Two Month Checkup

Ziggy had his two month well baby visit on Friday, January 15th, and he now weighs a whopping 13.5 lbs (79th percentile) and measures 23.5 inches long (56th percentile), which means he's added 6.25 lbs and 3 inches to his birth weight and height. He's turning into a stocky little guy! My mom likes to call him a little muscle man :) He is kind of buff looking for a baby. Time to start retiring those 0-3 months outfits--I keep trying to stuff him in them because they're so darn cute, but it's starting to get ridiculous!

He had all his two month vaccines, which did not make him happy at all! It was awful to see him tortured like that, but I know it's for his own good. I can't believe we have to repeat them again so soon though. He projectile vomited up all of the Rotavirus vaccine just after I told the nurses that he has a tendency to spit up. Oh well...

The doctor who saw him asked if he's always so happy and calm, and I said "Yeah, except when he's hungry or has reflux pain." Or when he has gas or is trying to poop, I also could have added. But overall, he's a really happy, zen baby. I love my little guy so much!

New Year's Resolutions for 2010

1. Lose the baby weight! I have about 15 pounds to go, not bad considering I gained over 45 while pregnant. I don't even care so much about the number on the scale, but it would be nice to be able to fit into some of my old clothes. My wardrobe is shockingly limited these days!
2. Even more important than losing the baby weight is getting physically fit. Since I broke my wrist before becoming pregnant, I entered the pregnancy with a weaker upper body than usual. Now that I have to tote around an increasingly heavy baby who is growing at an astonishing rate, I've realized that I really need to strengthen my arms, shoulders, back, and core. Which means I need to find time to exercise regularly, including getting back to doing yoga. Aside from nearly daily walks,kegels, and trying to draw my navel toward my spine whenever I think of it, I haven't done much exercise since baby's arrival.
   
3. Learn how to cook healthy but tasty meals that both meat-eating AC and I will enjoy (obviously this wont really be necessary until we get to Japan and are finally settled in our own home). This past year I have not had the opportunity or the means to cook much, and I am starting to miss it. I've been thinking about buying The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between. I think it might be the solution to feeding a carnivorous husband who doesn't always enjoy my vegetarian fare.
   
4. Stick to a budget, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. Now that we have a baby and will be living in expensive Japan, I am going to have to be more careful about spending money.
   
5. Establish a schedule for keeping the house clean. This year was unusual in that I often didn't have to do the cleaning (such as when I was living in NYC with my dad, at our family house in CT, or here in CA with my mom), which was really nice. But once we move to Japan and have our own place, I'll have to reestablish a routine. I also need to get over my all or nothing attitude when it comes to keeping house. I either clean everything obsessively or let everything go, but with a baby I'll have to take a more balanced approach to making sure the place is clean enough without going overboard.
6. Cultivate my own interests. Both for my own sake and to set a good example for the baby, I need to ensure that I maintain and possibly expand my current interests and creative pursuits.
   
7. Get out of the house and explore! I have a tendency to be a homebody, but again, in order to set a good example for the baby and to enrich his life, I need to try new things.
8. Make new friends and stay in touch with old friends. With AC gone a lot in Japan, I'll need the support of friends near and far.
   
9. Try to blog more regularly, although I realize with a baby, it certainly wont be as often as before.
10. Be the best mother I can be without beating myself up over my inevitable mistakes. Basically, I want to be a "good enough" mother.
    

I don't normally do the whole New Year's Resolution thing, but I thought it might be fun to have some goals to motivate me this year. I have to say, 2009 was a great year! I finally became pregnant and my wish for a baby was fulfilled. I'm interested to see how 2010 goes for our little family this year. We'll finally be stationed at a base longer than 8 months and will have a chance to settle in to a community, a home, a way of life for once. It will also be my first real experience with living the life of an active duty spouse as AC will be gone a lot on TDYs and possibly deployments. Plus, there will be a new member of the family to consider in every decision that we make. I'm both excited about and apprehensive of our upcoming move. However 2010 turns out, it will certainly be different than any year thus far!

Two Weeks Old!

Dear Ziggy,

It's hard to believe you are already two weeks old today, and yet it's almost impossible to imagine life without you! You are such a good, calm, sweet baby. You sleep a lot, both during the day and at night, waking up every 2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours at night to feed, but luckily so far you fall back to sleep quickly at night. You feed really well (I love breastfeeding you!), although it still sometimes takes you a couple of tries to latch effectively, and are gaining weight at an astonishing pace! Last Monday at your one week checkup you were 7 lbs 5 oz, so you'd already surpassed your birth weight, and today at your weight check you were 8 lbs 3.8 oz, almost a pound above your birth weight!

Last week you became fussier after your Baba left to go back to Albuquerque, and at first I thought you were responding to his absence, but then your grandma figured out that you must be reacting to the bean and vegetable soup she made. When I stopped eating the soup, your fussiness, gas, and straining during bowel movements improved, so it looks like no more beans for me for a while!

Unfortunately you also developed some diaper rash this week, which makes changing you more of an ordeal since you cry whenever we wipe your bottom. It breaks my heart to see you in pain, and I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better right away. We've been trying to keep your bottom bare and diaperless as much as possible during the day, rinsing your bottom off after each poop and then blotting you dry rather than wiping, and applying Desitin and Aquaphor creams at night. Today the doctor also prescribed an antifungal cream to use if the diaper rash doesn't improve in 2-3 days, so hopefully we will get it cleared up soon.

When you're awake you are very alert and love to look around, make funny faces, and wave your little arms and kick your little legs. You are surprisingly strong for such a little guy. You also seem to really like music, especially Jazz, Classical, and Reggae. You make such adorable little sounds and sighs, and sometimes you sneeze and hiccup, which is just too cute. You started smiling in your sleep when you were one week old, and now you even smile sometimes when you're awake. I know these aren't considered "real" smiles yet, but they sure are cute and a great preview of what's to come! I look forward to the day when you give me a big social smile for real!

I love you so much, little one! You give my life meaning and purpose. Taking care of you is a full time job, but it is so worth it, and I couldn't ask for a better way to fill my days. Right now there is nothing I would rather do than take care of you and watch you grow and develop into a little person. You are the love of my life!

Love,
Your Mama

11/09/09: A Day I Will Never Forget

Ziggy was born on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:15 am after approximately 8 hours of labor, weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. Here is our birth story:

I woke up the morning of my scheduled induction (Sunday, November 8) at 8:45 am, got up to go to the bathroom, and felt a trickle of fluid run down both legs. This is it! I thought. My water broke on its own, and now I wont have to be induced! I called Labor & Delivery and they told me to come on in to be checked, although they said I didn't have to rush. So I took my time getting ready and showering, and finished packing up my hospital bag with AC. We arrived at L & D around noon and I was checked, but the doctor who saw me didn't think my water had broken. My cervix was now about 70% effaced, but not at all dilated, so the doctor suggested they just go ahead and admit me (since I was going to be admitted that evening at 7:30 pm anyway) and start the Cervidil (cervical ripener) early. I received the Cervidil at exactly 1:10 pm (it was basically like a tampon that the doctor inserts way up by your cervix) and was told my progress would be checked in 12 hours. The doctor also palpated my abdomen and estimated that Ziggy was about 7.5 lbs, which turned out to be very close to his actual birth weight.

AC and I spent the rest of the day just hanging out in my room watching downloaded shows on my laptop. I was feeling tired and lazy and thought it would be a good idea to store up energy for labor, so I didn't get up much other than to use the bathroom. With my IV pole and monitors it was easier to just stay in bed and relax.

At exactly 1:10 am, I experienced some painful pressure down below and almost like a popping sensation inside and suddenly felt a bunch of warm fluid gush onto the bed. At that moment I knew my water had broken for real, exactly 12 hours after administering the Cervidil! And, as promised, at that exact moment a doctor came in to check my cervix and confirmed that my water had indeed broken for real. I had also made progress and was now 90% effaced and 1 cm dilated, so I was ready to start the Pitocin and be induced. Fluid continued to gush out of me at periodic intervals, and I was amazed at how much there was and at how warm it was!

As I was lying in bed waiting for the doctor to return, the unexpected happened--I started to go into labor on my own! The breaking of my waters was apparently enough to initiate labor as I started to feel contractions, pressure, and pain almost immediately, first in my lower back and then radiating toward my lower belly. At first I thought the contractions wouldn't be too bad, but soon they started to get worse.

When my nurse came in with the bag of Pitocin to hook up to my IV line, I asked if it was too early to get an epidural. I felt silly getting an epidural at only 1 cm dilated, but I was also worried that once she administered the Pitocin, the contractions would be unmanageable, and I'd have to suffer through at least 45 minutes before the epidural kicked in. She seemed to think it would be fine to get it since I was already slightly dilated, so she called in anesthesiology, and they effortlessly placed the epidural (other than a slight pinch when they applied the initial anesthetic, I experienced no pain or discomfort). The anesthesiologists said the anatomy of my back made it really easy to place (I'm assuming they were referring to how prominent my vertebrae are) and that I did a great job of curling over for the procedure. I must admit, after my extremely positive experience with the epidural, I don't know why all women don't get them--they are amazing!

