Eviction Notice

Dear Doctor (a.k.a. Baby Boy Smith),

You are quickly getting to the point of being considered "late."  Now, while it is true that your parents do not have a perfect record of being on time, we try to be punctual around here, especially for Very Important Events.  Being born definitely falls under that category, wouldn't you agree?

If you don't make your big entrance by Thursday morning, your parents are going to have to go to the hospital for an induction....at 5:30 a.m.  And you should know that we DON'T do 5:30 a.m. around here.  Then, Mom will be injected with a yucky medicine that makes everything hurt more than it should.  The doctor will make you come out, whether you like it or not.  No fun for anyone, except maybe the anesthesiologist, who will make out like a bandit.  Is that what you want? 


It's tempting to fine you for being late, like an overdue library book, but we're pretty sure that you won't grasp the concept of money for a few more years, so it probably wouldn't be a valuable learning experience.  So we're going to go with good old-fashioned threats.  For EVERY day that you don't come out on your own, mom is going go out and buy you a completely ridiculous baby outfit.  Then, when you DO finally come out, she is going to take pictures of you in each of them, and post them on the internet.  Yes.  And don't think that Dad will save you from this fate, either.  He might try, but he won't be able to protect you forever, because, guess what?  He goes to work.

This could be you.

Also, we will look into buying THIS for you:

Consider yourself warned. 

Love, Mom and Dad

Smith Baby Watch 2011: Update

I had my 40 week appointment today.  After e-mailing with my doulas, I was all ready to let my doctor "strip my membranes" (which I won't get into, but basically it can help get labor started) but we decided to wait, because, get this....I have a nasty little cold.  Oh yes.  I managed to make it through flu season and cold season without catching anything, even when Jeromy got pretty sick, but NOW of all times, I come down with something for the first time in my pregnancy.  So as much as I am ready for Doctor to come on out, I am NOT ready to try to bring on labor while I can barely breathe.  According to one of the doulas, your body will usually hold off and not go into labor while you are sick; hopefully she is right.  Being handed my baby for the first time and coughing in his face is just not in The Plan.  

So the membrane stripping has been delayed until next week, when I will hopefully be feeling better.    I am, however, scheduled for an "induction massage" on Saturday, which may help things along a bit (using pressure points), but will mostly feel good and help me relax. It might also bring world peace and solve global warming, because massages are just that good. 

I feel pretty lucky that my OBGYN is still being very patient and mellow; apparently some doctors start getting really antsy and pushy once you hit your due date.  She hasn't tried to scare me with any talk of a huge baby or a weakening placenta or anything like that.  She did, however, go ahead and schedule me for an induction on the 31st, if nothing has happened by then.  It kind of sucks to start thinking about having to be induced, but I'm glad we have a plan.  

So we're still kind of hanging out, waiting.   Just picture me bouncing on an exercise ball (to help the baby drop a bit more), blowing my nose repeatedly, while Jeromy watches basketball on TV and makes me tea.  Pretty exciting for our last days as a young, childless couple, but we're just glamorous like that!

Intense Baby Prep Checklist and a personal question

• Car seat bases installed and inspected.....DONE. The EMTs were very impressed by Jeromy's installation skills, but they still uninstalled and re-installed them again anyway, just to make sure we knew how to do it.  They also had us practice strapping a creepy baby doll into the seat.  
• Newborn/3-month sized clothes washed and hung in the nursery closet...DONE.  
•  Baby gear set up...DONE.  Entirely by Jeromy and our dads, I should add, although I did hand Jeromy pieces of the swing while beached on the couch.
•  Nursery decorated.....DONE.  
• Hospital bags packed....done as much as possible, since we still need to wear and use some of the stuff you are supposed to put in there.
• Infant CPR class.....DONE, just this past week.  We couldn't get into one until May 10th, which made me hyperventilate a little bit, but we made it.  We each got our own sanitized plastic baby face to snap in and out of  the shared practice dolls.  Which wasn't creepy AT ALL.  Also, Jeromy and I BOTH (separately) asked a lady in the class when she was due...who had given birth to her twins 5 weeks earlier....oops.
• Stock freezer with easy meals....DONE.  Jeromy hit the kitchen a few weekends and made about 17 servings of tortilla soup and bolognese sauce.
• Pre-registration with the hospital and anesthesiologist (ALMOST spelled that right on my first try).....DONE.  Got the shock of my life when I talked to the lady at the anesthesiologist's office; apparently once they give you ANYTHING through the IV--Pitocin, epidural, etc--the anesthesiologist goes on "standby" for you until you deliver....for $90 every FIFTEEN MINUTES.  That's before insurance, but.....wow.
• Mom back in Texas and within a two-hour drive at all times....DONE.  It's a good thing, too, because I think if the baby had come early, I would have refused to leave the hospital until my mom was around to be there when we brought him home.  Plus, the plan is for my parents to drive in and take care of the Pampered Puppy Princess while we are at the hospital.  

So are we missing anything???  Anything else we need to know about ahead of time?  Because I swear, if I get to the other side of this whole thing and start talking about the birth experience, and all of a sudden everyone is like, "ah, yes, I remember when the giant winged dragon flew through the window and bit me on the arm.  No one warns you about that part, do they?"  I will feel very betrayed.


Finally......a questions for previous birth-givers that might fall under the TMI category, but I would like to know....did you have your membranes stripped to get labor going?  Effectiveness?  Pain level?  Pros and cons?

The big nursery reveal!

We finally put the finishing touches on the nursery this weekend!  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Hopefully it will be "boy" enough for Doctor.  

Here is kind of a "before" picture:

And here it what it looks like now: 
(You should be able to click on each picture to see them larger, if you want!)

Reading nook!

Stuffed owl from Aunt Heather

This is actually a copy of the last page of an adorable book that one of our shower hostesses gave us.

Reading owl art in the reading nook

Fancy bib that Uncle Travis and Aunt Victoria got for Doctor on their travels...in Laos, I think?

Jeromy and his Dad put all the furniture together, and Jeromy very patiently hung all the pictures this past weekend, although he did declare that it was the last picture collage wall he'd ever do.  I made the crib skirt, large turquoise and plaid pillow cases, baby quilt, and changing pad cover....yay for sewing lessons. Now we just need a baby to come sleep in it! 

37 Week Photoshoot

Baby Smith is officially full term!  According to the OBGYN, he's allowed to come out any time now, although we are hoping that he'll hang out for a few more weeks, so he can put on a bit more body fat, and we can get a bit more sleep.

Yesterday Jeromy and I had a little impromptu photo shoot on the back porch, to document the belly at least one more time.  Here are some of my favorites: