Tuesday, May 30, 2006

and we are off...

hopefully we will have fabulous news tomorrow.......

For those waiting for news, how 'bout a little guessing game? Leave your guesses of gender and hour of the day that the baby is born in the comments. The only prize might be knowing that you were right.

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busy day(?)

Well... no baby yet, but we see the doctor again later this morning. After that... well, we don't know exactly, but we will most likely give the kid a kickstart of some sort. Hopefully after the appt there will still be some time to throw in another post, but we will see, maybe not. We are also hoping that the A/C tech can come back today and that the inexpensive part does the job, yesterday was a little toasty. Heck, it is still 80F in the house... which is a little out of the ordinary for us. Anyway, the Memorial Day parade was good, as was a small dinner time bbq. And what may (hopefully?) have been our last solid night of sleep for a while was pretty nice too.

UPDATE: Well, we saw the doc and we are going to get things moving, but not until this evening. We will go in around 9 pm tonight and the baby will most likely be born sometime tomorrow. Not sure how many updates there will be until afterward... if I get a chance I might post some recent pics, but don't count on it. Otherwise, see you on the otherside.

Reminder: Web Nursery at http://www.hillcresthospital.org/ for pics of the baby... check the May babies first.

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Monday, May 29, 2006

Happy Memorial Day!

Thanks to all the veterans out there.

Nothing new here on the baby front.  Hot day (90F), time for a parade and some fun.  We have some friends with small kids coming over for the parade, and then some other friends with smaller kids that live on the other end of the parade route will come over after the parade for some bbq.  Should be a fun, if toasty, day.

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Sunday, May 28, 2006

All's quiet on the midwestern front...

Still no progress to report.  Had the baby's heartrate checked again this morning and all was fine there.  X-Men 3 was good.  On the other hand, A/C in the house doesn't seem to be working that well - if at all -  very unfortuantely!  Other than that, today will likely be very quiet... maybe a trip to the mall later for its abundant A/C.  Tomorrow is the big parade.... maybe the kid needs a nice Sousa march to get it moving in the right direction.  We wish everyone a happy Memorial Day!

Evening Update: Yup, the A/C is out until at least Tuesday - no parts available until then.  Otherwise, uneventful day, a little shopping to cool off after the A/C guy showed up and then dining alfresco on the patio was nice.  So, we are on for the parade and bbq tomorrow, as we figure we will be hangin' 'round until Tuesday when we see the doc again.  Also, thanks to everyone that keeps checking the blog... we appreciate all the good thoughts.

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Saturday, May 27, 2006

T-plus 1 weekend

Danette's mom made it in fine yesterday.... though Danette finds it a little odd to know that she won't be going back to work for a few months now, which is pretty understandable.  Both Danette's mom and her boss at work think that today is the day for the baby... no signs yet, though.

So, pretty much a typical weekend here, trip to the farmer's market, Danette's prenatal yoga, and probably off to see X-Men 3.  Hey, we figure that we might as well take the opportunity to see some movies before we have to settle for DVD or HBO or to find a sitter.  On the other hand, we were checking out the new Sony Style store that opened at the mall yesterday and they had a couple of nice HD-TV's (1080p) that could be a decent substitute for a movie theater with the right sound system :P

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Friday, May 26, 2006

not even thunderstorms...

We keep getting advice, old-wives tales, and other tidbits of info on moving the baby along or signs that the baby is coming (which it still isn't, for those readers looking for new info on that front).  Examples:
  1. Full moon: Nope, last week.
  2. Thunderstorms: Nope, big ones last night, and tornado watches to boot.
  3. Walking: Nah, been to the mall several times - just tiring.
  4. Spicy food: No effect on mom or baby.
Now we are working on the Murphy's Law approach.... let the kid know that there is ultimately an eviction notice coming, have the mother's mother arrive before the labor instead of after (that would be today).... and plan a big, several family trip to the Memorial Day parade that ends just around the corner from the house and have a bbq at the house afterwards.  If the latter doesn't call for invoking Murphy's Law, I don't know what does.

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Thursday, May 25, 2006

no-baby-yet potpourri

well, since the real reason that everyone has been checking this blog recently is taking its sweet ol' time... I thought maybe a nice potpourri of alternative reading might be in order.

  1. Things Steve hadn't seen prior to 15 minutes ago for $400, Alex:  Well, that would be the picture window looking into the backyard literally shaking back and forth because of thunder.  Note to self: Double pane glass actually can flex quite nicely if it is big enough.
  2. "New" News: The Daily Show digs deep and finds the funniest truth:  For example, President Bush using the exact same description/words to introduce General Hayden as CIA Director as he did 18 months earlier when he introduced Porter Goss (watch to the end of this Daily Show video segment).  I think the Commander-in-Chief needs to invest in his speech writing staff a little bit, or at least get them trained in the proper use of Google.
  3. A local story on the effects of snow flushing pollution into Lake Erie.
  4. Our favorite reminder at the moment of what is coming our way, the web nursery.
  5. The Washington Post is running interesting articles on the non-public lives of public newsmakers in DC.  Yes, kind of an oxymoron, but interesting nonetheless.  For example, this article about Sen. Frist trying to help understand why gorillas at the National Zoo have/get heart disease.
Okay that's enough... hopefully the baby will come soon.  Best wishes all.

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ditto

same Bat story, same Bat channel, different day.  Saw the doc, checked the kid's heartbeat with the fetal monitor, and had another ultrasound, this time to check the breathing, movements, heartrate, amniontic fluid levels, etc.  All those things seem to be okay.  Danette is getting more tired and a bit more uncomfortable, but still hanging in there, working, the usual stuff.  Because the baby is past the due date now, we are doing checks of the baby more often.  So, if the baby hasn't been born yet, we will go in on Sunday morning for another routine check of the baby's heartrate, movements, etc.  And then by Tuesday if the kid hasn't come yet (let's all hope not), we will see the doc again and make the next set of decisions.  So, worries: no, anxious parents-to-be: yes.  Have a great day.

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

40 weeks and still gorgeous

Keeping up with the tradition of some near weekly pics this month, here is a photo from this morning in front of the house. Posted by Picasa

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We came, we saw, we went to work and kept waiting.

To answer the first question: No baby yet.  We saw the doc this morning and then had an ultrasound.  Baby is still healthy and in position.  Apparently we looking at an 8-pounder (or so).  Anyway, the time just isn't right yet.  The ultrasound doc had fun teasing us about whether we wanted to find out if it is a boy or a girl.  We resisted temptation.  Danette has another appointment on Thursday and we'll go from there.

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Monday, May 22, 2006

Still waiting...

Nothing much happening out here... just another normal day at work.

Yesterday was commencement.  I did not attend the ceremony, but we have a small reception for our own graduates, so I came in for that for a couple of hours.  That is always fun because we get to meet the graduates' families and see how proud everyone is of their daughter/son/grandchild/niece/nephew/cousin/brother/sister.  It is also nice to hear the plans of students that I might not have known because I didn't teach one of their classes this semester or whatever.  Anyway, congrats to the class of 2006.

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Saturday, May 20, 2006

patience...

is a virtue, right?  Well, I think my (our) level of being virtuous may have hit its peak.  With three days to go until the "due date" we are getting a little anxious.  Of course, both sets of grandparents-to-be called early this morning too in order to find out what was happening.... in this case, no news is... no news.  In Danette's prenatal yoga class today, there was a woman there that is 6 days past her due date.  I like good surprises... but I'd be happy with a little clarity on the timing thing here...

Anyway, we're gonna go see the Davinci Code this afternoon.  Hopefully nothing like what we heard happened in Grand Forks is happening here... apparently someone stole the lenses off of all the projectors in the multiplex that was going to show the Davinci Code.... no one knows why for sure, but with all the protestors that didn't learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction in school, who knows.  I sometimes wonder why certain groups get so concerned about the contents of fiction...

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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

insert Jeopardy theme song here...

Well, we are down to 6 days to the due date! All is well, but no big changes.... still waiting... though yesterday the baby was pretty active it seems, it flipped sideways 180 degrees during the day. The kid's back was on Danette's right for the last few weeks but we think it has moved to the left side now... still head down, thankfully. We were wondering a few days ago if today might be the day, it would have been kind of cool because my Dad's birthday was yesterday and my uncle Geri's is tomorrow, plus the baby would have had a 7 in its birthdate just like the two of us... yes, we are a little nerdy... :)

In other news, we had a short break in the rain today and everyone it seems made a quick run for home early at the end of the day to do some mowing... including me... it was nice and sunny all afternoon, and now... lightening and thunder.

Amazingly, the Cleveland Cavs pulled out their third win in a row over the Pistons. I caught some of the game and they looked pretty decent, though LeBron did take a nasty fall at the end... looked okay afterward though.

The picture is from Monday, two days ago, before we went to see the doc. Still looking good. Posted by Picasa

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Monday, May 15, 2006

soggy monday

today was a washout, literally. Still raining here in our fair city of Cleveland... that system is just sitting and spinning. I even spent some time in the light rain cleaning out my gutters... they seem to be working better now... I may have to call in a SEAL team to get my lawn back under control after all this rain...

Another trip to the Dr. this morning... all is well as usual, but no baby imminent it seems.... but who knows, the kid could get in a hurry at the last minute.... which would be fine. They'll do an ultrasound at next week's appt (if we make it!) to estimate the baby's weight at 40 weeks if we get there. So that would be fine.

Danette's co-workers threw a little surprise party for her today. She was pretty touched by it, plus there were two kinds of cake. Can't beat that with a stick.

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all.

No new mothers here yet, though there is another 9 days until Danette's due date.

Nothing too exciting going on here... it has been raining off and on for the last few days... even a thunderstorm this afternoon. Of course that means you could probably hear the grass growing if you tried... but that's the way it goes. We are in a mini-drought at the moment, so the rain is a good thing. We were something like 2.5"-3" behind before the rain showed up. The other advantage of the rain is that the pollen is being washed out, which is fabulous!