My nurse said that since I was already having fairly regular contractions, I didn't really need the Pitocin. But because I had received the epidural so early, there was a chance it could slow down my contractions and stall the labor, so the doctor had decided to administer a very low dose of the Pitocin. Pretty soon, the epidural started to take effect, the contractions felt weaker and shorter, and I could feel my legs growing heavy--I actually found it to be a very pleasant sensation. It made me want to sleep, so I spent the next several hours dozing in and out as my nurse came in periodically to monitor me and Ziggy. Sometimes she had me flip from one side to the other to see if Ziggy "liked that side better." At one point she came in to turn off the very low dose of Pitocin because my contractions were plenty strong on their own and they were worried the Pitocin could effect Ziggy's heart rate negatively. She also placed an oxygen mask on me. At that point I was rechecked and was now nearly 100% effaced, 4-5 centimeters dilated, and at -1 station. The nurse also placed a catheter to drain my urine since I wasn't allowed to get out of bed to go to the bathroom (although I think I probably could have if someone had helped me), and she said that emptying my bladder would help the labor progress even more since it would give the baby room to move down.

How right she was! I don't remember exactly what time it was, but within just a couple of hours I started to feel increased pressure in my vagina--I had continued to feel the occasional mild pain of the contractions throughout the labor because I had never upped the very low dose of the epidural via the patient administered pump, but this felt different. Another doctor checked me and seemed surprised that I was now 100% effaced, 9 centimeters dilated, and at 0 station! My labor was progressing faster than anticipated. It was almost time to push!

This was definitely the worst part of the labor for me. I was feeling really intense pressure and pain in my vagina even with the epidural, so I finally gave in and pushed my patient administered pump three times (the maximum allowed per hour). I don't really know why I was trying to hold out on pushing it. I think I was partially worried that adding more medicine to the epidural might prevent me from pushing effectively. When the doctor rechecked me next, I was 10 centimeters and +1 station, but she said she still wanted to wait until I felt the urge to push on my own (despite the intense pressure, I didn't want to push--I just wanted the pain to stop). At some point around this time, the doctor decided to switch from an external monitor for Ziggy's heart rate to an internal one placed on his scalp. She also decided to add a very small amount of Pitocin to my line since my contractions were starting to weaken (so maybe I was right about not wanting to push the epidural pump?).

And then all of a sudden, it was time. I wanted to bear down, and my mom and AC held my legs for me while my two new labor nurses (there was a shift change right before I started to push) guided me and stretched my perineum. They had me take a deep breath, hold it, and then bear down for 10 seconds as I tucked my chin to my chest, held the backs of my legs, and curled my back over. I did this about three times during each contraction. It was exhausting! I was worried my lungs wouldn't be able to handle simultaneously holding my breath and exerting myself that much, but it turned out my fears were unwarranted. I also only coughed a little bit--I think the oxygen really helped.

Although I pushed for about 1.5 hours, time seemed to move much faster for me. I was in a strange mind frame, feeling both very present and aware of everything going on around me and also outside of my body at the same time. At one point, I reached down and could feel Ziggy's little head sticking out! It was a lot softer than I expected, and everyone marveled at how much hair he had. Everyone was very supportive, telling me what a great job I was doing and that I was getting really close, that he was almost out. AC was especially amazing, somehow anticipating exactly what I needed and doing everything I wanted without me having to ask. My mom also did a good job, although she kept holding her breath along with me during the pushing and almost passed out from lack of oxygen! I remember I got annoyed with her for being slow right at the start of a contraction when I needed to push and physically shoved her aside--later I felt very guilty for doing that, but in the heat of the moment, I was like an animal, just reacting on instinct and doing what felt right at the time. There was no rational thought involved.

Just when it seemed like I couldn't stand to push any longer, the nurses decided it really was time and called the doctor in. They told me I might feel a burning sensation as the baby crowned and came out, but that it would be better to just push through it than to hold back from fear and have him retract back up the birth canal. So that's what I did. I just pushed through the pain. It hurt like crazy, and at that point I almost started to cry (it was more like a pathetic whimper or whine, really), but I just kept pushing, even though it felt wrong to do so, like my body was going to rip open. And then with another gush of fluid, he was out, and they were placing him on my chest, and AC was cutting the cord! It was so surreal! I don't know how to describe it. I felt relief that the pain and exertion were over, amazement that this little creature had come out of me, awe at his beauty, and joy that he was finally here and that he was apparently healthy and perfect (his Apgar scores were 8 and 9, by the way). He let out a cry, and I was surprised by how high-pitched and shrieky it was. But when they placed him in my arms, he settled down and became very alert, looking all around at his brand new world.

I held him for a bit while the doctor delivered the placenta (I never got to see it in person, but AC did snap a picture which I saw later, and wow, it was huge!) and then stitched me up (I had a bit of second degree tearing in my vagina, mainly on the right side, but the doctor said it wasn't too bad). The nurses also massaged my uterus, and I could feel more fluid coming out each time they pushed on my belly. I don't know if they were just being nice or if they really meant it, but both the doctor and the nurses seemed impressed with how quickly I pushed him out and how strong I was and asked if I did yoga, to which I said yes. They seemed to think that it must have helped. I guess maybe it did!

Then the nurses weighed and measured Ziggy, put antibiotic ointment in his eyes, and did whatever else they needed to do before returning him to me. I put him to my breast right away, but I don't think he latched on at that point. It was just nice to hold him close and feel his little body against mine. After holding him for a bit, it was time for AC to accompany him to the Well Baby Nursery to receive his first bath and have other necessary things done to him while I was taken to my private (woohoo!) recovery room, where I would stay for the next two days.

It's funny--I didn't write a birth plan, I didn't really think about how I wanted my childbirth experience to go at all (other than that I knew I wanted an epidural), and yet, it turned out to be exactly how I would have wanted it had I known what to plan for. Even the fact that I tore doesn't bother me--to me, it's just a battle scar, proof that I did something amazing, namely deliver a baby that I grew for 9 months inside me!

Week 40: The Final Week!

Today is my official due date, and Ziggy is exactly 38 weeks old! 38 weeks ago today he was conceived in a petri dish--it's crazy when you think about it! He's been moving about quite a bit in his cramped quarters, but seems to be pretty happy in there still, so I have a feeling he wont be coming out on his own and I'll be induced as scheduled. I've been experiencing occasional increased pressure, cramping in my lower back (including the occasional pinched nerve feeling around my tailbone), and odd sensations "down there" (I think his head is really low and when he moves it around, it feels kind of funny) but nothing that screams that labor is imminent. And after learning at my last OB appointment on Tuesday that I have not progressed any further since my cervical check in the hospital (still effaced about 1 cm or 50%), I'm pretty sure I'll need that cervical ripener overnight and wont be induced until Monday morning. The good news though is that I can eat dinner before I head to the hospital on Sunday evening, AC can stay with me in my room (there's a little fold-out couch thing for him to sleep on), and we can both sleep Sunday night, although after my last experience at the hospital I'm not sure how restful a night we'll have! Plus, I imagine that the cervical ripener will probably make me crampy and uncomfortable, although the MFM fellow said that it shouldn't be too bad. By the way, at my non-stress test I was having contractions that I couldn't feel, and the nurse said that sometimes an internal exam can trigger contractions or even the start of labor. It would be nice if there was some more progress before Sunday night. Even if I still need to be induced, the more prepared my cervix is naturally, the better the outcome supposedly.

I have to admit, I am nervous about the whole birth process, and part of me wishes I could just fast-forward to the point where they place him on my chest. Even though I think induction is probably the best and safest route for me (it freaks me out that the rate of still birth rises so rapidly after 40 weeks!), I've heard so many horror stories about women being induced and then failing to progress and ending up with a c-section that I'm starting to worry it will happen to me. Not that having a c-section would be the worst thing in the world, but for the sake of my lungs and overall health, it should be avoided if possible.

It probably sounds silly, but I was almost sad to have my last OB appointment and non-stress test this week (by the way, baby looked "perfect" according to the nurses :). It felt like the end of an era or something. I am so going to miss being pregnant (or at least that's what I imagine), although hopefully Ziggy will soon distract me from my nostalgic musings! But seriously, I've had a fairly easy pregnancy and have really enjoyed the experience--it's hard to just let go of that all at once.

In other news, both my mom and AC got their seasonal flu vaccines, and today I finally received the H1N1 vaccine (unfortunately it was the one with mercury, but it's hard to be picky when I feel lucky to have gotten it at all), so I feel a little bit better about welcoming Ziggy into this scary, virus-infested world. Unfortunately my mom is sick again with what seems to be a sinus infection and is back on antibiotics, but hopefully she'll recover before Monday--otherwise they wont allow her into the hospital and she'll miss the birth!

A few last minute items I ordered online arrived this week: a Naturepedic Organic Cotton Waterproof Bassinet Pad and a Kushies Certified Organic Bassinet/Carriage Pad Fitted Sheet in mocha (unfortunately both are slightly too big for the bassinet mattress, but I'm hoping they will shrink in the wash--why oh why isn't there a standard bassinet mattress size!?); a 2-pack of Snoozy Organic Flannel Cotton Waterproof Multi Use Pads, so that when the Fuzzi Bunz diapers inevitably leak (one drawback to cloth diapers I've heard is that they are more likely to leak), there wont be pee all over the bed or couch or carpet or wherever Ziggy is hanging out; a yellow Fuzzi Bunz Hanging Diaper Pail, to store the diapers in between washes; an Orbit Stroller Travel Bag, so we can safely transport our awesome stroller when we move to Japan; and a Carbon Monoxide Detector, which has yet to be installed. So I think we're pretty much set on baby gear for the moment.

I've been trying to read up on baby care this week since I know absolutely nothing about taking care of a newborn. AC knows a bit more than I do since his mother runs a daycare out of her home, but I think the youngest babies he's ever cared for were at least 4-6 weeks old, so this will be quite an adventure for us both. I'll probably update from the hospital if I have time, but if not, the next time I post, Ziggy will be here!

