In the window

We are 37 weeks pregnant now. Here's a picture we took yesterday during our fun photo shoot at home, to document how we look now, about a month before the baby's expected arrival.

Today Bob and I saw our chiropractor, Dr. Kristine Hicks. She felt the baby's position, which is head down, with baby's back on my left side and her feet on my right. This is the same position that she's been in for at least a month now and it is perfect.

More good news: I found out today that my GBS (Group Beta Strep) test came back negative! That's good news because if I were GBS positive, I'd be required to receive IV antibiotics during labor (I don't want that). So, yay! So far so good.

We are in the window between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. That is the time frame during which most births occur. We could have our baby girl any time now, but I think it will be at the end of April. My guess is April 24th. I took a poll at the baby shower and wrote down everyone's guess for what the birthday will be. Let me know if you have a guess that you haven't told me yet. The most popular date picked at this point is April 28th. We'll see!

Happy Easter '08

Here's Bob and me on Easter Sunday. Dr. Don took this picture of us before we sat down for lunch with family in Oakland. The weather was warm and sunny -- such a beautiful day!

On our drive back to the city, the traffic to the bridge was backed up pretty far, so we exited the freeway instead of sitting in the traffic. We drove to Berkeley and went to the movie theater. We saw "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," which was pretty good. It was slow in the beginning, but I was loving it by the end. Now we are back at home and taking it easy. We are still recovering from colds and enjoying quiet time together at home.

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter Sunday!
love,
Jen

Tiny Tots Diaper Service

Yesterday (Saturday) Bob and I took a road trip down to Campbell, CA. It is a little over an hour drive. We went to a free diapering class taught at Tiny Tots Baby Boutique. We signed up for Tiny Tots diaper service. They deliver clean cotton diapers to your door once a week, and take away the dirty ones for cleaning. The class was great! Bob and I both practiced several times diapering a teddy bear. We learned about many different options for diaper covers, and the different diaper hampers to choose from. We decided on the Bummis Super Whisper White diaper cover (see picture). We picked the standard Flip-top hamper (picture). Along with the free class, they gave us free gifts: a cloth diaper, a Snappi Diaper Clip, a ProRap Classic diaper cover, and then we got to pick a door prize. We picked a pink changing pad called The Clean Changer TM. Free gifts! I love it.

I'm really glad we made the trip down there. It was better for me to see the options in person, and to talk to the experienced cloth diaper enthusiasts for tips on what worked for them. Bob and I are totally clear now on how cloth diapering works. Bring on the poop!

After the class we ate brunch at Stacks' Restaurant on Campbell Avenue. There was an Easter Parade going down the street where we were seated outside, so we got to see tons of people with bunny ears on their heads. A few people in full bunny costume were in the parade, as well as many cars decorated for Easter. It was a nice day in Campbell.

New Skool clothing

While walking in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, Bob and I met Nate1, the creator of new skool. Here is a picture of me and Nate1. Notice the hip sweatshirt I am wearing in the photo. The sweatshirt is actually Bob's, but I wore it because it closes over my belly bump so easily. It is a brown hoodie sweatshirt with a drawing of red headphones embroidered on the front. Bob and I both love this design. And now we've met the designer! I noticed him walking toward us and I thought to myself that his sweatshirt looked similar to mine, and then he approached us to say that he is the new skool artist and he thanked us for supporting his company. So cool!

The same design is printed on baby onesies, and Bob and I have wanted to get this onesie for the baby since before we were pregnant. It is sold at a store called Wishbone in our neighborhood (Irving St & 7th Ave). Well, a couple weekends ago Bob finally dished out the cash and bought the onesie for Baby. It is brown with pink headphones. Bob brought it home and talked about how there was a matching sweatshirt that he wanted to get, and so later that day we went back to the store and got it.

We had a great conversation with Nate and his family on Sunday. He's super friendly and interesting. Check out his talents at the new skool website: http://shopnewskool.com/

Photos: Getting ready for Baby

Photos of how we've been preparing for our baby girl. Click on the image to see it bigger.

Here's a place where Baby will sleep:

It is an Original Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper attached to our queen sized bed.


And the borrowed car seat for traveling (with a pink Bundleme blanket):


Here's where we can keep the car seat when we are home:


It is a swing, too!


Rocking chair on loan for nursing/soothing Baby:


Books and supplements for Mom:



Here's some visual inspirations around our home:

33 weeks pregnant

I bought a new pair of shoes on Friday. They are easy to put on and take off, which is great now that it is challenging to bend forward. They are Clarks brand clogs. See picture by Bob:


And here's a picture of me this morning, so you can see what I look like first thing in the morning and how big my belly is looking today:


On Saturday Bob and I went to a 2 1/2 hour class on breastfeeding. It was nice to see that there was a woman in the class who was also my classmate in the yoga teacher training program I did in 2006. On Saturday night Bob and I practiced perineal massage for the first time. We used coconut oil, as recommended by our birth doula (who we met with last Thursday evening). She explained to us very clearly how to do the massage, and we hope to practice it once or twice a week until the birth.

On Sunday I went to a pre-natal yoga class, and then Bob and I drove down to San Mateo and visited his step-sister. She loaned us some baby gear including a car seat, and she helped us out a great deal by showing us how to install the car seat. So now the base of the car seat is in place and ready to transport the baby. It feels really good to have that taken care of. I was concerned that it would be complicated or confusing to get the car seat securely in the car, but the LATCH system makes it easy. And of course having an experienced new mom set it up for us was great. We are very grateful to Kachina for her help and for loaning us baby gear!

On Monday I went to a water aerobics class at the gym. It felt great to be in the pool. I did some swimming before and after the class, too. When I got out of the pool, my belly suddenly felt very heavy. I didn't realize it while I was in there, but it is true what they say about how being in water takes the weight of the belly off of the back. I hope to go to the class every week for the rest of the pregnancy.