We just got this pic from Adam's dad. This is Adam at about a year old. Note the super blonde hair! Corbin sure didn't inherit that, but maybe he'll inherit the two-finger sucking.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Fruits and Trees
We just got this pic from Adam's dad. This is Adam at about a year old. Note the super blonde hair! Corbin sure didn't inherit that, but maybe he'll inherit the two-finger sucking.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Month 4
Dear Corbin,
You are four months old today. I keep trying to avoid writing a pile of cliches in these letters, but you keep being the cutest little baby in the whole wide world. Look at your smooshie little face and your roly-poly little body! Look how you raise your little eyebrows, and how you grab your little toesies! Woochie woochie woochie!
I know, it's hard to believe your father married me of his own free will.
This month, you had your first road trip, up to the UP for my cousin Andy's wedding. You might as well get used to that drive, if my own childhood is any measure. We were watching old 8mm footage of family parties up at the Cottage, and it made me wonder what memories you will eventually have of being there.
Your vocal range has expanded to include some funny screeching that you do when you're happy. It reminds me a little bit of Howard Dean, or maybe his impression of a velociraptor. Now your babbling tends to happen when you are more calm, like when you've just woken up or when you're hanging out with a toy. You are able to roll over from your back to your tummy now, and you do it almost every time we lay you down. Sometimes you flip yourself right over, but sometimes you squirm and roll and twist and curl until you finally make it or get frustrated and cry. Sometimes your hands land in front of you just right, and it seems like you're just about to crawl away. But sometimes your arms get caught under you and you lay on your face and cry until we rescue you. The other day, you had turned yourself over in your crib while your arms were still swaddled down, and between your crying and your drooling, it looked like someone had spilled a whole cup of water on your bed.
Your grasping skills have gotten much better, I think partly because your hands have grown bigger again. Your grip now covers almost my whole thumb, and anything that you are holding goes straight for your mouth. I would say it goes into your mouth, but your aim still isn't quite that accurate. Of course, the time I was trying to wipe off your slimey little hands with a napkin and you grabbed it, you had no trouble shoving that right into your mouth. Your expression would be been much funnier if we wouldn't have been so busy fishing pieces of disintegrating napkin out of your mouth.
You have also been getting better at sitting up by yourself, but you're really happy when you're standing. Helping you stand up never fails to get us a big smile from you. Grandma Lam was telling us all very proudly that you were six weeks early for this milestone. Six weeks early! You're a genius baby! I didn't remind her that the same book told us you were supposed to be sleeping through the night a month ago. If I weren't so sleep deprived, I'd be a genius, too. But some nights you've been waking up only twice, instead of three or four times, so I have hopes that we're slowly passing sleep milestones, too.
Being your mom so far has taught me to live in the moment in a way that I have never truly understood before. I am good at appreciating what I have, and I am good at making the most of my time, but I have never been good at paying more attention to now rather than later. My thoughts are usually taken up with planning for the next thing that I need or want to do. But you have a way of concentrating on what you're doing right now that reminds me that I should do that more often, too. Living with you means being with you where you are, when you are there. You're simply incapable of doing anything else. And I want to be where you are, when you're there, because I don't want to miss any part of your life, ever.
Love,
Mom
Happy first Father's Day, Adam!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Picture Page!
The Chapman parents-to-be getting some practice time with Corbin:
Corbin and Adam goofing around:
Corbin parties it up at his first wedding, in the UP.
Corbin and Adam goofing around:
Corbin parties it up at his first wedding, in the UP.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Month 3
Dear Corbin,
You are three months old today. It seems that the older I get, the faster time moves. I feel like time moved slower for me, when I was a child, and I wonder if you’ll eventually feel the same thing. It feels like this month has gone by much faster than the last two did.
I have been back at work for three weeks now. It’s been easy to fall back into some of my routines, but now I have to find time three times a day to pump milk for you, and that can be very inconvenient. The transition has been easier because Mom and Dad are here at the house with you, and it’s comforting to know that you’re at home in good hands. They take you on walks, and play baby games with you, and you all seem to have a good time. If the housing market was better, and if we didn’t like living in Minneapolis so much, there’s a good chance that we would have plans to move to Madison pretty soon so we could keep them as your daycare without having to keep them living in the garage. But our new plan is to win the lottery and build a nice big house with a grandparents’ suite, and then we’ll all be very comfortable until Marley dies and that first ghost shows up.