Single Digits and First Trip to L & D

It's hard to believe but all of a sudden, we are into the single digit countdown and there are only 9 days left until my due date! I had a scare this weekend that made me think that I might not make it this far, but everything turned out okay. Last week I wasn't sleeping particularly well in general but was getting just enough sleep to function and stay healthy. My mom had come down with what seemed to be a cold. She didn't have a fever so we figured it couldn't be a flu virus. Then on Thursday night I had a really bad night where I got maybe 4 hours of sleep and was exhausted all day long. That night (Friday), I awoke around 1 am shivering and shaking with chills, body aches, and the general feeling that I had a fever. I slept restlessly for a few more hours, feeling alternately hot and cold, throwing the blankets on and off, sweating and then shivering. By 4am, I'd had enough and was worried that my temperature was getting too high, so I forced myself to get out of bed to locate a thermometer and some Tylenol.

Sure enough, I had a fever of 101.4, so I popped two Tylenol and slept a few more restless, sweaty hours. When I awoke on Saturday morning, I was a feeling a bit better but my hair was disgusting and matted with sweat so I decided to take a shower (even though normally I try to avoid washing my hair when I'm actively sick since I feel like having a wet head and getting water in my ears and sinuses often exacerbate my illness) and in retrospect I'm so glad I did.

I started to feel worse as the morning went on, and when my mom returned from her doctor's appointment armed with Ceftin for a possible sinus infection and learned about my fever, she called her pediatrician friend who said to call Labor & Delivery and that I might have to be induced early if it turned out I had the swine flu. We called L & D and they told us to head on over, so we did, although at first the front staff who are responsible for screening all visitors for possible flu symptoms didn't want to let us in the building when we said we were sick. When we told them L & D was expecting us, they called to confirm it and finally led us up there (with masks of course). I was admitted to an isolation room, but my mom was not allowed to stay with me. This was around noon.

A nurse hooked me up to the usual monitors for the non-stress test, one to measure baby's heart rate (slightly elevated), and the other to measure my contractions and baby's movements. I also had an IV line placed to administer fluids and a pulse oximeter to measure my heart rate (high) and blood oxygen level (98% on room air). Anyway, this post is starting to get too long already, so I'll try to just focus on the highlights (or lowlights) of the next 24 hours, which is how long I ended up staying there.

Originally they had said I would be discharged later on Saturday, but then it turned out they wanted me to stay the night for observation. A nurse did a nasal swab to test for H1N1, which ended up having to be repeated later by a doctor (unpleasant but I've had worse things stuffed up my nose). The monitor showed I was having some contractions, although I couldn't feel them at all, so at one point an MFM did an internal exam (the first of my pregnancy) to determine if there was any progress. I'm not dilated at all but my cervix has effaced down to about 0.5 cm from 3.5 cm at my 20 week ultrasound, so that's good.

Everyone kept saying that Ziggy looked great--he had nice heart rate fluctuations and was moving well. They did comment that his heart rate was a little high but explained that my higher heart rate from being sick was affecting his. Overnight both of our heart rates did come down. They started me on Tamiflu but failed to mention that nausea is one of the side effects. I also had some heartburn, for which I was given Maalox, but I don't know if that was from the Tamiflu or from lying down for most of the day. It didn't help that I was never brought a proper meal (I hadn't eaten much before heading to the hospital because I hadn't had much of an appetite in the morning). One nurse (I had six total during my 24 hour stay) told me she had ordered me a dinner. When I told her I was a vegetarian, she rushed off to change the order. She then came back and brought me a vegetarian sandwich (American cheese with vegetables) from the staff kitchen to tide me over until my dinner arrived. That was the last I saw of her. When the next nurse took over, she told me there was no dinner service but that my family could bring me food. This was news to me as I'd been told I couldn't have any visitors. So I called AC, who had flown in that afternoon for a brief 24 hour visit and had been hanging out with friends up until then, to ask if he could bring some toiletries over and also pick up a smoothie for me (I'd been craving one all day). So I finally got to see him (he had to don a mask and gown like the nurses and doctors whenever they entered the room) at around 9 pm, which is when visiting hours are officially over, so he couldn't stay long.

After a rough night, during which I didn't get much sleep due to a number of factors (feeling either too cold or too hot, having my vitals taken, being hooked up to all those monitors, which would beep when they got unhooked or my IV fluid bag ran low, having to lie on my left side for so long that my hip ached horribly, having to unhook myself from all the monitors and take my IV pole with me every time I needed to use the restroom, and in general just not feeling comfortable in the hospital bed). I think I maybe got 4-5 hours of restless, interrupted sleep. In the morning they actually brought me breakfast, although it was pretty bad and not what I would have ordered (a muffin and hash browns as my main course?! The oatmeal, banana, fruit cup and milk were fine, but what about some protein?!). The nurse had me fill out lunch and dinner menus for Sunday just in case I had to stay longer. I was taken to radiology for two chest x-rays (they shielded my abdomen), which the pulmonologist on call reviewed. Apparently they looked ok, and since I hadn't had a fever since I entered the hospital, the baby was doing well, and in general, they didn't seem to think I had the swine flu, they decided to discharge me around 1 pm. They did say that I should schedule an appointment with the pulmonary department or call L & D again if I took a turn for the worse.

I ended up getting to eat the lunch I'd ordered (pasta with squash, peas, and mushrooms) because AC insisted that they let me take it to go when they wouldn't let me eat it in my room (they had to prepare it for the next patient) or out in the hall because I had to wear my mask at all times in the hospital. So they put everything on a paper plate and I ended up eating it while sitting on a bench outside the hospital! By the way, the results from the nasal swab didn't get back before I was discharged, but they told me they would only call if it was positive, and since I haven't heard back yet, I'm assuming no news is good news. I was still prescribed Tamiflu for an additional 5 days just in case. Yesterday morning I took it after eating a relatively small breakfast of cereal, and it made me nauseous the entire morning. When I finally ate a mid-morning snack, I ended up throwing it up, so my streak of not vomiting during this pregnancy has finally been broken. My new plan is to eat a substantial meal before taking the pill.

All in all, I'm glad I had this preliminary trip to L & D. It gives me a better idea of what to expect when I go in for real (disorganization and lack of communication on the part of the staff, although most of them were pretty nice and seemed to be doing the best they could) and made me realize how important it is to be proactive, ask questions, and make requests, and to have someone there who can advocate on my behalf (when AC was there even briefly, it made things so much easier!). Mainly I'm just relieved that I don't have the swine flu, that Ziggy's doing well, and that I didn't have to be induced (I think I would have been too weak and tired to push and probably would have ended up with a c-section) and still have a chance to recover and regain strength before my delivery.

Anyway, I need to go and get ready for my day of appointments (car seat installation, non-stress test, and doctor's appointment), but I'll be back on Thursday with more updates from this week.

The Highs and Lows of Week 38

On Monday I picked up my cousin's bassinet from the friend she lent it to and was so excited to finally have one more major thing checked off my to do list. Unfortunately it turns out the bassinet was recalled in 2001 (it was made in 1997 so it's pretty old, which in and of itself makes me nervous), so I've decided not to use it. It was a cheap, rather flimsy Fisher Price one that I had some misgivings about when I first laid eyes on it. So now it's back to square one with regard to the baby bed. I've been checking Craigslist, but now I'm not so sure I want to go with a used one after all. I have a feeling I'm going to end up ordering something brand new for my piece of mind. Right now the whole issue is stressing me out though since I know that Ziggy could technically come at any time, and I want to have everything more or less ready.

On Tuesday I had my weekly appointment and non-stress test, and the good news is that everything looks great with baby. My blood pressure was slightly higher than usual at my appointment, but as I have no other symptoms of Pre-eclampsia at this time (other than some swelling, which is pretty normal at this stage of pregnancy), the doctor didn't seem too concerned. Plus, my blood pressure was normal when the nurse measured it after the non-stress test, so I'm hoping it was just a fluke. Apparently, women with IVF pregnancies do have a slightly higher risk of developing Pre-eclampsia, although I don't know the reason for this. I asked the doctor if it would be possible for me to get a private room at the hospital based on the fact that I'm colonized with pseudomonas and probably no one wants to share a room with someone who coughs and blows their nose as much as I do, especially when they have a newborn and it's flu season. She seemed to think that was a legitimate concern and said she'd look into it. It turns out that our family friend, who is a pediatrician and works as a liaison with the hospital, is also working on getting me a private room, which would be so nice!

By the way, the H1N1 flu vaccine still isn't available yet, but hopefully next week I can finally get it. I am really starting to get paranoid about going out in public, especially in large crowds, and am increasingly aware of everyone coughing and sniffling around me. I am sure there are people who must assume that I'm sick when they hear me coughing (in fact, the nurse who performed my non-stress test kept asking me about my cough), but in fact they are really more of a danger to me than I am to them (unless they're immunocompromised or something, but then pretty much anyone would be a danger to them).

After reading this story from the Science section of the New York Times this past Tuesday, I am even more apprehensive about the flu season ahead and also angry at people who insist that the flu vaccine is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, especially when they have no medical expertise or training (yes, Bill Maher, I'm talking to you). I'm not saying there are absolutely no risks to the flu vaccine or any vaccine for that matter, but as with any medical treatment, the risk-benefit ratio needs to be considered, and I think it's pretty clear that for someone like me, who has not one but two risk factors for the swine flu (being pregnant and having Kartagener's Syndrome), the enormous benefits clearly outweigh any potential risks.