Other than that, classes are done, grades are in, and I can spend a little more time on research.

In other news, I am listening to the Red Hot Chili Pepper's most recent release Stadium Arcadium which is a two-disc release (!) with the discs named Jupiter and Mars, so really, what's not to like? Definitely some good tunes, even a few that harken back to their funkier days which is fun. It will take a few more times through it to fully digest, but clearly it is worth a listen (or a dozen). Posted by Picasa

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Tuesday, May 09, 2006

two weeks...

Well, we had the last of our childbirth education classes last night, mainly a tour of the hospital and questions related to that, etc.... that was the last of the classes of any type that we are signed up for now.  There is a baby care class that is offered while they are in the hospital still, primarily in recognition that things like swaddling and dealing with the umbilical cord will make more sense with the kid in your arms... so that will be good.  Only one baby in the nursery last night as we walked by... and the whole class met the father in the hallway - healthy daughter number 3! for him.

Saw the doc again this morning and all is well, though the kid's grand entrance doesn't appear to imminent, but even that is tough to gauge as we get this close to the due date... so it could literally be any day in the next 2(+) weeks... if by some chance we actually reach the due date, the doc will order another ultrasound to get a good estimate of the baby's weight, etc... but we kind of hope the kid is interested in moving before then, we'll see though.

In other news, we saw Mission Impossible 3 this weekend.  It was pretty decent.  It is pretty clear who was running the show, because at a couple points, I was thinking that this seems like it is right out of Alias.  Same guy for both.  The plot movement was a little too weak for my tastes (which is saying something!) but it was a big string of action sequences which were pretty cool.  I'd say it is at least worth a matinee.

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Sunday, May 07, 2006

16 days and counting to due date








Other than that, not too much else to report. Some friends of ours that we discovered are moving very soon to Pennsylvania offered to give us some more baby paraphenalia yesterday... so we picked that up yesterday and had a chance to sit down and chat with them and see there always growing daughter Eva. Today, was more mundane until it was time to take this photos and go to dinner.

Tomorrow is our last Lamaze class and is pretty low-key. And the rest of the week isn't too scheduled out (I think), which is kind of nice....



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Saturday, May 06, 2006

pollen, pollen everywhere in a small, small world

yup... it is my favorite part of the year, and this one is a doozy with pollen counts pretty high day after day it seems. Certainly not the worst spring ever, but it at least makes the top 10 I think.... I mowed the lawn yesterday after work... and I actually had to stop a couple of times because of the symptoms... fortunately oak trees are not part of our yard... but they are the predominant tree near my office... oh well, it will have to finish up here at some point.

In other news... not much to report. Danette is well... maybe a tiny bit more tired, but otherwise fine. about 17 days to the due date. I don't think she is at the point yet where she is totally ready to be done being pregnant, but she certainly wouldn't mind sooner rather than later... we shall see what the doc says at the appt this week.

So, here is a 'funny small world story.' I walked across the quad yesterday afternoon to hit up the vending machines for some nice, ice cold carbonated beverage and ran into a staff member in the astro. dept. His son is looking for summer work - hopefully something hands-on in a lab. Cool, I mentioned all the hours I spent cutting and polishing rocks at that age and must have mentioned something about UMD.. and he became quite curious, far more than usual about which building etc. Turns out he went to the same elementary school I did in Duluth - Chester Park (a couple decades earlier) and was even a crossing in front of the house I lived in, before the house was there.... turns out he lived on the corner of Kent and Cottage for a couple years - something like a 3 minute walk from my parents' house and I would have passed it everytime I walked over to Chad's growing up. Amazing how small the world can be some days.


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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

a few more pics at 3 weeks to go

Just thought we would add a few more pictures of the beautiful mom-to-be. All seems well... and we are playing the ol' waiting game. The picture on the right is Danette at three weeks to go next to the picture window in the back (yes, the dogwoods are blooming, and so is everything! else)



This picture is about a week older, but while I was trying to finish up some cleaning in the baby's room she decided to hit the closet in the hallway. This is the second closet she has re-done, the last one was a few months ago... no baby after this, so I guess it isn't technically "nesting" but Danette is such a planner, maybe she is sneaking in her nesting in advance!

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Monday, May 01, 2006

Web nursery

It is still another 3 weeks and 1 day until the baby's due date, but I thought I would pass along the link that might have the first picture of him or her online, provided by the hospital. Go to the Web Nursery at Hillcrest Hospital and click on the month (May unless the kid is more than a week overdue). And then look for the name - if you don't know the kid's name when you start looking (no last names are used) and are just poking around, the page with the baby's picture will also have the parents' first names

http://www.hillcresthospital.org/WebNursery/

Danette had another checkup this morning - all is well. The doctor hedged a little this time, but figured we would most likely see him in the office again next week. After that we stopped off at the fire station and got the car seats checked and those are ready to go now.

In other news, today should be the last day that Spiderman 3 is filming in Cleveland.

Have a great Monday!

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