You continue to entertain us with your early conversation skills. Along with your cooing you’ve added a loud kind of shout every now and then. It always makes me laugh, and I wonder if you’ll end up being a shouting kind of kid. You have started to reach for things now, sometimes just batting with a fist but sometimes reaching with an open hand. I have seen you sucking on your thumb two or three times, but usually you just suck on whatever part of your hand happens to hit your mouth first. You’ve also started drooling. We had to look in the book to see if you were supposed to be teething yet, but you’re not. It turns out that about 10 weeks is when the salivary glands start working, and let me tell you, yours are working! But you don’t simply leak saliva out of your mouth—you end up with a froth of bubbles on your lips and chin. Someday, I’m sure you’ll have spitting distance contests, but right now you’re winning the contest for Baby Most Likely to Have Rabies.
Your hand-made blanket collection continues to grow, also. Before you were born, my Aunt Maxine gave us a blanket for you that she knit from the prettiest blue yarn. I still have the blanket that she knit for me, too. My friend Vicki sent a blanket that she knit from several dark blue yarns. It isn’t big, but it’s heavy and thick and will be perfect during our cold Midwest winters. And my friend Douglas just sent an afgan that he made, which is blue and yellow and white, and a good weight for spring and fall. These are all in addition to your more typical baby blankets, so believe me: when it comes to blankets, we’ve got you covered.
Love,
Mom
PS: Happy Mother's Day to me, for the first time!
You are three months old today. It seems that the older I get, the faster time moves. I feel like time moved slower for me, when I was a child, and I wonder if you’ll eventually feel the same thing. It feels like this month has gone by much faster than the last two did.
I have been back at work for three weeks now. It’s been easy to fall back into some of my routines, but now I have to find time three times a day to pump milk for you, and that can be very inconvenient. The transition has been easier because Mom and Dad are here at the house with you, and it’s comforting to know that you’re at home in good hands. They take you on walks, and play baby games with you, and you all seem to have a good time. If the housing market was better, and if we didn’t like living in Minneapolis so much, there’s a good chance that we would have plans to move to Madison pretty soon so we could keep them as your daycare without having to keep them living in the garage. But our new plan is to win the lottery and build a nice big house with a grandparents’ suite, and then we’ll all be very comfortable until Marley dies and that first ghost shows up.
You continue to entertain us with your early conversation skills. Along with your cooing you’ve added a loud kind of shout every now and then. It always makes me laugh, and I wonder if you’ll end up being a shouting kind of kid. You have started to reach for things now, sometimes just batting with a fist but sometimes reaching with an open hand. I have seen you sucking on your thumb two or three times, but usually you just suck on whatever part of your hand happens to hit your mouth first. You’ve also started drooling. We had to look in the book to see if you were supposed to be teething yet, but you’re not. It turns out that about 10 weeks is when the salivary glands start working, and let me tell you, yours are working! But you don’t simply leak saliva out of your mouth—you end up with a froth of bubbles on your lips and chin. Someday, I’m sure you’ll have spitting distance contests, but right now you’re winning the contest for Baby Most Likely to Have Rabies.
Your hand-made blanket collection continues to grow, also. Before you were born, my Aunt Maxine gave us a blanket for you that she knit from the prettiest blue yarn. I still have the blanket that she knit for me, too. My friend Vicki sent a blanket that she knit from several dark blue yarns. It isn’t big, but it’s heavy and thick and will be perfect during our cold Midwest winters. And my friend Douglas just sent an afgan that he made, which is blue and yellow and white, and a good weight for spring and fall. These are all in addition to your more typical baby blankets, so believe me: when it comes to blankets, we’ve got you covered.
Love,
Mom
PS: Happy Mother's Day to me, for the first time!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Corbin Tells it How It Is
What it is, yo!