By the way, it turns out that my cousin, the one who lent me all the baby stuff and is a homeopath, is anti-vaccine (she didn't have her daughter vaccinated) and told my grandparents not to get either the regular flu vaccine or the H1N1 vaccine. She said she'll give them a homeopathic remedy against the flu instead. Riiiggghhhttt. Anyway, I don't appreciate her advice, especially since my grandparents are going to be around MY baby and not hers. Why can't people just keep their wacky views and beliefs to themselves? I don't go around insisting that others get vaccinated (I think people have the right to decide for themselves), but please extend me and others the same courtesy and let us make up our own minds. By the way I'm pleased to say that my grandmother, a doctor herself, didn't buy my cousin's talk about the homeopathic remedy, and even my grandfather, who is normally into alternative medicine, didn't want to try it but said that maybe my dad could use her remedy, since the vaccine isn't recommended for people like him who have had Guillaun-Barre Syndrome. Anyway, as you can probably tell, this issue pushes my buttons, so I should probably stop obsessing about it (after all, it can't be good for my blood pressure, right?). In general I've been feeling more irritable this week and more annoyed by certain things, like the constant construction work our neighbors are doing to their condo. It almost feels like PMS. I wonder if some hormonal shift is taking place inside me.

This past week I've also been stressing about when labor will begin, not because I'm so eager to have Ziggy arrive (I still feel like I could easily be pregnant for a little while longer and there's still so much left to do to get ready) but because I'm worried that AC wont make it in time since he has to fly here from Albuquerque. I asked the doctor when we would know for sure that I was in real labor and it was safe for AC to get on a plane (a false alarm probably wouldn't go down too well with the military folks), and she referred to the 5-1-1 rule. But she cautioned that if I had a speedy labor, there's a chance he might miss it altogether if he waits that long to hop on a flight. She did say that I could go into labor and delivery earlier than 511 to have them assess my progress and determine if I'm going into labor or will go into labor in the next day or two. But she added that the safest thing would be to have him fly here on or around the due date and stay with me during the week after so he'll already be here when it happens. Obviously that would be ideal, but I really don't see the Air Force giving him all that time off.

She also didn't seem to think it was necessary to induce me so early and said their usual policy is to wait until 41 weeks before deciding to induce. She did say that I could basically choose which day to induce if it comes to that, which makes me feel a little better. One problem is that my mom will be away at a conference from November 11-15. I'll be 41 weeks as of November 12, but I'd really like my mom to be here for the labor. I also really don't want to end up alone during those four days she's gone, either with or without the baby. AC may only get 7 days of paternity leave (originally it was 10-12 days, but now they're saying 7). So I've calculated that the ideal time for Ziggy to arrive is November 9 or 10--that way my mom will definitely be here for the birth and AC will definitely be with me while she's gone. Now if only there was some way to convince the little guy to come then. I know I'm probably obsessing about this way too much, but our unusual circumstances do make things a bit more complicated.

Now for the fun part: more baby gear! I found a great deal on Craigslist for more Fuzzi Bunz diapers--$200 for a lot of 38 diapers (36 small, 1 x-small, and 1 medium) that came with inserts and 2 wet bags (bags you carry with you to store the dirty diapers in when you're out and about and then wash with the diapers). Only three of them were obviously "girl colors" (pinky peach, lavender, and hot pink). They seem to be in really good condition overall. A few of the inserts have some urine stains, which I cam currently trying to sun out on the porch. Of the Fuzzi Bunz, I now have a total of 9 x-small diapers, 37 small, and 1 medium, not to mention the 3 AIO diapers. So I am practically swimming in cloth diapers now and really don't need to buy anymore until he outgrows the small size. But the great part is I wont have to do laundry as often, which will make my life a lot easier.

A family friend of AC's whom I've never met unexpectedly sent a box of baby items, which included a pillow, a cute bear hat, a pullover bib for 6-24 months, an adorable Classic Pooh two piece pants set for 0-3 months, and best of all, a hand-knit white and baby blue afghan and royal blue baby cape with hood. It is hard to believe she made them herself, they look so professionally done!

I also bought some 7th Generation Baby Natural Laundry Detergent, cotton swabs, cotton balls, cotton pads, 2 organic bamboo washcloths for baby, Earth Mama Angel Baby brand Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash and Angel Baby Lotion. So I am slowly and surely accumulating what I need. I plan to spend most of tomorrow doing some serious shopping, which is partly why I decided to post this week's summary early. Plus I plan on doing something a little different this week for my official 38 week post. Have I peaked anyone's interest (probably not, but that's ok--don't want anyone to get too excited in case I forget to post :) ? Until tomorrow, then...

Weekly Update

I promised to update more about this past week, so here goes...Before my appointment with my pulmonologist last Friday, I first had a short spirometry, which showed that my pulmonary function continues to improve! My doctor listened to my lungs and thought I sounded great. I left a sputum sample for culture, so we'll see if the MAC is still present, but either way he doesn't recommend treating it while breastfeeding. He looked in my ears and sinuses and agreed that they didn't look too good, especially the left side, so I made an appointment with my old ENT (the one who did my sinus surgery back in 2001 and who amazingly accepts my crappy military insurance even though he's kind of a big shot) for Thursday (yesterday).

At that appointment, first this other younger doctor looked at my ears and sinuses and suctioned out quite a bit from my nose, both for culture purposes and for my own relief! It felt great and I could actually smell for the first time in ages, although some of the smells that hit my nose later in the day were not so pleasant (chemical cleaning products in a public restroom, the garbage room at my mom's condominium complex). As for my ears, both tubes have fallen out of my right ear, but the hole remains open. My left ear still has two tubes, but they appeared blocked, so my doctor gave me some samples of Ciprodex. The neat thing about his office is that you get to wear these glasses that allow you to watch along with the doctor as he's looking at your nose and ears (gross but also very cool!). He also recommended increasing my nasal sprays (Astelin and Nasonex) from once to twice a day and using a couple of drops of baby shampoo in my saline rinse (sounds strange, but it's supposed to help thin really thick secretions like I have). But he said he didn't want to do anything more rigorous until after the baby's born, so I'll go back at the end of November for a follow-up, when hopefully things will have improved due to the decrease in hormones. I'm also seeing my pulmonologist again at the beginning of December. So basically the consensus is that pregnancy has been good for my lungs but not for my ears and sinuses, but hey, it would be a lot worse if it was the other way around!

I also had my weekly OB appointment with the MFM fellow since my doctor is out of town. Nothing much to report there other than that my Group B strep test came back negative and everything else continues to look good. I asked her a few questions about what to do when I go into labor and what to expect if I need to be induced. This is what she told me. I should call or go directly to labor and delivery when my contractions are coming every 5 minutes, lasting for 1 minute, and this pattern continues for an hour (the 511 rule I learned about in my prenatal classes). Other reasons to call would be if my water breaks or I think it's broken, if I have severe abdominal pain that doesn't go away, if I have any bleeding, or if there's anything else I'm concerned about or that seems out of the ordinary. They will only check my cervix if I have any symptoms of labor, if I ask to have it checked, or once I reach 40 weeks. If I have not gone into labor by 40 weeks and especially if I show no signs of going into labor, they will start talking about induction, which it turns out can take place at any time, day or night, weekday or weekend, although they usually prefer to do them in the morning on a weekday. If my cervix is not ready, they will admit me to the hospital the night before the induction and administer a cervical ripening agent. Then in the morning they would start the pitocin. I also asked her when it would be safe to try some natural methods of stimulating labor, such as acupressure points, and she recommended no earlier than 39 weeks. I had my NST after the appointment, which showed that baby is doing very well and I'm not having any contractions. I also submitted my preadmission paperwork at the hospital, so that's one less thing to take care of.

In more exciting news, the accumulation of baby gear continues. My mother's psychiatrist gave/lent me the following baby books: What to Expect the First Year, Your Baby & Child From Birth to Age Five, and The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby -- From Birth to Age Two. I think I'm pretty set on reading material for the hospital and for these first few months, if I even have time to read anything once Ziggy arrives!

Then on Wednesday I went over to my cousin's house for dinner and, after she put her daughter to bed, we went down to the garage and rummaged around for some baby items. This is the haul I ended up with: a diaper changing pad, 3 receiving blankets, a pair of baby socks, 5 warmer all-in-one suits for baby for colder weather (luckily almost all of her daughter's clothes are gender-neutral or even "boy-colored"), baby Avalon Organics Soothing Zinc Diaper Balm and Protective A, D, & E Ointment, Lansinoh Brand Lanolin For Breastfeeding Mothers, 3 sets of used cloth breast pads and a bunch of disposable ones as well, a Medela Harmony Breastpump (a manual breast pump for occasional use), a book entitled Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, and a Diaper Genie diaper pail. The main thing she couldn't find was the bassinet, so she's planning on contacting a friend whom she thinks she lent it to.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

36 Weeks: Less Than One Month to Go!

I am 36 weeks today, so only 1 week until Ziggy is considered full term! Despite not having an appointment with my MFM this week, there's a lot to report. First off, AC flew here last Thursday and we were able to attend a free Birth Center Orientation & Expectant Parent's Night at the hospital where I'll deliver, which consisted of a useful presentation on car seat safety and inspection (I have my car seat fitting appointment set for Tuesday, October 27th, only 10 days before my due date), a video tour of the birth center (AC was disappointed that we didn't actually get to tour labor and delivery), a question and answer session with one of the labor nurses, and a presentation and Q & A with an OB anesthesiologist (turned out to be the same guy I met with a few weeks ago). A pediatrician was also scheduled to speak, but ended up not making it, which was just as well, since the session wound up lasting longer than expected.

