Dear Moe (30 Weeks)

Thirty weeks! It's hard to believe, sweetheart. In some ways this has gone by so fast, and in others, March can't get here fast enough. We have our next doctor's appointment on January 13 to make sure everything is going well with you, but so far, all signs are good. Your Daddy finally got to feel you move this week - you developed quite a case of the hiccups, and he was able to put his hand on my belly and feel you jump. Your Grandma was able to feel you, too. And whenever I see her, I offer your Granny the chance to give you a little hug. And she does. Because she loves you.

I'm feeling the push to get stuff done for your room. December was a bit of a write-off for that, between Christmas chaos and your Daddy's workload. But January should present us with some time to get things organized.

Here's what I'd like to get done in January:

-assemble change table

-go to Ikea and buy changing pad

-wash clothes

-move our stuff out of nursery

-put sheets and bedding on trundle bed

-put clothes into change table

-organize guest room (with the stuff that will be coming out of the nursery!)

-determine if we need that extra shelving unit from Ikea or not

In February, here's the plan:

-put up pictures in nursery

-put car seat bases into cars

-wash more clothes

-shopping for anything we need for you and don't have

-shopping for anything we need for labour, delivery and post-partum and don't have

But, lately, I'm just happy if I manage to put my juice glass in the dishwasher. :)

Occasionally, you leave me feeling pretty breathless, especially if I've eaten. I'm still feeling lots and lots of movement, unless of course someone asks, "So is the baby kicking?" At that point, you're never moving. *grin* It's getting harder to get a good night's sleep - I get up three or four times a night to use the bathroom, and I find my back and shoulders are getting pretty achy. (I should go for a massage soon.) I find that having a pillow for support helps when sitting on the couch.

The kitty, Boo, is quite attached to you already. He still loves to sleep wedged between the Snoogle body pillow and my belly. I wonder if you can hear each other. :) I'm not holding out much hope that he'll remain attached to you once you are born - it's my goal that you both just learn to co-exist without much interaction for as long as possible. *grin*

I have to say, little bean, you did pretty darn well at Christmas for someone who hasn't even been born yet. You got some lovely clothes, and a growth chart for your bedroom, and a nice stuffie. Apparently there is more for you under the tree at your aunt's place. :) We leave for Toronto to see her on Friday.

Keep growing, keep developing, and keep soaking up our love. We love you so much, sweet pea.

Dear Moe (29 Weeks)

Hi, darling. You have been a very, very busy little guy lately - so much movement, it's crazy. Sometimes, I like to sit and watch you move in my belly. You are doing some hard-core development these days, so I'm doing my best to take in lots of good nutrients for you.

My belly is getting quite a bit bigger - so much so that I only have two pairs of pants that I can wear outside! And I'm starting to slow down now - I can't walk as fast, I need to sit down more, and I find myself getting more and more tired. I'm looking forward to the holiday so the two of us can chill out a bit and relax.

As I prepare for this one, I'm having a hard time imagining what next Christmas will be like, little bean. You'll be about nine months old, celebrating your first Christmas ever. It's very surreal.

I love you - keep growing strong, and I'll keep trying to eat right. :)

Random Notes

1. Not 100% convinced that Moe is head down. It was a medical student who determined this at the last appointment. All the movement I'm feeling is in the lowest part of my uterus, which makes me think that is where someone's feet may be. I'll get it sorted out at the next appointment, which is in January.

2. Getting up and down on a chair again and again to hang tree decoration is way harder than you'd think when you're 7 months pregnant.

3. Holy crap, I'm SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT.

4. I'm loving the Lush Therapy Massage Bar my sister in law got me for my birthday. It smells like lavendar and orange, and feels so nice on my belly.

Dear Moe (28 Weeks)

Hello, my darling. Somehow, we've made it to 28 weeks. It's really amazing - in some ways, this is going by so quickly, and in others, it feels like you'll never get here.

You're just over 2 pounds now. Apparently, you can open your eyes and respond to light and sound. You also tend to get the hiccups at least once a day - it's very funny to watch my belly suddenly jolt with each hiccup. Also, your fingernails are developing. I've always marveled at the fact that babies are born with fingernails. Somehow, I wouldn't expect them to emerge so... finished.

We've given a lot of thought as to what some of our preferences will be for labour. Our prenatal class has been really, really helpful. We are going to try and develop good habits right from the get-go: a sip of liquid after every contraction, peeing at least once an hour, sticking together like a team, and a deep cleansing breath at the start and finish of each contraction. We're going to try and stay home for as long as possible to avoid being turned away from the hospital. When we do get there, I'm going to ask that I not be offered drugs - I know they are there if I need them and I don't think it will be helpful to be constantly offered. If the doctor on duty can do sterile water injections, I'd like to try them. And I won't be a hero and not have an epidural if I feel that I can't cope with the pain, but we'll try a few things first, if possible: mixing up our coping techniques for 20 minutes, getting my dialation checked to see where we are in the process, and asking for 5 minutes to think it over. I think we'll be in a good position to make smart decisions. At the end of the day, the main thing is that you arrive healthy. That's our primary goal.

I'm starting to slow down a bit now. I find that sitting for long periods of time makes me somewhat uncomfortable - my back gets a bit sore. I am desperately trying to remember to do my kegel exercises, but it isn't something that stays at the forefront of my mind. I try and do them on the bus when there's nothing else to do. I'm having night sweats and the occasional hot flash during the day. I tend to sweat more than I used to. And by 9:00 pm, I'm done for the day, if not before. (It depends what is on TV.) My appetite has decreased - I'm eating much smaller portions as much stomach competes with you for room. I'm drinking a lot of fluids. I still have nausea and occasional acid reflux, but nothing compared to before I started the prescription for zantac that Dr. P. gave me. What a difference.

We're still making quite a few preparations for your arrival - nothing concrete lately, but we're preparing lists of things to bring to the hospital, people to call or email with the news, things we'll need to buy in that last month, etc. Once your Daddy gets to the other side of the Christmas season, your nursery will begin to really take shape. Right now, his focus is surviving another retail Christmas. And kissing my belly and murmuring your name. I often ask him, "Have you hugged your baby today?" and then he gives you a squeeze and a kiss.

We love you so much, Moe. Keep growing. We can't wait to meet you.

Helpers and Visitors

At last night's prenatal class, we discussed the difference between helpers and visitors in those first few weeks post-partum.

Helpers and visitors are both wonderful and we are hoping to have plenty of both, but they are different.

Helpers are there to do non-baby related stuff so that we can put all our energy into getting to know the amazing creature that is Moe. Helpers do things like laundry, or dishes. They bring food. They swiffer. They might even clean the bathroom. Or shovel the driveway. They keep a slight distance from us as we bond with our son.

Visitors are focused on Moe. They are there to meet this new person, hold him and celebrate his arrival.

We've determined that in those first two weeks after we get home from the hospital, we will need helpers. I'm planning on pretty much staying upstairs for that first week. If Moe arrives on the early side, Bundy may be working during that week. I've asked my mom to plan on taking some vacation right after Moe arrives, but she can't do it all. So we'd love some helpers.

We'd also love visitors. They are a wonderful part of this rite of passage. But I think we'll wait to welcome visitors until we get through those first two weeks. We may change our minds - things may go really well and we may throw open the doors early. But for now, the plan is to have visitors after those first two weeks are over.

If you are interested in being a helper, shoot me an email and we'll gratefully add you to the list. Even if people could come by for one hour during one evening in that first week, it would be appreciated.

And if you are not interested in being a helper, but would like to be a visitor, that is just fine, too. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be a helper! Goodness knows, we all have our own dishes to do. :) So if you would like to be a visitor, we will welcome you with open arms... after those first two weeks are done. :)

Dear Moe (27 Weeks)

All kinds of good news for you this week, little bean. You're almost two pounds, and measure about 14.5 inches. At our doctor's appointment this week, they measured my uterus and were pleased with the size (about 26 cm). Dr. P. was also comfortable with the amount of weight I've gained carrying you - although it is a little on the high side.

And I've figured out that funny feeling I something have... it's you, with the hiccups! I think it's great that you are practicing your breathing - keep up the great work!

Speaking of encouraging words, you received a card in the mail this week. It was from some lovely friends of ours who wanted to tell you that you are doing a great job growing, and to carry on the good work. :)

Our prenatal class this week gave us some ideas on how to cope with the second stage of labour, which is pretty much the part right before your arrival. It's becoming very real, Moe.

And we're doing an inventory of stuff for you - we're in very good shape when it comes to clothes, that's for sure. Our plans are a bit less material right now... we're thinking hard about banking your cord blood. It's something we'd like to do, if we can.

We also confirmed this week that you're head down, which is great. If you could plan to stay that way for the next three months, even better. :)

Dear Moe (26 Weeks)

Hi there, little bean. You are now about 16 inches long, and weigh a little more than a pound and a half. And your hearing is really starting to develop - apparently, if your Daddy speaks to you, you may be able to recognize and be soothed by his voice after you are born. Maybe we'll ask him to read us a story tonight. :)

You aren't growing as quickly as you were, but your brain is developing, which means that proper nutrition is as important as ever for me. But I'll tell you, I'm having some trouble with food these days. The nausea isn't as bad this week as it was last week, but it's still here, and acid reflux has become a huge problem. I'm going to speak to Dr. P. about it next week when we see him - there is very little I can eat that doesn't cause me pain and discomfort. As a result, I've pretty much cut out citrus entirely, which was my big source of vitamin C. So I need to do something.

We went to the second prenatal class last night, and it was really educational. I'm glad we signed up for these classes. Last night was all about the first stage of labour. We're making plans for how we're going to stay distracted during early labour, and different things to try duirng active labour. It isn't going to be easy, but I know you're going to be worth the work. I figure that if I can get through five years of infertility treatments, I can get through labour with you.

We've bought your change table (although it still needs to be assembled, and we need to hit Ikea to buy the pad), and have made arrangements to get your bookcase into your room this evening. I plan to spend time this weekend shelving your books and getting your room cleaned up. Last weekend, Auntie Jen brought over some of her little boy's most lovely baby clothes for you to have. We have lots of Winnie the Pooh (and Classic Pooh, which is my favourite!), which is awesome. And she's given us back the little Ottawa Senators booties that we gave her little boy when he was born. We can root for the home team together, Moe!

I love how you can respond to my touch. Sometimes we play a little game where we keep poking each other back. At the doctor's appointment on Tuesday, I'm going to ask him to tell me what position you're currently in. I have no idea if you are upside down or right-side up! I know it could change between now and your birth, but it would be great to know where you are right now. Most of the movement I feel from you is in my very low abdomen, which makes me think you may still be right-side up. I'm also going for a glucose test - I hope you don't mind me drinking what is essentially thick orange tang.

It's really crazy how much you can love someone you've never even met.