The video is a little washed out, since I had to brighten it up. It took place maybe 6 am Wednesday or Thursday so it wasn't entirely light. Right about the same time Mel's folks showed back up (what, 2 weeks ago?) Corbin started getting more vocal. We're both pleased with this, since we've heard that boys are less likely to be talkative than girls are. Anyway we've been aiming to get some footage of it to share with y'all, but Corbin tends to become more interested in the camera than cooing at us when we get it out and start waving it around.
This last week has been Mel's first week back at work. I've been getting up to share in the early morning fun, since we're both heading off to work now. Mel takes the 4:00 feeding, then I take the 5:00 "I'm ready to get up now." Then it's back to Mel after she's had a chance to get somewhat ready, around 6:20 or so. Mel's folks take over around 7:00.
I think the plan is to have the Grandparents Lam here until about September. They've set up their camper in the garage. It's been lovely having them here, they're helping a lot, and we're saving a bundle on childcare.
The video is a little washed out, since I had to brighten it up. It took place maybe 6 am Wednesday or Thursday so it wasn't entirely light. Right about the same time Mel's folks showed back up (what, 2 weeks ago?) Corbin started getting more vocal. We're both pleased with this, since we've heard that boys are less likely to be talkative than girls are. Anyway we've been aiming to get some footage of it to share with y'all, but Corbin tends to become more interested in the camera than cooing at us when we get it out and start waving it around.
This last week has been Mel's first week back at work. I've been getting up to share in the early morning fun, since we're both heading off to work now. Mel takes the 4:00 feeding, then I take the 5:00 "I'm ready to get up now." Then it's back to Mel after she's had a chance to get somewhat ready, around 6:20 or so. Mel's folks take over around 7:00.
I think the plan is to have the Grandparents Lam here until about September. They've set up their camper in the garage. It's been lovely having them here, they're helping a lot, and we're saving a bundle on childcare.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Month 2
Dear Corbin,
You are two months old. You have grown, of course, and put on weight, but what I really notice is how much bigger your hands have gotten. They seem to have grown even more than the rest of your body, and you are getting better at putting them in your mouth on command. You still make strange and funny expressions, but you have also started smiling for real, and every time we see you smile we smile big, goofy smiles back at you. We just can’t help ourselves. Hopefully, we’ll get over that before you start high school; by then, we’ll have so many other ways to embarrass you.
This month, I finally managed to wrap my head around the EASY routine, and that’s helped us (and by, “us,” I mean, “me, your perilously-close-to-anal-retentive mother”). It’s good for everyone that you’ve started napping in your crib, but sometimes I miss the days when we would sit on the couch together and you would sleep while I held you. Your nap times are still wildly inconsistent, and you have days where you simply defy any definition of the word schedule, but any kind of routine is good in my book. Of course, that doesn’t keep us from blowing the heck out of it when we’ve got a special occasion. You made it to your first house party this month (Sarah Davis’ house warming), your first art showing (John Catron’s Paper Quilts at the Pillsbury House Theater), and over to visit Chris Smith’s house for the first time, and each night the whole family got to share in the fun of you being overtired. Your father and I will simply have to get better at inviting people to come over here, so that we stop screwing up any sleep patterns that you’re starting to form.
The weather has grown warm enough that you’re wearing onesies instead of footy pjs, which means that you’ve been sporting much cuter outfits than before. Judging from some of the teenagers I see in the mall, childhood may be the only time in your life that you wear anything that can be considered a cute outfit. That’s fine with me, as long as you can do your own laundry by the time you really get picky about your clothing. My wardrobe has also benefited from the warmer weather. I have been going on walks with you, which may be one reason that I’m now able to fit back into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Well, until I eat dinner anyway.
Your grandparents Thorne, and your Aunt Erin and your cousin Charlotte came up to visit this month. It was nice to spend time with them, and to see how big Charlotte has grown. It’s a little bit like having a preview of what you might be like at 10 months. I’ve been very grateful this month for advice from our friends and family who are parents. Sometimes I feel that parenting is the worst kind of on-the-job training, and it’s nice to have people around who can give us advice and encouragement. So just remember: when you’re in high school and you think we’re ruining your life, blame them and not us.