I wont go too in depth into exactly what happened, but suffice it to say that the crowd here in Palo Alto is quite different from the one we encountered in Little Rock at our prenatal classes. That is to say, more educated and informed, but also more demanding and controlling. I almost laughed out loud several times at the degree of specificity that some of these expectant parents were demanding. One woman kept asking the anesthesiologist for extremely specific and detailed information about exactly how the various pain relieving methods work on the anatomical level. At one point AC turned and whispered to me that maybe she should go to medical school and become an anesthesiologist herself. I'm all for being informed and educated and I personally find medical knowledge fascinating (I did ask many questions of the same anesthesiologist during our private meeting), but there's no need to completely monopolize a public discussion.

There was also a lot of concern expressed over the possibility of residents and fellows, rather than an attending, performing procedures like epidurals or the delivery of the baby. Well, Stanford is a teaching hospital, and if you don't like that aspect, why not go somewhere else? Personally I have no problem with residents performing procedures as long as they're supervised (watch me bite my tongue later when something goes wrong during my labor and delivery that was caused by a resident's mistake!). So far I've been very impressed with the 4th year medical students who have seen me during my OB appointments.

Anyway, as AC put it, these people were just a lot more entitled than the ones in Arkansas, who I think were a little too passive, uninvolved, and uninformed. I also have to say that the quality of the presentations here was also superior to what we received in Little Rock. No wonder that the cost of one class here is more than the entire series of prenatal classes in Arkansas! Good thing this one was free!

On Friday I attended my second prenatal yoga class (I forget to mention that I went last week). The regular teacher was out last week attending a birth since she also serves as an occasional doula, but unfortunately the woman she was tending to ended up having a cesarean after 30 hours of labor (after 20 hours, she finally agreed to an epidural). Another woman in the class said that she had to have a c-section after two days of unmedicated labor with her first, so with this baby she was planning on switching hospitals (she delivered her first at Stanford and made it sound as if the hospital was to blame for her c-section). I have also heard from SH and from another doula who is not gung-ho pro natural that most of the women they see who try for unmedicated natural births end up with c-sections (the exact opposite of natural). Of course there are plenty of women who have successful unmedicated births, but it does make you wonder if sometimes the intense quest to avoid medication at all costs actually hinders the birth process when the labor is especially long and hard and pain relief might actually help the woman relax and gain strength so that her labor can progress.

Anyway, moving on! On Tuesday I had my weekly non stress test (it went fine and was completely uneventful save for Ziggy kicking the monitors like crazy!), which was observed by a third year student nurse. He had a case study assignment and asked if I would mind answering some questions for him. I told him about Kartagener's Syndrome, the IVF, my overall health, how the pregnancy has been progressing, etc. He seemed surprised at how much I knew about my own health condition, but honestly I was surprised at how little he seemed to know about medicine in general. I get that he's a student and he's still learning, but I kept having to define medical terms for him and explain myself in simpler terms than I'm used to when dealing with medical personnel. It got me thinking that maybe I should have been a nurse myself, but I know that the horrible hours (12 hour night shifts) and the constant exposure to sick people would not be good for my health.

In other news, this was another week for acquiring more baby stuff. A set of 10 reusable nursing pads from Udder Covers TM arrived in the mail. With a special online promo code, they ended up costing less than one dollar a pair! I also went ahead and finally ordered the Graco Snugride 32 infant car seat online, which to my surprise arrived the very next day. However, I am going to end up returning it since my very generous third cousin (from my Russian side of the family) who lives here in the Bay Area offered me her used car seat.

I called her on Monday and we arranged to meet up Wednesday (yesterday) at a park with her two-year old daughter (also conceived through IVF and delivered naturally at 36 weeks). She generously offered to lend me a ton of her baby stuff and even brought several items with her to give me right then and there. So now I have in my possession a Chicco KeyFit infant car seat (brand new when purchased two years ago and has never been in an accident), an infant bath tub, an infant neck support for use in the car seat or baby carrier, a baby towel, a couple of maternity sweaters and warmer tops, a prenatal yoga DVD and a postpartum Pilates DVD. Apparently there's a lot more stuff she wants to give me when I go over to her house next Wednesday evening. She is planning on trying for a second child with her frozen embryos next year, so I'll be returning everything to her before we leave for Japan, but I am so grateful to her for lending me these items temporarily. It will make things so much easier when we move and also give us a better idea of what we absolutely need to buy ourselves and what we can live without.

Finally I just wanted to mention that yet again I think I might be coming down with something. My left sinus and ear have been especially stuffed up this week and yesterday I started to develop a sore throat, so I'm wondering if I might have a sinus infection brewing. I see my pulmonologist tomorrow, and I'll ask him for a referral to an ENT who's covered by my insurance. The ENT I normally see here is great but he's out of network, and after the whole billing fiasco with the out-of-network orthopedist in New York when I broke my wrist (long, boring, and frustrating story that I don't want to go into here), I'm determined to stay in-network whenever possible.

Lastly I think I'm developing carpel tunnel or something, especially in my left hand. Both my hands, but especially the left one, will go numb if I grasp or hold something tightly. During the night I frequently feel like my hands are numb and tingly. I know this is just due to accumulated fluid from swelling pressing on the nerves, but it's still unpleasant. The other day I had an especially salty dinner and then went for a walk with my mom, and my hands really swelled up--they looked like sausages! I was relieved when the swelling went down after I drank a bunch of water and rested, but I think I need to be more wary of my salt consumption from here on out.

Anyway, that's all for this week! Sorry for the super long post. Maybe I'll try to post more frequently this week so as to avoid such long posts in the future.

34 Weeks: My Baby May Be Average Sized But His Cheeks Are Huge!

I'm 34 weeks as of today and still feeling quite good. I'm really starting to wonder how much longer this whole feeling good during pregnancy thing will last. Uh oh, did I just jinx myself? Should I be knocking on wood? Well, for now, I'll just take feeling good for as long as possible!

So I had another appointment with Dr. D on Tuesday, and everything went really well. First I was seen by a 4th year medical student who answered my questions about the contractions I was having at my non-stress test a week earlier. She said they sounded like Braxton Hicks and told me not to worry about not feeling them--she said I'll definitely know the difference when real labor contractions begin! She then measured my fundal height, which for once was measuring correctly (34 cm), and used the doppler to find Ziggy's heart rate. It took her a few seconds to locate it, during which time I internally panicked, but at last I heard the familiar whooshing clip clop and could relax. Dr. D also seemed unconcerned about the contractions, so that was a relief.

Yesterday I had another ultrasound, which showed that Ziggy continues to do very well. My fluid levels are good and my placenta is left lateral and perfectly normal. It was pretty difficult for the ultrasound tech to get a good look at everything she needed to see because of his size and how he's positioned. She said his head is down really low, with his nose pressed flat. His right hand is also down there near his face (probably for easy sucking access), so now I know for sure that the little poking sensations I sometimes feel on the right side are his hand and/or elbow. He's laying on his left arm, which is sort of pinned underneath him. I guess this means he's already showing a preference for his right hand and will be right hand dominant :) The ultrasound tech kept marveling at how tightly curled and compact he was, which was of course making her job a lot harder. His legs were curled up tight behind his body, and in general, everything was really pulled in. But she was able to locate all the main organs and body parts and make the necessary measurements. Based on the measurements, he now weighs 5 lbs, 1 oz, and is in the 45th percentile and 1 day behind his true gestational age. So basically a nice average sized baby, not too big or small.

The ultrasound tech said he has really big chubby cheeks though, and she seemed to think he looked cute. She printed out a still picture for me which clearly showed the roundness of his cheeks and also a rather pointy little chin, which he must get from me (my mom's chin is even pointier than mine). I did not have chubby cheeks as a newborn, so that must be from AC's side. I can't wait to actually see what he looks like! I think with mixed race children there is always a bit more mystery as to what they will look like. My mother, who had never seen an ultrasound of a baby before, thought he looked kind of scary, like a jack-o-lantern, and the ultrasound tech and I kept having to reassure her that he won't look exactly like the ultrasound picture. I think the hollowed out eye sockets and visible skeleton do give it that slightly spooky effect. Could this mean he'll be a Halloween baby?

At this point, a doctor came in to examine the baby on the ultrasound and she confirmed that everything looked good, including my cervix. She did however notice that his heart seemed to be fluttering fairly rapidly, so she measured his heart rate, which was 167, a tad on the high side, but not abnormal. When I had the non-stress test following the ultrasound, his heart rate remained pretty high as he was moving around a lot. Last time he was too still and quiet and this time he was too active, so it took a while for them to get a nice baseline reading. He kept trying to kick the heart rate monitor off--you could actually see it jumping on my tummy! Eventually the nurse moved the monitor from the right side to the left side and that seemed to help, as he quieted down a bit after that. I guess he just really didn't like having it on the right :) Anyway, finally I "passed" the non-stress test and was unhooked from the monitors. More good news is I had no contractions this time and my blood pressure was again normal. The nurse said my contractions last time were probably just due to dehydration.

So I am now only 3 weeks away from being considered full term at 37 weeks! Stay in there at least until then, little buddy...Even though I am excited to meet you and get to know you, I want you to be as strong and healthy as possible when you enter this world.

Week 33: 3 Doctor's Appointments in 3 Days!

