shouldn't carry the clothes between the floors).  Why was she out of breath from walking up the steps?  Maybe she should just stay on one floor in the house (there are three). Um...but the bedrooms (including Nursery) are on one floor, kitchen and entries to house on another, and the laundry and TV room are on another floor.   She also shouldn't walk the dog.  Oh, no, what will Mommy due when Daddy goes out of town for a few days.  Perhaps everyone should call her every day to check on her.  Daddy is better but not too much.  He told Mommy to ask the OBGYN to put her on bed rest.  Yes, bed rest at 27 weeks.  That way Mommy can rest more.  Seriously?  Come on people!  Women all around the world have babies every day.  And plus Hyenas get pregnant and still run away from lions and search for food.  

Finally some progress!

I'm happy to announce there has been some progress on a couple of outstanding BabyRadJo issues.  Mommy and Daddy have a car seat!  They also have a Pack N' Play which has a bassinet for me to sleep in when I first come home from the hospital.  I believe the plan is to have me sleep in the same room with Mommy and Daddy for the first month or so and then slowly move me to my own room.  I'm sure this has nothing to due with me and  all to do with the fact that the nursery needs more time.  Mom has organized the nursery, sorta. But Daddy called it "move and hide."  Basically instead of getting rid of a room of scrapbook, batik, beads, and other items to make room for me, Mom reorganized those things and put some under beds and in other closets.  But have no fear, at least the theme has been selected:  Owls, squirrels, and trees.  The colors are baby blue, forest green, cozy brown trees, with a touch of something  (either purple, yellow, or orange).  Mommy and Daddy also have some clothes for the baby.  And drum roll..... although there's no crib, car seat hasn't been installed, not quite sure what to call me when I come out...Mommy and Daddy have found time to plan a Baby Moon.  What's a Baby Moon you ask?  Could it be that you do not know the latest gimmick to make expectant parents pay for something else?  It's the last vacation a couple takes together (alone) before the baby is born.  So they are scheduled to go to Hawaii in a couple of weeks!  Oh yeah!  (yes read a little sarcasm) 

My latest photo!

This was taken about a month ago at my "old" OBGYN.  Yes, I have changed.  I changed from Georgetown University to Bethesda Naval Medical Center (the President's hospital, nuff said right?).  It's not that GU was bad.  They were fine and close to shopping and food. But there are tons of hidden fees (with insurance) with giving birth at a civilian hospital.  The care is probably great a both and both are in bad spots for traffic....but in the end the prospects of paying $5,000 to $10,000 out of pocket helped my parents make the decision.

A Baby Shower?

So mommy says that we're having a party for me. :)  I'm pretty excited.  I'm very happy that mommy's friends and family convinced her to do this.  Cause mommy was anti-shower at first.  Sure hanging with your favorite friends and fam is cool but not a baby shower....mommy doesn't mind the games so much as the gifts.  First, mommy and daddy want to only buy me exactly what I need and try to make the rest (ok so may that's what mommy wants).  Second, mommy and daddy would like to reuse as much as possible from friends and family.  Let's face it despite all efforts, mommy and daddy already have lots of stuff.  A baby (any baby, it's not my fault) brings in tons of other stuff.  Did you know the average baby gets their diaper changed over 2,000 times in the first year!  Imagine how many diapers, wipes, shorts etc that could be?!?!?! Plus there's all that other stuff, baby wash clothes, baby soap, baby wipe warmers, baby lamps for the baby's room, clothes, shoes, and not to mention baby toys, all those toys!   Lastly, the good friends and family a year ago were buying wedding gifts for mommy and daddy.   Is it really fair to get so much love?  Yes, I say!  

So we are having a party but there are some ground rules:  

1.  It's a celebration of my coming out.

2.  No games!  

3.  Unisex--all are welcomed.

4.  Gifts are appreciated but not needed.  In fact, gifts won't be opened at the party.

5.   Come, mingle, eat, and rub the belly.

To reduce waste it's probably a good idea to talk about gift ideas.  Remember number 4, you don't have to bring a gift.  It won't be opened at the party so no one will know if you didn't bring one.  :)  If you want, mommy has finally registered at Babies R Us for a few items that I need.  You can also bring something used!  The only things mommy and daddy prefer to buy new are the crib, car seat, and the Pack N Play.  Other than that, used is preferred.  Mommy has been gifted 6 large trash bags of baby clothes.  So there's no need to buy NEW clothes.  But we will probably need crib sheets, diapers, baby books, baby toiletries etc.  Mommy didn't' register for those things because they are pretty easy to pick up from anywhere.  Lastly, organic, BPA free, flea and tick free, flame resistant, etc options are probably the best bet.

I hope to see you at the shower on March 28!