Birth Day

Well, he's here!  We are so in love and so happy to have our healthy son home from the hospital.

Before the memory fades, we wanted to jot down our memories of the day he was born.

It all seemed to get going right as I was hanging up after catching up with my dad for the week and telling him that nothing was going on yet.  I had my first contraction then, around 2:30.  I thought I just had to go to the bathroom, and did, but had a few more.  Then they totally stopped.  I had been feeling weird that day and started to think that I should maybe not go in to work the next day, but when the contractions stopped I assumed we still had a long time to wait.  B had an oil painting that he wanted to finish that day and I told him to go ahead and get the paints out.

Our birth class said that if you had contractions, you should go to the bathroom, eat, drink, and walk to see if they stopped or changed, and if they did, it wasn't likely labor.  So I decided to vacuum the apartment in an attempt to either get something going or confirm nothing was going on.  I vacuumed everything and B moved stuff around for me while I did and did general clean up instead of starting painting (a good decision in the end).  I got the mop out and had mopped our bathroom floor and saw some stuff the vacuum had missed, so I squatted down to sweep it up with a hand broom, when POP, WHOOSH!!!!!!!!  I tried to make it to the toilet to catch the fluid but laughably did not at all, and while doing this I said "my water just broke."  B came in in disbelief and we both kind of laughed about it because we realized IT was happening.  He said "we're going to meet our son," followed by more giddy laughter.  He grabbed my phone for me and I called the doctor who had told us to call if my water broke "just so we know you're out there."  It was 3:37, which B wrote down.  After that, I immediately texted my long term sub telling her she was on for the next day to start teaching.  She responded immediately with words of encouragement.  It's funny that she was the first person to know we were in labor besides our doctor, but when you have to teach three classes the next day that you weren't necessarily prepared to do, every minute counts.

One of the two new midwifes in the practice was on call, and I hadn't met her yet.  My coworker had just told me how wonderful she was though, so I was assured that we were in good hands.  She told me that she needed to see me within 12 hours whether or not contractions had started to monitor the baby, but that I needed to monitor him for the next hour to make sure I felt him move, and if not, then we'd need to come in right away.  B got me a cold glass of water, which usually would jolt him awake, and I laid down on my side because I could usually feel him then too.  B got my computer out and I started watching some Netflix to take my mind off of things.  Finally at the 30 minute mark, I felt him move.  Huge relief.  We were ok for 12 hours!  Then, all of a sudden, the contractions started.

Our birth class and my doctors had told us about the 5-1-1 rule.  Don't go to the hospital until your contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting a minute each, for an hour.  So we had time!  B started getting together our bag in between times of helping me walk to the bathroom, talking me through contractions, and just generally doing whatever I asked of him.  I had a baby app on my phone with a contraction timer that he would hit when I told him to start and stop.

Here's what we logged:
4:04 - 4:05 - 1 min 12 s long
4:12-4:13 - 59 seconds long, 7 min 56 seconds from previous
4:13-4:14 - 50 seconds long, 1 min 25 seconds from previous
4:16-4:17 - 1 min 23 seconds long, 2 min 37 seconds from previous
4:19-4:20 - 48 seconds long, 3 min 18 seconds from previous
4:21-4:23 - 1 min 20 seconds, 2 min 10 seconds from previous
4:24-4:25 - 1 min 20 seconds, 2 min 38 seconds from previous
4:28-4:30 - 1 min 14 seconds, 4 min 24 seconds from previous

About this time, from the toilet where I was sitting because I just kept leaking amniotic fluid, I said "it's time to go to the hospital."  They were getting so strong that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get to the car if we waited for 5-1-1.  I started throwing up soon after saying that.  I also insisted that B find a different shirt for me to wear because I was wearing a pajama shirt, and you can't give birth in your pajamas! We stopped fiddling around with the app, and I remember B calling the midwife and saying "we're coming in" before putting the last things in the bag, helping me lie down in bed to try to manage the last few contractions before leaving, then running down to the parking garage under our apartment to bring the car up to the handicapped spot right in front of our place so I'd only have 1 flight of stairs to go down.  He also set towels down in the seat and got me a couple extra plastic bags in case I threw up again, which proved crucial.  He helped me as best he could down the stairs, and we had to stop at the bottom and I just hung on him while I had another contraction.