I'm 33 weeks today, and whew, what a week it's been! I flew on Saturday, and had an easy uneventful trip, for the most part that is. As usual, I was traveling with the Vest as one of my two carry-on pieces. Normally I would simply stuff it in the overhead bin myself, but being in my current condition, I didn't think it would be wise to lift such a heavy weight over my head. I had figured (incorrectly, it turned out!) that either a flight attendant or a helpful fellow passenger would see me struggling with my relatively large bag and offer to give me a hand, but no such luck. In general, I have not received the doting care from strangers that seems to be lavished on most pregnant women. I wonder if it's because I'm not a "cute" pregnant women with a perfect little bump, but that could just be the bitterness talking :P

Anyway, I ended up asking a flight attendant for help in stowing my bag in the overhead bin, but she said that due to liability issues, she was not supposed to lift passenger bags. Excuse me?! Isn't that part of your job?! I mean, what are disabled passengers traveling alone supposed to do in that case? She also said that my bag was really too big and that I should have checked it. I was starting to get annoyed, but I told her calmly that this was a piece of valuable medical equipment worth over $16,000 so I didn't want to check it, and suddenly she changed her tune, and said that in that case, there was a special area in the back for stowing medical equipment. After we'd landed, all I had to do was wait for all the other passengers to deplane before retrieving it (which wasn't a big deal since I had a long layover in Phoenix). On the next leg of my flight I knew to ask to have my bag stored in back, and everything went off without a hitch.

On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the new MFM, and overall I like the office. It seems a bit busier and more disorganized than Dr. W's, but they also seem a bit more proactive. After a fairly long wait (even though I was supposedly the first scheduled appointment of the afternoon), a nurse took me back to weigh me and check my blood pressure. I didn't even bother looking to see how much I'd gained and thankfully, they didn't tell me. I knew it wouldn't be accurate anyway, since I was being weighed right after lunch and they wouldn't even let me empty my bladder beforehand (there was a line for the bathroom). Finally I got to leave a urine sample and wait some more. Then a nice 4th year medical student came in to go over some of my history with me. She also measured Ziggy's heart rate with the doppler (154) and my fundal height (31, so almost 2 cm less than it should be). She was eventually joined by the doctor and someone else (a nurse maybe?). In order to try to keep this post to a manageable length, I wont go into too much detail about the visit, but I did want to post a few things I learned.

My doctor, Dr. D, will be on vacation in October, but will be back in November, so I will be seen by another doctor in the practice until he returns. They have a team approach, so I'll be delivered by whichever doctor happens to be on call when I go into labor. Dr. D is only on call once a month, so it's unlikely he will be delivering me. Honestly that's fine with me. Since I've had such little continuity with doctors throughout this pregnancy, I don't feel especially attached to anyone. Assuming that everything continues to look good, he expects me to have a normal vaginal delivery and to make it to full term (approximately 40 weeks), but if I haven't delivered by my due date, he wont let me go much beyond 40 weeks, but will induce sometime between 40 and 41 weeks. It's kind of nice to know the upper limit of when I'll deliver. So, at most I have 7.5 weeks left! Eeek!

Other than that, he ordered an Echo of my heart just to make sure everything was fine. With situs inversus, there is a slight risk of heart problems. In fact, my internist ordered me an Echo a few years back when I was experiencing occasional chest palpitations, but it didn't indicate any problems, so this is really just a precaution. He also ordered an ultrasound for next week, as well as weekly non stress tests to check on the baby and the functioning of the placenta. He also said I should meet with an anesthesiologist to discuss receiving an epidural. At the end of the visit, I received the regular seasonal flu shot and will get the H1N1 shot as soon as it's available in a few weeks. I also had to deposit another urine sample and have my blood drawn before finally leaving the office several hours after my appointment time.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I met with one of the anesthesiologists to discuss getting an epidural and also the possibility of needing general anesthesia. After reviewing my medical history and asking me some questions, he told me a bit about the epidural and general anesthesia procedures and seemed to think I wouldn't have trouble with either one, although he did say that avoiding general anesthesia would be preferable of course.

Today I had the non-stress test over in the hospital where I'll be delivering (Dr. D's office is right across the street, so it's all very close by). The nurse strapped two monitors on my belly and had me lie down on my side on a bed for 15 minutes. One monitor measured Ziggy's heart rate, while the other measured whether I was having any contractions. Ziggy's heart rate was very stable and consistent in the 150s, so the nurse said he must be asleep. She gave me some cold water to try to wake him up, but that didn't work, so then she pulled out a little buzzing alarm and placed it down low, right by his head. Well, that definitely woke him up, and his hear rate climbed into the high 160s, which was what she was looking for. The nurse seemed a little concerned however since the second monitor showed that I was having some contractions. She asked me if I could feel them, and I said no. However, once she pointed them out, I could feel the monitor digging in slightly when I was supposedly having the contractions.

After she removed the monitors and checked my blood pressure(118/72), she instructed me to sit tight while she verified with the on call doctor that it was ok for me to leave. At this point I started to get a little worried that these contractions were a big deal. She came back though and said I was free to go, but to make sure to drink plenty of water and to not overdo my activities. Also, if I have four contractions in an hour, I'm to go to labor and delivery to get checked. It kind of worries me though--if I can't tell that I'm having contractions, how will I know when to go to labor and delivery? Now I'm at home guzzling water like crazy and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible.

So that's the story for this week. I'm sure I'll have more to report next week what with three more medical appointments, but for now it's a relief to have a four day break without any responsibilites.

Week 27: Welcome to the Third Trimester!

How far along? 27 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: As of week 25, up about 3.5 lbs since last 20 week OB visit, up about 6 lbs since 16 week OB visit, up about 14 lbs since 11 week OB visit, up about 18 lbs since November pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes? Yes, although I'm starting to outgrow some of them already (the fact that they used to belong to a 5 foot tall Asian woman makes me feel a little better about it though).
Stretch marks? No new ones yet.
Sleep: Overall, restless and unsatisfying. I sleep quite a bit (except for those occasional nights when I don't!) but can't seem to ever feel rested enough. I flip over from side to side all night long because if I lie on one side for too long, my hip starts to hurt, I get up to pee frequently, and I continue to have lots of really vivid and frequently disturbing dreams. I am tired most of the time, but still grateful that I can sleep at all.
Best moment this week: Feeling and seeing movement at around the level of my belly button, the highest up yet!
Movement: Yes, and lots of it, at least on some days. On other days, he's strangely quiet. There seem to be more rolls, turns, and subtle movements and fewer definite kicks and jabs. I guess it's starting to get cramped in there. The movement is sometimes still really low, but other times it's as high as my belly button area. There are also occasional bouts of hiccups.
Food cravings: None really. These days I just crave any food that wont give me a stomach ache and gas!
Gender: Still a boy, as far as I know :)
Labor Signs: No, don't think so, although sometimes my belly does get harder, so I think I may have experienced a few Braxton Hicks contractions.
Belly Button in or out? Top part is definitely out, while the bottom part is still sort of halfway in, although it really depends on the time of day (later in the day, it tends to stick out more).
What I miss: Not having such frequent stomach aches and gas, sleeping soundly and feeling well-rested, being able to do certain yoga poses.
What I am looking forward to: The next ultrasound (whenever that will be), meeting my new MFM in California, prenatal classes (first one is tonight!), having my mom and friends in California see me in my pregnant state, taking prenatal yoga classes and walking outside in the beautiful California weather, Ziggy's arrival!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't stress about pregnancy weight gain, eat small frequent meals, practice your Kegel exercises, get as much rest as you can, begin monitoring fetal movement through daily kick counts.
Milestones: This week marks the end of the second trimester and the beginning of the third! Ziggy's eyes will open this week or next, and by now he can supposedly start to identify my voice...awwwww. Ziggy's testicles are hopefully descending too. If Ziggy were born now, he would have an 85% chance of survival. Oh yeah, and my breasts started to leak colostrum!

Week 26: In which Ziggy takes up karate and I turn into a cow

Yesterday I was officially 26 weeks, and in honor of this milestone, Ziggy became quite the little martial artist, flipping, rolling, kicking, punching, poking, jabbing, you name it! It was quite entertaining to feel and watch my belly all day long. His movements were not only a lot more frequent, but also sometimes really strong. It never hurt, but sometimes the force did surprise me! I hope this means he will be a natural at karate. AC can't wait to introduce him to his new passion, especially since he was denied the chance to even try it as a kid. Ziggy's being a lot quieter today, so maybe he tuckered himself out. Poor little guy!

In other news, it appears that I have started to lactate! Ok, maybe leaking would be a better term. A few times I've noticed there were small, clear but slightly milky beads of liquid on my nipples, and today, when I tried squeezing my breasts, even more came out! I figure this is the colostrum. I actually find it quite exciting. I hope this means I will have a good milk supply.

I don't really have any expectations for how I want my birth to go (other than that I have to have an epidural or pain medication when requested!), but I know that I definitely want to breastfeed and will be really disappointed if for some reason I can't do it. My mother, who is certainly not the type to glorify or sentimentalize child rearing, always fondly reminisces about breastfeeding me and how much she loved it. So, I am hoping it's a similar story for me and Ziggy. By the way, my mother breastfed me exclusively for 14 months and hand-expressed the occasional bottle when she needed to be away or to relieve engorgement while working full time (as a professor though, she did have a much more flexible schedule and worked mostly from home).

So, I am going to hold off on buying a pump and all that various paraphernalia until I'm sure I'll actually need or want it. Personally, the idea of pumping doesn't appeal to me at all. It seems like a lot of work, what with washing and disinfecting all the bottles and equipment. I may rent one from the hospital first to see if I even like it or can get much milk that way. I know some women hate pumping and/or can't actually produce much milk with a pump, so I'd rather try it out first before plunking down all that money.

Anyway, all in all a good week as far as pregnancy goes. I can't believe there's only a week (or two, depending on which pregnancy calendar I refer to) left of the second trimester! Third trimester here I come!

To culminate or not to culminate, that is the excruciating question...

