38 (and a half) weeks

Baby shower

Last night Katharine hosted a baby shower. And it was lovely. And I was so touched by how many people made the effort to attend. I felt very loved. So thank you Katharine, and thank you to everyone else too! 

Now we just have to get this little pumpkin here ...

I can't wait to take a picture of our little guy in this cute hat!

(Mom, here are the pics I promised. Lucy saw the couch this morning before school and literally squealed with excitement—she kept on looking at everything and saying "Aww, Baby Brother will look so cute! Aww, Baby Brother will love this!" Then she turned to me and said "Now Mom, can he come tonight? Please?")

Books, diapers, bath supplies, outfits, picture frames—he's set!

Diaper cake! (Lucy was pretty excited to see this too)

I thought this was so clever—my friend Jamie thought it up and made it.

Our new stroller! (The accompanying carseat is already installed in the car. You know, just in case.) This was a group gift, and one we really needed and were super excited to receive. Thank you!

The baby's room is ready ...

There's still a few finishing touches, but the essentials are ready: drawers filled with clean clothes, diapers by the changing station, and the bassinet cleaned.

We left part of the room as a little play area with younger toys, the dress-ups, and the chalkboard wall ...

... which Miss Lucy promptly began to help decorate to welcome baby brother home!

(That's Lucy on the left, and baby brother on the right ... he's got a lot of hair, and is learning to crawl.)

On the consideration of an early induction

My 36-week appointment today went quite well. Good blood pressure, good fetal heartbeat, good ultrasound pictures (they're below), good beginning to dilate, just good stuff all around. Except for the part where they estimated the baby to be about 8 pounds. (gulp!) Of course, I know the measurements can be quite off (they said a pound off in either direction was pretty normal). But still ... 

We're in countdown mode

34 weeks

35 weeks

Last night, Mr. Nick and I sat down for a bit and talked about arrangements to be made, setting up the bassinet, and packing the hospital bag. That's as far as we ever got with Miss Lu; she came before the bag was packed. This time, we're going to be prepared!

Theories about babies

The other night, Lucy was playing in the bathtub when she called out to Dad. "Hey Dad, come here! I have something to show you!"

The "something" turned out to be "the secret ingredient to make babies with." Needless to say, Mr. Nick was quite intrigued as to what Miss Lu had come up with, so he hurried over into the bathroom. There Miss Lu proceeded to pour various "potions" back and forth, mixing them with great care and precision, before she added the secret ingredient to the mix: protein. 

Apparently, if you want to have a baby, you simply mix up some dirty bathwater and add "lots and lots of protein" and voila! You've got a baby in your tummy! 

Miss Lu studying up on useful life information

Count on it

Miss Lucy (in the car): "Hey, I can count to a billion!"

Mr. Nick: "Really?"

Miss Lucy: "One, two, three, ... [continues] ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one-hundred! One-hundred one, one-hundred two ... [continues] one-hundred eight, one-hundred nine, a billion!"

(I'm working on pictures for the baby's room ... this one's still evolving)

Junior: Take 4

So, the bad news is they keep on checking me at the OB's office because I have too much amniotic fluid, which could indicate gestational diabetes.

But the good news is that, since they're checking fluid levels, every time I go in (practically) I get an ultrasound. And the ultrasound tech is really nice and excited about my fluid levels because it means she gets to take clearer pictures. And she likes Lucy (and Lucy likes seeing pictures of baby brother). 

Today was no exception: she got some great 3-D pictures.

This one's my favorite: he was totally kicking around, and it shows the, um, flexibility behind those kicks :)  His right arm is curled up by his head, and that's his leg and foot out in front. And I love the profile: he totally reminds me of Lucy as a baby.

This is about as close as I have to a profile of Miss Lu when she was born. I think they have the same nose and chin going on :) 

Here he's facing the "camera." The umbilical cord is curled on the right side.

Again, Miss Lu for comparison. See the sibling love?

Same pose, just a little bit more of a 3/4 view. Look at his cheeks! 

And one more of the profile with high kick. Hi-yah! 

We can't wait to meet him. Three more months!

New pics of junior

We're at 23 weeks ... and he's still growing :)

Oh boy ...

We went to have our 20-week ultrasound today. Nick came to keep Lucy under control. She was still concerned that the baby was going to "come out black and white." And when the tech confirmed that the baby was still a boy, Lucy piped up "You can tell he's a boy because he doesn't have any hair!" (Just like Daddy ... :) That had the tech laughing (and Nick and I too).

Here are the pictures!

(profile)

(gender confirmed—looking up from beneath)

(3-D, with his arm by his ear)

(3-D, same shot from a different angle)

(3-D, with both arms up by his mouth. His nose is just above his right arm)

(3-D, where he's in the middle of rolling around; the "string" going left is the umbilical cord)