We drove to the hospital as fast as we could, but every time our car turned I told B to slow down because it killed.  We got to the hospital, where thankfully they have reserved "new family parking" out front.  We had to go in through the emergency room because the main entrance was closed.  There was no way I was walking in, so B ran inside and got a wheelchair.  Seconds later, he was back, and we were rushing in.  I started vomiting again in the parking lot and vomited all through the trip to the elevator to labor and delivery, where we thankfully knew our way around due to our time in November.  I remember thinking to myself, "I wonder if this is transition," the stage between first stage (contraction, start of dilation) and second stage (pushing), that we'd learned about in our birth classes, because we had learned that it was characterized by a loss of modesty, and I couldn't have cared less about vomiting and leaving a trail of amniotic fluid through the emergency room.  Transition was supposedly the toughest part, because contractions come often, sometimes have double peaks, and we had heard that the other big part of transition was the feeling that you couldn't do it.

We got up to the labor and delivery floor and were showed our room.  I remember telling B I was mad because when we were there before they had asked us if we wanted a single or double bed and we had said double but this was a single.  He reminded me that we'd be going to that room AFTER this room.  What a funny thing to care about in that moment, huh?

I don't really remember the order of events after this, but I remember thinking I had to get in a hospital gown and then being unsure if I could even change clothes.  The nurse who was there and who'd be staying past her shift ended to deliver our baby in the end told me that I could just stay in my shirt for then and see if I wanted to change later.  That sounded like a plan.  Our birth class had suggested a lot of different positions for managing contractions, but I honestly could barely stand on my feet, so I got in bed with the back bent up so I could sit up.  The nurse asked us if we were planning on having a natural childbirth and at that moment I seriously considered saying "nope!" but I said "yes" reluctantly.  B pointed out later that there's no way there was even time for an epidural, but I didn't know that at the time!!!  I was super dehydrated from all the vomiting so B asked the nurse to get me some ice and held a cup and gave me a few at a time.  He talked me through each contraction, like we had practiced.  When I said "epidural" in my most pathetic sounding voice so he'd know I really needed it twice during different contractions, he said "let's just make it through this one" which I KNEW was a trick we had discussed in advance to help me make it through the tough parts, but I fell for it anyway.  The other thing I remember B saying was how proud he was of me and how amazing I was, about a million times.  With the most sincere look on his face in the world.  I told him a few times that he shouldn't be and that I was doing a terrible job, but every time he said it I just wanted him to say it again.

The nurse's task was to get a monitor up on the baby so we could hear his heartbeat and to get another one on my uterus to monitor contractions.  Before when I was having preterm labor, I didn't trust that monitor at all because it would say I was contracting even when I couldn't feel it.  The funny thing was, I remember asking if when I felt contractions the monitor was actually picking them up, because I was afraid they weren't real!  Ha.  The hard part about getting those monitors in place is that a) she had to find the baby's heartbeat while I was writhing, and b) I insisted nobody touch me during contractions, which were seemingly constant at that point.  She finally found him and when we heard his heartbeat it was a huge relief.

About this point, the midwife got there and introduced herself.  She wanted to check me for dilation and I was having a contraction when she said it and I believe my response was "nobody is going near there."  Once the contraction subsided, I relented, and she had great news -- I was 8 cm dilated already (out of 10).  I knew that didn't mean anything in terms of timing though, because labor can stall at any point, so I wasn't convinced it was great news.

When the midwife arrived, the nurse started running a bath for me in the bathtub.  I could hear the water running and I think I asked several times if someone needed to check to make sure the tub didn't overflow.  I was assured that it would be fine.  After getting checked, we headed to the tub, which was incredible for some reason.  I could squirm around a lot more and the warm water was soothing.  B was stationed right by me, feeding me ice chips between contractions and telling me how awesome I was.  At this point I remember saying "I just need a break, why won't they give me a break?!?" because they were just coming constantly.  I also remember asking the midwife, who told me I could do it, if she had kids, and she said no.  In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't continue with "THEN HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" which is what I was thinking at the time.

As the contractions got worse, the pitch of my complaints during them rose a couple of octaves.  All of a sudden, my hands went numb, and I told the midwife, and she told me it was because I was hyperventilating and needed to breathe better.  She told me that I should focus on making low pitched moans instead of high pitched squeals because it would help me breathe.  Not long after that, as I was trying my best to follow instructions, B and the midwife both were making low pitched noises to try to help me do the same.  So we were all three in it together!

