Merry Christmas

We enjoyed several Christmas gatherings with my family. (The pictures are from the 23rd and 24th of December.) Our choir performed a cantata for the service on the 23rd, so I sang and Tom played viola in a small string ensemble (which is why Tom is wearing a suit). I gained 2 pounds in the past week from all the Christmas food and goodies (or, more likely, the baby is growing). We had a great time at Paul and Vickie's party and gift exchange, with the funniest gift being a pillow that my brother's family brought. I won't go into details, just in case young people are reading the blog, but the adults can guess the subject matter. We "recycled" the Menopause for Dummies book that my cousin brought last year. It was only fitting that my uncle ended up with the book at the end of the gift exchange. We spent Christmas day baking cookies and had dinner at my brother's house.



Baby update: People keep asking me when I am due and if I am having contractions. I guess my walking gait has changed now that my center of mass has shifted so far forward. People are worried that I will go into labor anytime. I will say that it is a good thing that pregnancy lasts just 9 months, since my bladder wakes me up every two to three hours. Back to the due date - my original due date is January 18, but the ultrasound at 19 weeks moved it to January 13. So, I just tell people that I am due sometime in mid-January. As of now, I am through 37 weeks of pregnancy, so the baby could come anytime. If you want to guess a day and time of the birth, create a response to this blog with your guess and we can see who comes the closest. [Maybe we'll even send the winner a prize.]

We saw the doctor again yesterday and everything seems to be going fine with the baby. My uterus now measures 37 centimeters vertically (which is normal for 37 weeks of pregnancy). His heart beats 140 times per minute, which also seems to be a healthy number.

Enjoy the new year festivities and all the best to you in 2008!

One Last Shower

Tom's co-workers threw us a baby shower yesterday afternoon, which was fun and appreciated. Our baby now has a high chair, which is the last big item that we needed for him. I think we are set in terms of baby gear and clothes now (well, I am sure we will be buying lots of diapers and wipes in the near future...). Tom's co-workers tried to help us with choosing a name, but I do not think we will take the suggestion of "Bam Bam". I thought of Barney Rubble, but Bam is the name of one of their Qualcomm projects.

Doctor Update: We now see my doctor every week until I go into labor. My doctor had not been able to determine the baby's position during the last couple of visits, but the ultrasound today revealed that he is head down, buttom up, so he is ready for delivery. I also learned that I have been having contractions (the warm-up kind) - I just did not know they were happening. During my exam, the doctor said, "You are having a contraction." Now I know I have been having false contractions for quite some time. They do not hurt; instead, they just make the top-half of my belly really hard.

We also had our last birth class last night. One of the couples in the class had their baby early, so they brought their son and shared their birth story last night. I must say that it was reassuring to hear that she had a fantastic (despite 38 hours) labor and delivery. She gave us some great advice, much of which I should have written down. Here's some of the advice that I can remember:

- Pack loose-fitting clothes for after delivery
- Pack music / mp3 player
- Pack chapstick
- Pack entertaining movies
- Use water (bath or shower) during labor
- Hire a lactation consultant if breastfeeding does not get off to a good start
- Have Tom repeat everything the doctor says

12 Days Until Christmas

Mid-December is already here. I was surprised to hear on the radio that we have just 12 days left until Christmas. The time has certainly passed quickly, as the end of semester activities kept me busy. (In fact, I am in the midst of grading reports for my Intro to Engineering course and look forward to finishing reading the large pile in front of me. Writing this entry is giving my brain a break.)

We have little news regarding the baby. I will see the doctor every week until our son decides to make his entrance into the world. Everything seems to be going fine - his heartbeat is strong and his body is taking up more room in my belly. My doctor is a bit unsure about his position, but I am fairly certain that his head is down. When he hiccups, I feel the jabs near my pelvis.

This time of year is keeping us busy, too. Tom was busy baking cookies the past two weeks. He had a Christmas orchestra concert on Saturday, so now he is "on break" from orchestra rehearsal for a few months. We keep thinking that "next week" will be less busy, but we seem to have activities/events most evenings and weekends until Christmas. If I do not have time to write again before Christmas, we hope you have a season filled with much happiness!