Love,
Mom
You are two months old. You have grown, of course, and put on weight, but what I really notice is how much bigger your hands have gotten. They seem to have grown even more than the rest of your body, and you are getting better at putting them in your mouth on command. You still make strange and funny expressions, but you have also started smiling for real, and every time we see you smile we smile big, goofy smiles back at you. We just can’t help ourselves. Hopefully, we’ll get over that before you start high school; by then, we’ll have so many other ways to embarrass you.
This month, I finally managed to wrap my head around the EASY routine, and that’s helped us (and by, “us,” I mean, “me, your perilously-close-to-anal-retentive mother”). It’s good for everyone that you’ve started napping in your crib, but sometimes I miss the days when we would sit on the couch together and you would sleep while I held you. Your nap times are still wildly inconsistent, and you have days where you simply defy any definition of the word schedule, but any kind of routine is good in my book. Of course, that doesn’t keep us from blowing the heck out of it when we’ve got a special occasion. You made it to your first house party this month (Sarah Davis’ house warming), your first art showing (John Catron’s Paper Quilts at the Pillsbury House Theater), and over to visit Chris Smith’s house for the first time, and each night the whole family got to share in the fun of you being overtired. Your father and I will simply have to get better at inviting people to come over here, so that we stop screwing up any sleep patterns that you’re starting to form.
The weather has grown warm enough that you’re wearing onesies instead of footy pjs, which means that you’ve been sporting much cuter outfits than before. Judging from some of the teenagers I see in the mall, childhood may be the only time in your life that you wear anything that can be considered a cute outfit. That’s fine with me, as long as you can do your own laundry by the time you really get picky about your clothing. My wardrobe has also benefited from the warmer weather. I have been going on walks with you, which may be one reason that I’m now able to fit back into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans. Well, until I eat dinner anyway.
Your grandparents Thorne, and your Aunt Erin and your cousin Charlotte came up to visit this month. It was nice to spend time with them, and to see how big Charlotte has grown. It’s a little bit like having a preview of what you might be like at 10 months. I’ve been very grateful this month for advice from our friends and family who are parents. Sometimes I feel that parenting is the worst kind of on-the-job training, and it’s nice to have people around who can give us advice and encouragement. So just remember: when you’re in high school and you think we’re ruining your life, blame them and not us.
Love,
Mom
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
2 Months!
Somewhere a post is coming that isn't entirely about Corbin. But this isn't it.
Today, 4/22 Corbin is 2 months old. He's logging more consecutive hours of sleep, and we measured him at 4 inches longer than he was at birth (24 inches, now). We're not sure how much he weighs - our bathroom scale doesn't have the accuracy to tell us. We joke about putting him on a produce scale at the grocery store, but we haven't done it. He's just starting to put his fingers in his mouth. Depending on his posture he sometimes looks tall and lithe, or squat and fat. He can hold his head up pretty well, but can't sit yet. He smiles, sometimes. He makes some conversationally toned verbalizations as well.
Here are some pics!
The life of the party:
Today, 4/22 Corbin is 2 months old. He's logging more consecutive hours of sleep, and we measured him at 4 inches longer than he was at birth (24 inches, now). We're not sure how much he weighs - our bathroom scale doesn't have the accuracy to tell us. We joke about putting him on a produce scale at the grocery store, but we haven't done it. He's just starting to put his fingers in his mouth. Depending on his posture he sometimes looks tall and lithe, or squat and fat. He can hold his head up pretty well, but can't sit yet. He smiles, sometimes. He makes some conversationally toned verbalizations as well.
Here are some pics!
The life of the party:
Monday, April 06, 2009
People Visit Corbin
My Parents!
My Sister!
Sister's daughter, Charlotte. She's I think about 9 mo. old?
Charlotte has $20 says she can take ya, arm wrestling.
We visited the M.I.A. Figured we shouldn't take pictures of their stuff tho. Museums hate that.
Family gave us a "Bumbo" chair. Corbin isn't so sure about it yet.
I think he'll like it, though.
Theory: Corbin looks a bit like my cousin Ryan. For the moment, anyway.
My Sister!
Sister's daughter, Charlotte. She's I think about 9 mo. old?
Charlotte has $20 says she can take ya, arm wrestling.
We visited the M.I.A. Figured we shouldn't take pictures of their stuff tho. Museums hate that.
Family gave us a "Bumbo" chair. Corbin isn't so sure about it yet.
I think he'll like it, though.
Theory: Corbin looks a bit like my cousin Ryan. For the moment, anyway.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Month One
Dear Corbin,
You are one month old today. I will try to avoid using a massive amount of clichés here, and simply say that we love you so very much and we are so happy that you are here with us. It’s been an eventful month for you. Your grandparents Lam were here for several weeks to smother you with grandparent love. You have met various friends of ours. You made your first trip to the grocery store and to Home Depot, where everyone wanted to see you and to know how old you were. Everyone warned me about strangers being intrusive when I was pregnant, but you’re getting much more attention now than you ever did when you were in my belly. You also went out to breakfast for the first of what will be many, many times. In fact, if our usual schedule of going out for breakfast at least once per weekend continues, you’ll be eating breakfast with us at least 936 times before you leave for college.
You have already outgrown your newborn clothing. We can tell simply by looking at you that you grow bigger every day. Your eyes have already darkened to brown, like mine, but we can only speculate about the rest of your features. You make funny sounds, and funny faces, and your father is funny when he imitates you. You are happiest when we’re holding you, which means you and I do a lot of sitting on the couch watching DVDs of The West Wing. That might sound like the easy life, but we’re watching the seasons made after Aaron Sorkin left the show, so there is an element of sacrifice going on.
The weather is getting nicer, and your father and I are trying to start some yard work projects. Maybe by the time you’re walking we’ll have managed to grow some grass in the front yard. Maybe. For right now, I’m just happy that my spring coat fits me again, even if most of my pants still don’t. But nicer weather also means that you and I can get out and take some walks. Assuming, that is, that you’ll let me get up off the couch.
Love,
Mom
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Pic Parade
Corbin continues to change, day by day. We are trying to get him sleeping better when he isn't being held. Mel has been sleeping in a bed in the nursery, and we're hoping to get her back in the big-girl bed with the help of the baby-monitor. G-ma Lam took care of Corbin last night, and we managed to get out to see "The Watchmen." I give it a thumbs up.
Friday, February 27, 2009
More Pics
We we'll be putting lots of pictures of the little man up around here for the next few years. Here's the next batch...
Today's picture goal: include G-ma Lam, get shots of Corbin's eyes open. Mission Accomplished!
Update: Grumpy baby felt much better after a bowel movement.
Today's picture goal: include G-ma Lam, get shots of Corbin's eyes open. Mission Accomplished!
Update: Grumpy baby felt much better after a bowel movement.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Babytime!
Well, we've sent announcements in a lot of different directions, so I guess it's time to get one up here: Our baby has been born!
It happened 2/22. On Saturday the 21st Mel reported an actually painful contraction. She had been having Braxton / Hicks contractions (non labor, practice contractions) for a while, so we didn't think anything of it. Naturally, that evening I was scheduled to be out with the boys. Mel got a hold of me by 10:30 to come back, and then things started happening quickly. We got to the hospital around midnight. Mel measured 5 cm right off the bat, and 8 cm shortly after, so they knew we weren't foolin around. We went to the delivery room (from labor-admitting) without delay, got the IV in, had some light narcotics and then went on to the epidural. When this kicked in Mel was finally able to get her feet under her. She had been in a lot of pain, and with labor progressing as quickly as it did she didn't have much time to keep up with things. The epidural slows contractions down, so the nurses gave us some time to get ourselves together. After a 1 hr nap a nurse, who though unnamed shall remain forever close to our hearts, came in and said "Well, you're at 9 and a half. Would you like to push?" Our boy was carried very low the entire time, that is to say he didn't have far to go. After 20 min of pushing through contractions the nurse said "Stop!" 10 min later we had a doctor to make the catch and a few more pushes brought our son into the world.
It was 3:39 am. Not quite 4 hrs after getting to the hospital, we had reached the apogee of our stay. There were 10 babies that night, and 7 circumcisions the next day. We got outta there about 36 hrs after that.