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably about 20 minutes in the tub, I started to want to push really badly.  In the birth classes, they told us to wait to push until we had the "uncontrollable urge" so I said "uncontrollable urge to push" between contractions so they'd know I was serious.  The nurse checked me then and I was 9.5 cm (going for 10!) so I was told to try to hold off as best I could until we got to 10.  I think I made it through 3 more when I just couldn't help it and pushed with all my strength.  After that, it was "ok, we have to get out of the tub" which I thought was physically impossible, but with everyone's help, I was able to get on the bed.

I started out on all fours for a couple of contractions but my hands were still numb from not breathing well (shame on me, that was something we practiced!) so I had to turn over.  The midwife wanted to check just to make sure I was actually 10 cm, and when she did, we found out that not only was I 10 cm but that she only had to reach in about an inch to feel his head!

The next 30 minutes are probably my proudest because I (mostly) stopped complaining and just pushed.  B helped support my back as I sat up and one leg, the nurse supported the other leg, and the midwife was doing stuff down there that I honestly don't know about and don't want to.  After every contraction I'd get an update about how much of his head they could see, and at one point they told me he had dark hair.  I think there were about 10 contractions left the first time the midwife said "you're so close."  I didn't know there were 10 left, though, and after hearing that 5 times you really start to doubt people's sincerity.  With 3 left, she said "I think you'll have this in 2-3 contractions" and that was more concrete and helpful.

During the final one, I was about out of juice when I felt what I had been told was called "the ring of fire," and I knew because it felt like a literal RING OF FIRE.  I knew that meant that it was the largest part of his head and I also knew I didn't want to feel it twice, so I was reenergized.  I pushed once more and felt a huge release of pressure and after that, the shoulders, torso, and legs were cake.  All of a sudden I had a baby on my belly.  He was covered in white vernix, which protects the skin from amniotic fluid.  He wasn't wailing but was making a lot of little noises; he had a lot of fluid in his lungs.  Brett and I just stared at him in disbelief.  It was 7:20 pm.

One nurse immediately started taking his vitals while another was checking me.  The midwife started worrying about my placenta but we didn't notice any of this.  We found out that he was cold so his nurse brought heated blankets to put on him.  (We didn't find out how cold until later -- 96.3 degrees.  But they checked his vitals every 15 minutes and he heated up quickly.)  After a few minutes, they asked B if he wanted to cut the cord, which he did. B asked if he could touch it and learned that he could squeeze it as hard as he could and not cut off circulation, yet some contractions during labor actually do.  He reports that it felt plasticky.  

The next hour is a total blur.  Things were happening all around us, including something with the placenta, which B opted to and I opted not to see.  He reports "multi colored."  We just were there staring at and touching this beautiful baby.  I think B texted our parents after 45 minutes or so.  I asked him if they knew the name and he said no because he wanted to confirm with me.  We agreed on his name, which made him seem very ours.

After about an hour, the nurses started asking us some logistical stuff.  We needed to measure him, I needed to use the bathroom, and most importantly, they asked us what we were going to do for dinner.  The hospital cafeteria was closed.  They brought a binder of menus from places that delivered to the hospital.  We decided on sandwiches and chocolate milkshakes from Snarf's but when B called he found out that they stopped delivering at 8 and closed at 9.  He went ahead and placed a carry out order and ran out to pick them up.

His nurse started teaching me about breastfeeding about that time.  She was so kind and comforting and helpful.  So we attempted that while B was out.  After awhile I decided to call my mom and my dad and tell them the name.  They were both so excited, obviously.  He just laid on me and gurgled and attempted to eat.  When B got back I decided it wise to start with the milkshake.  B called his parents who were also over the moon.

After his phone call, it was time to weigh and measure our baby.  B accompanied him to the scale and warmer.  We found out he was 7 lb 2 oz and 21 inches long, although B thought the length measurement was off.  He was right -- at the pediatrician yesterday we found out he either shrank or was 20 inches to start with.  I watched from the bed.  

My nurse tried to help me up to go to the bathroom and even though I felt like I needed to, I just couldn't.  First time for everything.  

B got his first skin to skin time in after A had been weighed and measured, poked and prodded.  They sat in a chair next to me admiring each other while I scarfed down my sandwich.  Note that in all this time, B did not drink his milkshake, and I reminded him about it several times, secretly hoping he'd tell me to just eat it. :)  He ate it melted instead.

After the skin to skin time, a nurse swaddled our little burrito baby and handed him to us.  