Almost Here

Happy Thanksgiving! I know Tom and I are thankful for many blessings in our lives, especially our family, friends, and health. We hope you enjoy the holiday with loved ones. Here's a poem of thanks from our upcoming arrival:

I have ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes
With my kicks, I remind my parents how I grow
I am learning how to taste, hear, smell, touch and see
Thank you, mom, for carrying me

I anticipate the world with wonder and delight
With God's grace, my future is bright
Until we meet, please pray for my health
Your love and generosity are my wealth
- Baby VanDeGrift

Jack Sprat (yet again)

My sister-in-law, Anca, threw me a wonderful baby shower where several family members and friends showered our boy with gifts. Apparently, my nursery rhyme knowledge did not improve in the past two weeks. My score this time? 11 / 15. Again, Jack Sprat was a tough one for me. By this point, I knew that he ate no fat, but I had no idea what his wife could not eat... Oh, well. Chanda took the prize for the nursery rhyme game (not too surprising, since she has a 15-month-old daughter). Luckily, my cousin, Lisa, gave me a set of nursery rhyme cards as a baby gift (so at least I now have some study aids).

We had a great time with the games. We tried to guess baby food (I got a low-score of .5 of 7 correct - the only food I recognized was peas, and it accounted for half the mixture.) We tried to guess items in a diaper bag (I think I got 9 items correct, which was about half the items Anca packed into the bag). My friends and family also wrote down words about the baby and here's a sample of what I can remember: blessed, beloved, beautiful, boy, bouncy, youthful, vision, vivacious, adorable, active, athletic, angelic, new, darling, delightful, devoted, energetic, exhausting, gift, great, generous, giggle, rich, restless, intelligent, innocent, first, faith, fun, thankful, and treat. [Note: the words start with letters BABY VANDEGRIFT]

A nice treat was the set of recipes compiled by the shower guests. We now have several options for quick meals for us and quick meals for the baby once he can eat solids. Thanks for all the cooking advice.

Our baby is one lucky kid. The car was packed with gifts from my generous family and friends. We are almost stocked in terms of baby gear and supplies, so thank you to everyone who gave gifts to our baby. We can't wait for the day when our son gets to meet you.

I appreciate everyone who came to the shower, both from near and far-away places. Your love and friendship are the true gifts for Tom, myself, and our upcoming arrival. I want to express a huge thank you to Anca for hosting the shower, planning the food, entertaining us with games and prizes, and for all her organization. A huge thank you to my brother, Jim, for spontaneously becoming a babysitter for the children who came.

And now, some photos from the shower for you to see...

6 to 8, 3 to 5

We started our baby and birth classes. Here's what I have learned so far...

6-8 pees, 3-5 poops per day for healthy newborn
baby origami for swaddling/burritos
birthing videos are scary
doulas are hyper
confirmed that we will get no sleep

Overall, classes so far have been helpful (so far 2 birth classes and a day-long baby/breastfeeding workshop). We are gaining a better idea of what to expect. We enjoy our birth classmates and boy babies seem to be popular.

42 inches

Nope.. not my height. Try again...

Nope.. not my bust size (even though I am pregnant!)

That's the circumference around my belly, as measured by Bridget during a game at my baby shower last weekend. Two people exactly guessed my belly size! My wonderful high school friends threw our baby a shower of kindness (and many gifts). We have one lucky baby.

I have to say that I felt like my students during the shower... Bridget quizzed us about nursery rhymes and I think I scored 11 / 16. I suppose that's a passing grade, but I have some studying to do before the baby comes! For example, I have not heard of Jack Spat (Sprat) ... see, I can't even remember the name of the character. I quizzed Tom when I returned home and he got 15 /16!! I now know who the nursery rhyme expert in the family is. It's no surprise that the winners of this game, with 16 / 16, were Tricia (a kindergarten teacher) and Audrey (a kindergarten student).

Here are my wonderful friends (some have brought me close to 30 years of absolute joy). Thanks to everyone who helped with organizing the shower! Thank you, Carol, for entertaining us in your home. Thank you, Kristin, for being the point person. Thank you, Bridget, for the great games and prizes. Thank you, Rachy and Jamie, for the yummy baked goods. And I thank everyone else for your love, generosity, and kindness.


Here are our baby's future playmates (Benjamin - 4.5 months, Sophia - 6 weeks, Jacob - 8.5 months with mothers Bridget, Rachy, and Lori):


And, I can't forget Jamie's cupcakes: