Brunch

You are going to hear me say again and again how fortunate Susann and I are to 1: be from such great familes 2:  have each other and 3: have such great friends.

Today's blog is about friends.  Rachel and John invited us over for brunch this morning.  They are the rightfully proud parents of twin boys - Max and Jacob.  The boys are a little over one year old and we had a great time playing with them and watching Rachel and John in action.  They are great parents. Let's just say two appear to be harder than one. 

Now to the great friends part - as I said the boys are getting a little older so Rachel and John were thoughtful enough to offer are car full of infant toys and general baby "stuff".  Along with a great deal of very helpful advice like using Costco brand baby wipes and how the fabled daiper magic machine uses regular kitchen trash bags that you can also get from Costco.  I have a feeling that you will be hearing more about Costco later.

It is a great feeling to know that our friends and family will always be there to help.

We are lucky and blessed.

On Track

After getting an ultrasound every 2-3 weeks, the 16 week appointment is a disappointment! I went in this morning for a regular check-up. No photos, no "inspection", just some bloodwork to test for Downs and spina bifida, and a chance to listen to Baby Tad's heartbeat.

Tad's heart is still beating on at 162, so I'm going to guess that the heartrate old wives' tale is just that... a tale.

Apparently at 32, having gone through fertility treatments, and having placenta previa makes one a high-risk pregnancy, which qualifies me for the fabulous gift of being encouraged to take all the blood test screenings.. AND....... MORE APPOINTMENTS!

My placenta previa is still "complete", which means

1. I won't be going to Birmingham in two weeks for work, and
2. I don't feel guilty about asking my male co-workers to help me move furniture and lift boxes as we complete our work move next week.

Shawn and I had discussed before had what I would do if they decided to do a surprise ultrasound at this appointment. He wasn't able to be there, and I'm glad I didn't have to cross that bridge. I think I'd have a hard time NOT finding out the gender if I had the chance.

I do have another fabulous "issue" to add on top of all the others: Strep B in my cha cha. I'm going to blame it on all the times I had strep until I had my tonsils out at age 21. All it means is that if the baby is going to come the "normal" way, I'll have to have antibiotics via IV during delivery so the baby doesn't get sick. This is apparently really common.

OWW: Take One

Welcome to the 1st installment of "Old Wives Wednesday"! We have exactly 4 weeks from today until we find out Tad's gender, so I thought I would use the next few weeks to put some old wives tales to the test.

I'll start with the caveat that I am abut 95% sure that Baby Edwards is a baby boy. Babies conceived through IUIs typically are 60% boy to 40% girl due to the boys being faster "swimmers" and everything being so precisely timed. Add on top of that the boy to girl cousin ratio in Shawn's family of over three to one, and I think the odds are tipping that way. Not to mention I just feel like Tad's a boy.

So today, thanks to our friends over at iVillage, we'll take a look at some of the old wives tales predicting a baby boy. I've bolded and italicized those that are "true". Next week, we'll do girls, and the week after that, we'll do the "ring" test"...

• You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy. (Knock on wood, no booting yet!)
• Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute. (We're still well over 160, but it is still early)
• You are carrying low.
• You are craving salty or sour foods. (See last post)
• You are craving protein -- meats and cheese. (Cheeseburger anyone?)
• Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy.
• Your hands are very dry.
• Pregnancy has you looking better than ever. (Zits. Ugh! I'll let Shawn answer this one)
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number. (32 plus 12!)

See. Even old wives agree with me!

LFB and Em, you were going to do some research-- what else am I missing??

40 days... or 40 weeks?

My FB post this morning was "Sus@nn Edw@rds is giving up alcohol, unpasteurized cheeses, sushi and luncheon meat for Lent... oh wait".

We all know I have the best mom in the world. I can't imagine Mom Miller was found often eating any of those things in the 1970s.... but there are so many things these days pregnant ladies can't do that I'm sure are just en vogue right now.

Mom, Aunts, etc. what were you forbidden to do during pregnancy in the 1970s?

I didn't have a sip of caffeine for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, but have added back in a couple sodas a week. I've had some blue cheese salad dressing... and lots of cooked fish... and I'm still kicking.

Mix in a husband whose man-pregnancy book "My Boys Can Swim" says I can't have Nutrasweet, bacon, and soy sauce, and you are taking away 50% of my favorite foods. And of course as nature would have it, EVERYTHING I'm craving. Keep your sweets, I want salt salt and more salt! Dipped in salt.

My OB/GYN practice is one of the largest in the city, with over 20 doctors. They encourage you to see a mix during your appointments since you will be delivered by whomever is on call that day. But I have to say, I have a favorite. Dr. E kind of reminds me from Stanford from Sex and the City. He's tiny, loud, blunt and on team J... and said that without saying I should do any of those things... as long as I don't eat food court sushi and drink Red Bull, I'm due for a healthy pregnancy. (with the necessary doctor caveats included of course).

So for Lent, I'll give up eating anything that doesn't make healthy sense. And apparently eating meat that I cook myself. I'm on the fourth day in a row of not being able to stomach eating what I cook for dinner. Shawn's had lots of leftovers for lunch!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's debut of "Old Wives' Wednesday". As we countdown to the anatomy ultrasound on April 6th, I'll be testing some of the most popular old wives' tales for predicting gender. Know any I should try, let me know in the comments!

A Good Man

I am one of the lucky ones.

Anyone I have ever met who knows Shawn usually says the same thing about him.

"He's such a good man."

That he is.

He's a great man.

He was a great friend for years before he became a great fiance. And then husband.

And he is going to be a wonderful father.

Happy Birthday to the best person I know.