According to my various pregnancy tickers, I have only 99 days left until Ziggy's due date! 99 days of freedom, some might say. Not that I view having a baby as a prison sentence or anything, but I do realize that my life is going to change drastically once the little guy is here. Which brings me to my question: how should I spend these next 3 months? AC and my parents are pressuring me to finally finish my masters degree this fall. I have only one class, the dreaded culminating experience, left to complete, which requires a substantial amount of work. Basically, I need to create an e-portfolio of some of the work I've done in the program, showing how I fulfilled 14 competencies, which will entail writing about 16 short essays and possibly over 100 pages. On the one had, I would love to just be done with it all before Ziggy is born. But on the other hand, I can't imagine spending the last precious months of my pregnancy stressing about school work. So, in order to clarify the issue in my mind and reach some sort of conclusion, I've decided to make a list of the pros and cons of enrolling for Fall 2009.

Pros:

If I pass, I can finally kiss this master's program goodbye and move on with my life.

I'll have a master's degree (specifically an MLIS), which might come in handy later on if I decide to or need to go back to work, even if I don't work in a library setting. For example, some universities will only hire yoga instructors who have a master's degree.

AC and my parents will finally get off my back about completing my degree.

I will serve as a good role model for Ziggy (AC pointed this one out, not me!).

It will give me something to do, to occupy my time while I wait for the little guy to arrive. I may end up feeling pretty bored in California if my mom is occupied with her own work, and friends are too busy to see me. Plus, if I don't have a car, I will be stuck at home a lot or at the mercy of my mother to drive me around.

It won't be any easier (in fact, it will be harder) to complete the e-portfolio once I have a baby to look after. Basically, I'm worried that if I don'd do this now, I'll never finish it.

I've already invested a lot of time, money, and energy into this program, and it would be a shame to throw all of that away.

I'll feel embarrased and ashamed to admit to others that I gave up completing the program.

If I submit and pass 10 of the 14 competencies, I can get an incomplete and finish the remainder of the work over the next year, which would probably be doable if difficult, what with the baby and the move to Japan.

If I don't enroll in classes this semester, I'll have to reapply in order to finish the degree (the university only allows you to skip one semester at a time without taking official leave due to illness, military orders, or educational endeavors before making you reapply to the program, and I've already skipped this past spring semeter). Reapplying wont be too hard, but it will be annoying, especially to have to do it from Japan, and I wont be able to reapply until 2011 since California's buget cuts prevent the school from accepting any applications for 2010.

What with the budget cuts and California's current economic crisis, it seems like it might be wise to quickly finish the degree before the program goes belly up, they hike the tuition or make any other changes that could affect my completion of the degree.

The worst case scenario is that I end up never completing the degree and regret it later in life. Can I live with that?

Cons:

Pregnancy brain has made me stupid. I feel like it's a huge effort to think coherently. I've become really forgetful lately, which is unusual for me, and feel like I can't think clearly. Not good when trying to finish a master's degree!

My sleep is erratic--sometimes it's great, sometimes not. When it's not, I am basically useless for the next day or two (or three--these days, it seems to take me a lot longer to recover from sleep deprivation), have trouble thinking and concentrating, feel out of it, and can't imagine getting any academic work done. It's likely my insomnia will only get worse as I progress with my pregnancy.

There is still a lot to be done to prepare for Ziggy's arrival. I need to do a lot more research on baby gear and make some final decisions about certain purchases. Reading online reviews, browsing Craigslist and SU Market (Stanford University's version of Craigslist) for deals on baby gear and then arranging to pick the items up, scouting out stores for deals on baby gear, trying to hit up a few people in California to borrow stuff, buying and setting up everything we need for Ziggy's arrival (even if we get only the bare minimum, there is still quite a bit to do), etc.

I need to educate myself about how to take care of a newborn. This will entail lots of reading, viewing of DVDs, and taking of classes, such as infant CPR.

I need to exercise and move as much as possible for my lung health (this is according to my pulmonologist in California), so spending hours sitting in front of my computer probably wouldn't be the best thing for me. Once I'm in California I plan on doing a lot of walking as the weather and surroundings will be a lot more conducive to taking walks. I also want to take some prenatal yoga classes (they don't have any here in Little Rock). Basically I need to avoid a sedentary lifestyle as much as possible.

Even now when I don't use my computer that much, I find that my wrists will frequently bother me. My right wrist (the one I broke this past winter) is especially prone to acting up. Hours on the computer will only make these problems worse and, combined with the tendency of pregnant women to develop carpel tunnel syndrome in the third trimester due to swelling, almost guarantees that my wrists and hands will be in constant pain. Not to mention that once Ziggy arrives, I'll have to pick him up and carry him all the time, which will be really hard if my hands and wrists are already so destroyed.

Schoolwork stresses me out terribly, and everyone says that stress is bad for the baby, especially in the last trimester. Baby feels what you feel. I don't want to have a stressed out pregnancy, baby, or postpartum period.

Ziggy is due on November 5, and the e-portfolio is due on November 17. Of course Ziggy might be late, like I was, but if he's early or even on time, most likely I wont be able to finish by the deadline and at best will get an incomplete (I need to submit and pass at least 10 of the 14 competencies to get an incomplete) and at worst, a No Credit.

I feel totally unprepared to tackle this e-portfolio business. I know I should have been working systematically on it this entire year, but procrastination got the better of me. I also don't honestly feel like I can show proficiency in all of the competencies. I deeply regret not taking certain classes, like cataloging.

The whole point of the e-portfolio is to show off the work you've done in the program and present it to prospective employers in a way that makes them want to hire you. Since I don't plan on working as a librarian anytime soon (or possibly ever) and since I ended up realizing that the profession is not really right for me and that I didn't get much out of the program, I'd basically have to bs my way through the entire thing. Unfortunately I am not very good at bsing.

I am out of practice when it comes to writing, especially academic writing. The last class I took in the program (last fall) was on web design, so it didn't involve any paper writing (part of the reason I chose it as a matter of fact).

I don't have a good, ergonomic setup for my computer here or in California. Spending so much time working on a laptop wont be good for my wrists, back, neck, shoulders, eyes, or body in general. Combined with the aches and pains of pregnancy as I get larger and further along, I could end up being really uncomfortable by the end.

I have no motivation to finish the degree and could care less about having an MLIS.

I want to enjoy what's left of my pregnancy, to talk, sing, and read to Ziggy, to concentrate on feeling him move, and to bond with him before he arrives.

I want to enjoy this trip to California, since it may be the last time I get to spend a substantial amount of time there for a while. I want to spend as much time outside as possible, taking walks and observing the beautiful scenery and the fall foliage, especially since I've spent the summer mostly indoors here in hot, humid Arkansas. I want to see as many friends as possible and take advantage of all there is to do in that part of the country.

I want to rest, relax, enjoy myself, and do as many of those activities as I possibly can that I wont be able to do once the baby comes, like go to the movies, go out to eat, or hang out with friends. Once Ziggy is born, I'll be exhausted, sleep-deprived, and pretty much tied to being at home with the baby. Again, I have no problem with this--I'm prepared for it and even looking forward to it in an odd way. But it does make me feel like I don't want to waste these last few months doing something I'll hate.

Schoolwork not only stresses me out, it puts me in a perpetually bad mood. AC always says I'm a much nicer person and much more pleasant to be around when I'm not a student!

The last time I visited my mom, my computer had a really hard time connecting with her wireless network, so most of the time my internet connection was really unreliable. I definitely need reliable internet access to complete my e-portfolio.

I have no way of knowing what will happen in the third trimester as regards my health and my pregnancy. If I end up getting sick, end up in the hospital, or have premature labor and delivery, this could postpone or prevent my completion of the e-portfolio.

I am out of practice with doing schoolwork and being disciplined about deadlines. My life has been pretty easy since I've come to Little Rock. My days are very relaxed and laid-back, but I still have enough to do to keep me occupied and not bored. Basically, I have gotten lazy and undisciplined, and it's going to be difficult to get back into the student and schoolwork mindset.

The worst case scenario is that, after busting my butt to finish the e-portfolio before Ziggy is born, I end up not passing and getting a NC, which means I'll have to reregister, repay, and redo most of the work later. Ugh!

After reading through all these points, I still have no idea what I want to do. My mind wavers constantly between thinking, "There's no way I can do this" and "Won't it be nice to just get this done and out of the way?" Ahhh, I feel like I'm going crazy! It's pathetic, I am a fully grown woman about to have a baby, and yet I feel like a child myself. I want to just pull the covers over my head and wish this whole e-portfolio nonsense away. Or I want someone to take my hand and lead me through the process step by step, guiding and encouraging me constantly along the way. Geez, I am so pathetic! My mother was writing her doctorate while pregnant with me, and she finished it a few months after I was born. Clearly the apple can fall very far from the tree!

Anyway, thinking and writing about this is making me depressed. I'll finish this for now, but will probably write more about this soon. I need to make a decision by August 16, the deadline for enrolling in classes.

A few new random, pregnancy developments

AC set up his first "Last Will and Testament!" The most important part was naming a guardian for Ziggy in the hopefully unlikely event that both of us die or become incapacitated (not a pleasant thought, but as responsible parents, we need to consider and plan for the worst case scenario). He listed my mother as the main guardian and his mother as an alternate.

I received my first pregnancy comment from someone without having to first inform them that I'm pregnant! It was from the check-out clerk at the library. Of course, I was checking out a prenatal exercise DVD, so that might have tipped her off. But I've checked out prenatal DVDs and books before, and no one ever said anything. Perhaps I didn't look pregnant enough before, and they were worried about insulting me if they were wrong. But apparently now I do look pregnant enough! Anyway, it was kind of exciting :)

My feet have been bothering me lately. My ankles tend to pronate and my arches fall when I stand, so I have always had problems with my feet, but recently I've developed this really painful spot on my right heel. If I step on it a certain way, it screams with pain. This has happened to me in the past occasionally, but it's become a lot worse and a lot more frequent (virtually every day now). I am starting to hobble a little in an attempt to avoid the insanely painful spot. My step-dad used to have this problem too, and it turned out to be a bone spur in his case. I'm assuming it's related to pregnancy and my increasing weight putting more pressure on my feet. I don't know what to do. Should I see a podiatrist or some other doctor? I think I will mention it to Dr. W at my appointment on Thursday and see what he recommends.

Ziggy kicked my bladder the other day! It felt really funny, kind of like someone was tickling my bladder. Luckily it wasn't very full and the kicking was brief or I might have had to run for the toilet! Speaking of bladders, I've noticed that sometimes after I cough, sneeze, or laugh really hard, there's a small spot of urine in my panties. I guess I finally have pregnancy incontinence!

Anyway, sorry for the randomness! These were just a few things I wanted to share, but didn't know how to coherently tie them all together.

Week 24: Yay for V Day!

Today is viability day, which means that if Ziggy were born today, he would have a 50% chance of surviving, albeit with a lot of medical intervention and time in the NICU. I can't say I'm crazy about those odds, but it's certainly better than no chance of survival. Obviously I want the little guy to stay in as long as possible, preferably to full term. According to my friend with two boys, baby boys are the most fragile of all babies and really need to stay in till as close to 40 weeks as possible. Apparently, this is especially true of white baby boys (isn't it ironic that white male babies are considered the weakest?), but since Ziggy will be hapa, I'm hoping that will give him an advantage :)

I was almost a week late myself (I think my EDD was March 30, but I actually arrived on April 5), so it will be interesting to see when Ziggy arrives, especially given that we know the exact date of his conception. Of course my parents claimed that they knew the exact date of my conception as well since they were using the famous rhythm method to avoid pregnancy. Well, apparently it's not the greatest form of birth control! I was conceived on something like the 21st, 22nd, or 23rd day of my mom's cycle (my parents have told me the exact day--I just don't remember), which means she ovulated really late.

When I was trying to conceive naturally and tracking my ovulation with basal body temperature, I noticed that I had a tendency to ovulate late as well, so maybe it runs in the family. We also both have short luteal phases, which can affect fertility. My mother often says she was lucky that I was an "accident," because otherwise she probably wouldn't have had any children (what with all of her subsequent miscarriages).

24 weeks also means I have only 1 week until my next appointment with Dr. W and my glucose screen, where I have to drink a sugar solution and then have my blood drawn an hour later. I hope I pass because if I don't, I have to do the glucose tolerance test, which is basically a repeat of the first test, except the sugar solution is more concentrated or at a larger volume, and then I'll have my blood drawn every hour for 3 hours. If I fail this test, it means I officially have gestational diabetes.

I don't know if I'm supposed to fast or not before the glucose screen because I didn't receive any instructions, but I think I'll just go ahead and not eat any breakfast before my appointment just in case--I certainly don't want to have to repeat or reschedule the test just because I ate something when I wasn't supposed to. Thankfully my appointment's in the morning, so fasting shouldn't be that hard.

Apparently some women feel really nauseated from the sugar solution, and since I tend to feel really awful when I consume something sugary on an empty stomach (according to SH, who is a Type 2 diabetic, this can be a sign of hypoglycemia, which can itself be a precursor to diabetes), I'm both worried that I'll feel horrible and also that I'll fail the test. My grandfather had Type 2 diabetes, and his mother, my great-grandmother, actually died from complications of diabetes in her 50s (of course, at that time, she received no medical help whatsoever).

Anyway, yay again for viability day! I hope Ziggy continues to bake for another 16 weeks or so! Of course I may soon be changing my tune as I grow bigger and more uncomfortable, but right now I feel like I could happily remain pregnant forever :)

Baby Gear Mania, Part 1

Given my current focus, nay obsession, with researching baby products, it's fitting that this article appeared in today's Style section of the New York Times. The basic premise is that, in these strained economic times, parents (even the affluent ones who can afford it) are foregoing purchasing tons of new baby gear for their progeny, and instead are turning to second-hand products to lessen both the financial as well as environmental impact of their choices.

Personally I am all for frugality and restraint when it comes to purchases, whether they be for me or for the baby, and for that reason, I am planning on only buying the bare necessities for Ziggy and purchasing them used if possible. Of course our particular situation (namely all the moving we'll be doing in the first few months of Ziggy's life, including the big move to Japan when he's only 3-4 months old) necessitates that we exercise some restraint in our purchases and wait until we're settled in Okinawa before buying everything we need. Even then, I am hoping we can purchase a good deal from other military families moving away rather than from the Base Exchange.

That said, according to Baby Bargains, a book which I'd highly recommend to any prospective parent, there are two items that should always be purchased new for safety reasons: car seats and cribs. Given the large numbers of recalls on these items, as well as the fact that wear and tear, and even just sitting in a hot storage facility, can deteriorate the materials to a potentially unsafe degree, it makes sense to buy these new if possible. So, that's my plan: a new car seat to be purchased here in the states before Ziggy's arrival (most likely in CA), and a new crib to be bought later in Okinawa, because I really don't want to have to transport a brand new crib to Japan, only to have it end up lost, broken, or stolen by the movers.

In the meantime, I need to find a suitable bed for a newborn, one that will preferably last at least until he's about 3-4 months old (when we'll be in Japan and can buy a real crib) and be portable. My research has revealed the following options: bassinets, cradles, Moses baskets, co-sleepers, portable playpens (with or without bassinet attachment), portable cribs, portable infant travel beds, and of course, the old standby, a small suitcase or laundry basket (ok, I'm not really serious about the last one, but I did sleep in a small suitcase for the first few months of my life because my parents were poor and my Russian grandmother was superstitious, which meant no baby purchases until I was born). Although I am leaning towards one of the portable options, the safety of some of these items, especially when used as long-term beds, is questionable and something I'll have to look into further.

From what I've read and heard from other mothers, bassinets, cradles, and Moses baskets are a waste of money to buy brand new, and should be either purchased used or, better yet, borrowed from a friend. I do have a third cousin in California (she lives about 30 minutes from where I'll be staying) whose daughter is now about two and who would probably lend me some baby stuff temporarily while I'm there (of course I have no idea if she used a bassinet, cradle, or Moses basket, but it's probably worth it to ask). My mom also has a friend who lives nearby and recently had a child, and she might also be a source of temporarily loaned baby gear. It would be nice to be able to just borrow some of the things I need for the month or so that I'm there with the baby (now I am thinking it makes sense to just stay through Thanksgiving) and not have to haul everything to New Mexico. Plus, it would be a nice trial run for me to see what I can live without and what I absolutely need. Of course that means, once I get to New Mexico, we'll have to buy some of the things that we had been borrowing.

Note: Rambling tangent ahead! I just had a thought. I was planning on flying back East in December for the holidays to see family one last time before our move to Japan, as well as to show off Ziggy. What if, instead of going from California to New Mexico to Connecticut, I fly directly from California to the East Coast, thereby eliminating one trip. The main drawback is that Ziggy and AC will be separated for longer, which of course is a pretty big drawback. I'm worried that all these frequent trips will be too stressful for both me and Ziggy, but perhaps I should really be worried about AC not having a chance to bond with his son early on. Then, after the holidays, I can fly to New Mexico and remain there until we move to Japan in February. So basically in three short months, Ziggy will have spent about a month living in three different places--poor little guy! Is this plan completely crazy? Should I just stay in California the entire time, as AC has suggested, or fly to New Mexico and then just remain there and forego the trip back East? Anyway, all of this spur-of-the-moment planning is getting in the way of what was supposed to be a focused post on baby gear. Rambling tangent ended!

So, back to the main topic. We haven't yet decided on a baby bed, but I'm pleased to say, we have found a car seat we like. Originally I had thought to just buy a convertible car seat since it will last longer and be cheaper than having to buy both an infant seat and a convertible seat. However, since we wont know what size car we'll have in Japan until we get there and actually buy one, and there's the chance that the convertible seat we choose wont fit in the small Japanese car (I'm especially drawn to the Britax convertible seats, which are huge), I figure it's safer to buy an infant seat for now, because it's more likely to fit in a small car, and buy the convertible seat later, when we actually know what size car we're dealing with. Plus, the fact that the infant car seat can snap out of it's base and become an infant carrier is also a handy feature.

Anyway, after some research online and in the Baby Bargains book, I decided I liked the Graco SnugRide, so AC and I went and checked it out in a store. Once there, we encountered a newer model of the Graco SnugRide, the SnugRide 32, which can accommodate babies up to 32 pounds and 32 inches, and which supposedly fits 97% of one-year-olds (so it would last a lot longer than a typical infant car seat). It also just seemed a lot plusher and more luxurious than the regular Graco SnugRide. We especially liked the Zurich print (I think the brown and green could work for a girl too), which also happens to be the cheapest model on Amazon:



And instead of buying a separate bulky stroller, for now I think we're just going to get a stroller frame, either the Baby Trend Snap N Go or the Graco SnugRider. The Snap N Go seems to be better rated overall, but the SnugRider is guaranteed to fit Graco car seats, so it may be the better choice for us (I tried snapping the car seat into both frames in the store, and it did fit better with the SnugRider). Here is the Snap N Go:



And here is the SnugRider:



Anyway, that's enough baby gear mania for one day! I'll be back with more updates as I figure out what else we need for those first few months.