Before we left we figured we really ought to settle on a name. Mel had said early that she didn't know if she could choose one before she had seen the guy. At that time we had picked out a few family names, and I gathered a batch from baby name resources on the web. In the hospital we ended up choosing Corbin from the short list. Faced with the need to choose again for the middle name, my own middle name was conscripted for duty.
Corbin Christopher Thorne. 6 lbs, 14 oz at birth, 20 in. Pictures follow.
It happened 2/22. On Saturday the 21st Mel reported an actually painful contraction. She had been having Braxton / Hicks contractions (non labor, practice contractions) for a while, so we didn't think anything of it. Naturally, that evening I was scheduled to be out with the boys. Mel got a hold of me by 10:30 to come back, and then things started happening quickly. We got to the hospital around midnight. Mel measured 5 cm right off the bat, and 8 cm shortly after, so they knew we weren't foolin around. We went to the delivery room (from labor-admitting) without delay, got the IV in, had some light narcotics and then went on to the epidural. When this kicked in Mel was finally able to get her feet under her. She had been in a lot of pain, and with labor progressing as quickly as it did she didn't have much time to keep up with things. The epidural slows contractions down, so the nurses gave us some time to get ourselves together. After a 1 hr nap a nurse, who though unnamed shall remain forever close to our hearts, came in and said "Well, you're at 9 and a half. Would you like to push?" Our boy was carried very low the entire time, that is to say he didn't have far to go. After 20 min of pushing through contractions the nurse said "Stop!" 10 min later we had a doctor to make the catch and a few more pushes brought our son into the world.
It was 3:39 am. Not quite 4 hrs after getting to the hospital, we had reached the apogee of our stay. There were 10 babies that night, and 7 circumcisions the next day. We got outta there about 36 hrs after that.
Before we left we figured we really ought to settle on a name. Mel had said early that she didn't know if she could choose one before she had seen the guy. At that time we had picked out a few family names, and I gathered a batch from baby name resources on the web. In the hospital we ended up choosing Corbin from the short list. Faced with the need to choose again for the middle name, my own middle name was conscripted for duty.
Corbin Christopher Thorne. 6 lbs, 14 oz at birth, 20 in. Pictures follow.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Correction
I made a mistake the other day when I posted that my uterus was measuring 30 inches. I meant that it was measuring 30 centimeters. Of course, now it's measuring 33 cm, so go ahead and measure your torso again. I'll wait.
If you want a measurement in inches, my belly measures 44 inches around at belly button level.
If you want a measurement in inches, my belly measures 44 inches around at belly button level.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Waiting on the lungs
That's really what we're doing right now. He could come out any time, but a few more weeks of lung development is really a pretty good idea, so I'm trying not to be too impatient. Ha ha. Hi, have you met me?
Something else you may not have known about being pregnant: your extremeties sometimes go numb. WTEWYE says it's because you've started to retain a lot of water, which swells your tissues, which press on your nerves, which go numb or sometimes tingly. So if you see me suddenly start waving my right arm over my head, it's because my hand has gone numb again. This is especially fun when I'm driving.
Speaking of which, there's been this whole discussion about the safety of using cell phones while you're driving, and how unsafe it is because you're distracted by the phone call. I think it's a hell of a lot more distracting when the kid is kicking me than if I'm on the phone, but I'd love to see them try to tell pregnant women to stop driving after the second trimester. Good luck with that.
I would also like to say that my stomach has been upgraded from a Category Showing to a Category Large. I've found myself actually running into things with my belly, which is a really good way to make yourself feel like a slob.
I spent yesterday laying around in between trips to the basement to start the next load of laundry. We did realize that we should probably freeze some meals, too, and I guess getting our bag packed would be a good idea, although that's clearly much less important than making sure that I've borrowed seasons 5-7 of the West Wing from Heidi and Garry, don't you think? Clearly.
Something else you may not have known about being pregnant: your extremeties sometimes go numb. WTEWYE says it's because you've started to retain a lot of water, which swells your tissues, which press on your nerves, which go numb or sometimes tingly. So if you see me suddenly start waving my right arm over my head, it's because my hand has gone numb again. This is especially fun when I'm driving.
Speaking of which, there's been this whole discussion about the safety of using cell phones while you're driving, and how unsafe it is because you're distracted by the phone call. I think it's a hell of a lot more distracting when the kid is kicking me than if I'm on the phone, but I'd love to see them try to tell pregnant women to stop driving after the second trimester. Good luck with that.
I would also like to say that my stomach has been upgraded from a Category Showing to a Category Large. I've found myself actually running into things with my belly, which is a really good way to make yourself feel like a slob.
I spent yesterday laying around in between trips to the basement to start the next load of laundry. We did realize that we should probably freeze some meals, too, and I guess getting our bag packed would be a good idea, although that's clearly much less important than making sure that I've borrowed seasons 5-7 of the West Wing from Heidi and Garry, don't you think? Clearly.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
D minus 6 weeks
And counting. So, here are some things that you might not have known about what it's like to be pregnant.
1. Eventually your uterus measures over 30 inches. Go ahead and measure your torso--I'll wait. Yes, that's right, when you're not pregnant, your entire torso (from the middle front of your pelvis to your neck) probably measures around 30 inches. And you know, there's stuff in there that you're using. Like, for instance, your lungs. Or your intestines. And those don't suddenly start living outside of your body when you're pregnant--they all just get squished up to the top. So that breath support you're used to having? Forget about it.
2. As your baby grows and displaces all of your organs upward (or back toward your spine) your ribcage expands to accommodate all of that stuff. At the same time, your boobs have continued to grow. So the comfortable bra thing? Forget about it.
3. Also as your rib cage expands and your abdominal muscles separate from each other, your back muscles pick up more and more of the work of actually keeping you upright. This coincides with the time when you can no longer even pretend that laying on your stomach is comfortable, no matter how many pillows you stuff under you. Adam has taken to making me lay on the heating pad, and then on my side while he tries to get the persistant knots out of my back. He's a sweetheart, and he does wonders, but you know the way you used to crack your back and then feel relaxed and limber? Forget about it.
My baby shower was on Saturday, which was tons of fun. My friend Heidi was kind enough to plan and host it, and her sister Laurie and mom Cora made delicious food for us. Lots of people came, and we got really nice presents, and Heidi found fun games that didn't involve simulating baby poop, and it was really a very nice afternoon. Now we just need a crib for the kid, and I'll feel like we're actually ready for an infant. On Sunday morning, our friend Doug came over for breakfast with his son Adrian, who amply demonstrated that the house might be ready for an infant, but it's so not ready for a toddler. All those stereo speakers and electronics that Adam has been assembling? Forget about it!
1. Eventually your uterus measures over 30 inches. Go ahead and measure your torso--I'll wait. Yes, that's right, when you're not pregnant, your entire torso (from the middle front of your pelvis to your neck) probably measures around 30 inches. And you know, there's stuff in there that you're using. Like, for instance, your lungs. Or your intestines. And those don't suddenly start living outside of your body when you're pregnant--they all just get squished up to the top. So that breath support you're used to having? Forget about it.
2. As your baby grows and displaces all of your organs upward (or back toward your spine) your ribcage expands to accommodate all of that stuff. At the same time, your boobs have continued to grow. So the comfortable bra thing? Forget about it.
3. Also as your rib cage expands and your abdominal muscles separate from each other, your back muscles pick up more and more of the work of actually keeping you upright. This coincides with the time when you can no longer even pretend that laying on your stomach is comfortable, no matter how many pillows you stuff under you. Adam has taken to making me lay on the heating pad, and then on my side while he tries to get the persistant knots out of my back. He's a sweetheart, and he does wonders, but you know the way you used to crack your back and then feel relaxed and limber? Forget about it.