Baby's first bed

We transferred to our room at about 11:00.  The queen size hospital bed that we had requested was waiting for us!  We knew we needed to get some sleep but we were both too jazzed up to do it right away.  We had two nurses that night, one who helped me actually get breastfeeding going the somewhat-right way for the first time.  She was also a lactation consultant, so she knew her stuff.  

At this point I'd like to say that the hospital staff was just so supportive and wonderful to us.  Each nurse, doctor, midwife, lactation consultant, aide who helped us and our son helped us to feel confident and answered all of our questions patiently and thoroughly.  Our wishes for birth and for his care were totally respected and honored.  We couldn't have had a better first two days with him, and we are so grateful for that.

I wrote this mainly so we could remember, and if you made it this far, congratulations!  Your internet attention span is probably at least three standard deviations above the mean, meaning you are exceptional.  We had a beautiful, uncomplicated birth, and if it had been any other way, it still would have been beautiful because we would have ended up with him in the end.  I hope all parents are able to look back on their baby's birth day with the same fondness, no matter how they got to the baby in the end.  And now I know why people say the day their kids were born is the best day/days of their life.  Although each day since then seems to surpass it in our joy, it was so singular and incredible that perhaps I should call it the most awesome day of our lives.

Christmas in Colorado

I started out Christmas Eve with a doctor's appointment.  Everything was measuring well, the baby is still head down, and I'm no longer "high risk," meaning all of my restrictions have been lifted.

We had a beautiful Christmas Eve, with 50 degree weather, for my dad's flight coming in.  He got here in the late afternoon, and we headed home so I could finish working on dinner and we could hang out with B who was finishing his work day.  For Christmas Eve, we had prime rib, sweet potato casserole, banana salad, cornbread casserole, and rolls.  There was also apple pie, but we didn't get to it because we were so full.  We wanted a picture with our prime rib, and dad took our photo for us.  We finished up the evening with a viewing of Christmas Vacation, which some of us had trouble staying awake for.

 On Christmas morning we got up and went to the gym in our apartment complex.  After 30 minutes on the treadmill, I came home and got the breakfast dishes in the oven.  We had breakfast, and then opened presents.  We had quite a few gifts this year that had been mailed to us, which was fun.  We got each other a flash for our camera so we can take nice indoor photos.  Excited to learn how to use it!  After presents, I was so tired that I needed a nap (Christmas day was 37 weeks for me) so I napped while B fixed green bean casserole and a salad to take to my aunt's house.

We headed to my aunt's for dinner and had a lovely meal with my aunt, uncle, and two of my cousins, their husbands, and children.  It was a really fun environment to have the little kids running around and to get to catch up with my cousins.

When we left my aunt's, the snow was coming down really hard.  It ended up snowing 6-7 inches that afternoon, evening, and night.  I don't know if I'll ever stop feeling grateful for the Subaru in the winter.

On Friday we went to brunch in Louisville and then took it easy around the house.  The past week or so for me has been pretty difficult to be on my feet, and I overdid it a bit on Christmas Eve and Christmas, so I just needed to sit down.  I got a picture with my dad before heading out for the airport.  Despite the snow, his flight was only 20 minutes delayed.

That evening, we Skyped with B's parents and sister and opened our presents from them which had come in the mail.  Even though we were far away from most of our family, we felt very loved and close to our family.  We can't wait to see them all pretty soon, as I'm sure they won't be able to stay away long after Baby B is born!  We're looking at 2 and a half weeks now until the due date!

More decorations

Due to the imminent arrival of Baby B (we're now 4.5 weeks out from his due date, which I realize is more of a suggestion than a guideline), we have been planning to stay here for Christmas.  This is the first time we'll be in our own place for the holiday.  My dad is coming out and we are super excited to have him.  We'll go to my aunt's house on Christmas day, which will be nice, but I also wanted to step up the Christmas game a little bit so it feels more like Christmas.

So I decided to make stockings!  I bought a bundle of fabric pieces from a seller on Etsy and made as many stockings as I could with what I had, which was 4 regular sized stockings and one Nanaa-sized one.  Due to the shape of the small pieces of fabric, I couldn't actually get two boots that would fit right-side together cut out of it, so each one is red on one side and green on another.

When you live in an apartment, you have to get creative on the whole fireplace/mantel thing.

I like to pretend that Nanaa was excited about her stocking, but actually if you just put anything on the table she will jump up to investigate what it is.  

Making a list...

My list for this week had nothing to do with Christmas presents and everything to do with keeping myself busy and getting stuff done!  I have checked off nearly everything and still have a day and a half left.  Got a lot done for work so that my last three weeks before Winter break can be as relaxing as possible and I can work ahead for January and a lot done around home so we're ready in case Baby B decides to make a 2014 appearance.  I'll spare you guys details from work, but here's a smattering of items checked off:

Finish the scarf that I started while on bedrest and make the accompanying hat for Baby B:

Those are turtles at the bottom of the scarf if you can't tell

Finish the four baby blankets that I started making when we moved to CALIFORNIA.  I got frustrated and threw them in the closet, thinking I'd finish them in another month or so once I had cooled down.  Little did I know that my job was about to suck up my life and spit me out two years later.  At the time, I had a niece and a god daughter imminently arriving (although I didn't know the goddaughter was a girl, so the blue/green was for her), and a niece and a good friend's baby on the way in March, so the thought was the blankets would go to them (there are two of each design).  Now, depending on the balance of the genders (the only friends/family I have who know what they're having are all having boys, so if the surprises don't turn out to be girls I'm not sure where the flowers will end up), it looks like the siblings of 3 of these babies might be receiving a blanket and one will go to our son.  These blankets are the most imperfect blankets you can imagine, and one stipulation of receiving them is that you never EVER show them to anyone who knows how to sew, or allow one to be examined close up by anyone with eyes.  The blankets are finished with the exception of their final wash, and putting away the sewing machine felt REALLY good.  This task took way more time than I expected.  "Finish blankets" has actually been on my to do list since August, and I knocked it out in probably a total of 12 hours this week.

The combination of really soft one side with really silky other side + trim meant that mistakes were easily made and fabric buckled, slipped around, etc.  My grandma showed me an easier way to make blankets and if I ever go back, it will be to those. I would NEVER show these up close to my grandma.

Finish decorating the baby's room by buying frames for B's animal paintings and hanging those and the embroidery hoops that I made.  Please note that B actually did everything, really on my to do list it should have said "ask B to hang stuff."  He also re-organized everything; every couple weeks we have to completely start over because I just throw things we get in the mail into the room, and we've been in receipt of some awesome gifts.  B painted all of these animals; they're mostly Western animals with the exception of the penguin which I claim as my spirit animal.  They're each animals we've had fun interactions with on our travels.  The dresser is from B's parents' house; we cleaned them out over the summer collecting furniture and other odds and ends for the room.

Nanaa is ready for her diaper change!

Nanaa has shown us that she is capable of going floor to crib, completely clearing the side of the crib.  Not great news for the baby, but great news that Nanaa is almost 9 and still has it.

At this point, I should mention that the quilt hanging over the side of the crib is from my very talented grandma, who is currently expecting 7 great grandchildren from now until May.  And she just got a new one a few weeks ago.  So far she has over 20 and each great grandchild has received his or her very own quilt.  She also made the cushion for the rocking chair, which matches the fabric from the quilt that I made (hanging over the rocking chair) and also the fabric of the embroidery hoops.  The rocking chair itself came from B's grandma's house.  Credit goes to B for sketching all the embroidery hoop animals for me, and for the cow painting in the right of the above picture.  It's from a photo he took on our honeymoon on the first night of our trek to Machu Picchu.

Our toy chest, which is a bench/chest that we found on Craigslist, is already 1/3 full!

Last on my list was to decorate for Christmas.  My dad is going to join us this year for Christmas; he thought he was going to see me uber pregnant, but he might just get to meet his grandson depending on how things go in the next few weeks.  Really hoping to still be pregnant, but if we have a baby, then that will be a blessing too. ANYWAY, we decorated last night and broke out the amazing moose mugs that we got from my brother and sister in law a couple Christmases ago.  I decided to pose in front of the tree...33 weeks and 2 days today.  Every day counts!

This is not eggnog, but milk.  B pours me a glass a day and makes me drink it, "for baby."  That's one of our birth class instructor's favorite phrases.  I make that face or a worse one every time I drink it.

Amazing how a slight change in perspective changes things.

I am so thankful to have a job where I get time off for Thanksgiving.  B also got Friday off, so we've been enjoying this long weekend together.  It has been gorgeous weather so he has gone biking, and I've taken my small strolls.  Now I finally have no more excuses, I need to head to the coffee shop and check "grade optimization projects" off my list.  Bummer, but it's the last work-related thing I need to do!  I always save grading for last because it is the least enjoyable.

Giving Thanks

Today we hit the 33 week mark for Baby B. For that, we are both extremely thankful. We were also thankful to not be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital. We spent a few hours in the hospital last night after I had some more contractions and consulted with my doctor who asked us to come in. They picked up the contractions on the monitor, but an ultrasound showed that my cervix hadn't changed much since my last one on Nov 10, and it was still in the safety zone of above 2.5 cm. The ultrasound also showed our baby's skull on the other side of the cervix, which is a good sign that he's head down. The doctor still thinks I should go to work and live life as normal. That was good for both of us to hear.

We got to spend Thanksgiving at my great aunt's house with two of her children (my mom's cousins) and their families. We weren't allowed to bring any dishes but ate like kings.  It was delicious and it was great to spend time with family, and we were sent home with a wide selection of leftovers. We definitely missed our immediate families though. We got to Skype tonight with B's family. Our niece and nephew look so much older than they did last time we saw them, and we miss them so much. Nanaa was compliant and sat on my lap during the call, and our niece kept asking to see her. It was cute.

We hope that you all had a great holiday with your families. We are thankful for each other and for all of you.

Rounding up to 31

Tomorrow will be 31 weeks for the baby and my first day back at work after an 8 day hiatus.

My app tells me that our baby's irises can now dilate and respond to changes in light, which is very exciting because eyesight can be a big problem for premature babies, I was told.  His skin has changed to a pinker color from red, and this week he'll be adding a lot of fat.  He'll mostly be getting fatter rather than longer from here on out. If he stays in for the full 40 weeks, he should at least double his weight between now and birth. His lungs and digestive track are still working on maturing.

My mom left today.  Somehow in the midst of a 3 day snow event (not a storm...it was never really coming down hard), her flight took off right on time.  The bus to get to the airport, however, was not even close to on time, so I ended up driving her there.  So thankful that we got the Subaru a little bit early; the past couple of days would have been pretty sketchy in the Honda!

Got home and had a package waiting...some of B's family sent us two Lou Malnati's deep dish pizzas! OMG I am so excited about these!  They were frozen in dry ice (not necessary given the outside temps) and when it comes time to make them, we'll pop them in the oven and then be transported back to Chicago!  Baby B will have his first Chicago style pizza experience in utero! We are so grateful for this and the many other lovely things people have sent our way.  We feel so loved and supported and know Baby B will be really lucky to be loved by all of you.

I was a little worried when I saw the pizzas though, because our freezer is pretty full.  My mom prepared 14 (I counted) meals for us (we're talking 14 2-serving meals) in addition to cooking for us while she was here.  Our freezer is so full that we have a few meals in the fridge that we have to eat first.  But I managed to slide the pizzas in!  I'd like to point out that the ice cream in the freezer is from over 2 weeks ago when we had guests and I bought ice cream for apple crisp.  Sometimes at the end of the day I realize I haven't had enough dairy and just need to supplement. :)  Also, there's food in the freezer door.  It was so helpful to have my mom here and key to my peace of mind...I'm not one who does well sitting at home alone!

We'll see how Nanaa does tomorrow all alone.  She's been a little weirded out by my being home all the time.  Our love/hate relationship has deteriorated from 90/10 to 75/25 I'd say.  She doesn't like being told she can't sit on my belly.

Hairy baby, stable mama

Had my appointment today with my doctor.  Started out with an ultrasound and then met with the doctor.  My mom is still here and was able to take me there and got to see the little guy on the ultrasound, which was cool.

We saw that he has hair!  It looked like a little mullet, we could see wispies at the end of his neck floating in the amniotic fluid.  You can also get a view of it in this one on top of his head.  We also got a real straight on look at his face, which was equal parts cool and strange...so skeletal.  His foot was right next to his face right before this picture, but then he kicked (I felt it) and it disappeared. So far on each ultrasound he's either had his hands or his legs right next to his face. The nub next to his cheek a weird cross section of his arm.

The additional great news, other than that the baby is doing well, is that I've stabilized and haven't progressed any further.  My doctor happily wrote my note that I need in order to go back to work; I'm going to head back on Thursday after my mom (hopefully) flies home on Wednesday.  Right now we're expecting to get some snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we'll see about her flight.

It was winter in Colorado today for the first time, really; it was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday and today it snowed all day starting around 10 am.  Not too much of it stuck, but I think tomorrow's snow is supposed to be quite a bit more.