My baby shower was on Saturday, which was tons of fun. My friend Heidi was kind enough to plan and host it, and her sister Laurie and mom Cora made delicious food for us. Lots of people came, and we got really nice presents, and Heidi found fun games that didn't involve simulating baby poop, and it was really a very nice afternoon. Now we just need a crib for the kid, and I'll feel like we're actually ready for an infant. On Sunday morning, our friend Doug came over for breakfast with his son Adrian, who amply demonstrated that the house might be ready for an infant, but it's so not ready for a toddler. All those stereo speakers and electronics that Adam has been assembling? Forget about it!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
New white stuff
Well, it's definitely winter here. We've been getting snow all day, and it's not supposed to stop until late tomorrow. Just in time for the arctic cold temperatures to arrive. Adam and I both have off of work on Monday, which means that neither of us will have to commute in the -20 degree weather. Yay! I can only imagine how my poor brother and Lena will feel when they fly in Tuesday night to a snow storm in Madison, with temps below zero. Poor CA kids! Good thing we got them some good Christmas presents.
I just finished a small filming project with Commedia Beauregard, who I used to be a company member with last year. They got tapped by Paramount Pictures to film parts of the Klingon Hamlet, based on the fact that they've done A Christmas Carol in Klingon as a fundraiser two years running, now. Commedia asked me to come back and SM the scenes, since they were being filmed about three days after the fundraiser. It was a really great experience--I'm glad I did it--and you can all look for us as part of the DVD extras when Paramount re-releases Star Trek 6 next May. Fun!
One of the best parts was that my stipend from the project paid for a lovely new front-loading washing machine. Woohoo! I'm waiting for Adam to come home with the new high efficiency detergent, and then we're going to do our first load of laundry in our new machine. Here are some pix of Adam and Garry bringing in the new washer:
I just finished a small filming project with Commedia Beauregard, who I used to be a company member with last year. They got tapped by Paramount Pictures to film parts of the Klingon Hamlet, based on the fact that they've done A Christmas Carol in Klingon as a fundraiser two years running, now. Commedia asked me to come back and SM the scenes, since they were being filmed about three days after the fundraiser. It was a really great experience--I'm glad I did it--and you can all look for us as part of the DVD extras when Paramount re-releases Star Trek 6 next May. Fun!
One of the best parts was that my stipend from the project paid for a lovely new front-loading washing machine. Woohoo! I'm waiting for Adam to come home with the new high efficiency detergent, and then we're going to do our first load of laundry in our new machine. Here are some pix of Adam and Garry bringing in the new washer:
Monday, December 08, 2008
As if I had been posting all along...
Snips and snails and puppy dog tails? No. Our little boy is made of fruit cocktail.
Well, and Pizza. I made a delicious pizza on Sunday. I am going to make a pizza every week until I have mastered the pizza fu!
These images were captured with our new $35 digital video camera from Microcenter. CHEAP!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Short update
Our next ultrasound is a week from Friday. I know you're all looking forward to more horrifying pictures of the little guy!
We had a delicious Thanksgiving, and we hope you did, too. My mom and dad were up from Madison, and they gave us the first gifts off our baby registry: a carseat and stroller frame. They also brought up a couch for the spare room and took away the double bed. So we actually have some room in the spare room now--it's beginning to look like a kid could actually live in there.
I've been slowly collecting baby clothing off of cragislist, so I've been washing and sorting all of that. It's taken me a little while to get used to the idea that these aren't actually doll clothes instead of baby clothes. Newborn onesies are almost disturbingly small. Not, mind you, that I want to deliver a large baby!
Adam has been fighting with his car lately (maybe he'll post about it--ha ha ha) so that's been a bummer. Hopefully, the repairs will fall under our warrenty. Everything else has been going well, which leaves us plenty of time to wonder what the heck to buy everyone for Christmas???
We had a delicious Thanksgiving, and we hope you did, too. My mom and dad were up from Madison, and they gave us the first gifts off our baby registry: a carseat and stroller frame. They also brought up a couch for the spare room and took away the double bed. So we actually have some room in the spare room now--it's beginning to look like a kid could actually live in there.
I've been slowly collecting baby clothing off of cragislist, so I've been washing and sorting all of that. It's taken me a little while to get used to the idea that these aren't actually doll clothes instead of baby clothes. Newborn onesies are almost disturbingly small. Not, mind you, that I want to deliver a large baby!
Adam has been fighting with his car lately (maybe he'll post about it--ha ha ha) so that's been a bummer. Hopefully, the repairs will fall under our warrenty. Everything else has been going well, which leaves us plenty of time to wonder what the heck to buy everyone for Christmas???
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