Feb. 22, 2009 - Thomas felt him kick...finally

Well, tonight while watching TV, Thomas finally got to feel Michael kick. I've been feeling him kick for over 2 months now, but it was finally his chance.

They were much harder kicks back in January when he could still move around more, but they were so inconsistent that it was impossible for Thomas to feel them. By the time I'd feel one, it'd be another half hour or so before you'd get another good one for Thomas to feel.

They're not as forceful for the most part now (although he can do some damage to my insides at times!), but last longer and are more consistent, so it finally happened for him! I'm so glad too because I know how much he's wanted to feel them.

Looking forward to my mom coming in for the weekend this weekend. We have the Women's Center Tour Saturday and a surprise for Thomas and Mom. And Sunday is my shower.

Sunday Feb. 8, 2009 - Glider and Childbirth Part II

Today was the 2nd/Final session of our childbirthing class. I've been putting off getting a glider for a while now, and mom keeps asking me when I'm going to do it. Well, Babies R Us is having a pretty big sale most of this month so we went over there before our class to finally pick one out. Didn't think it'd be so hard, but with us both being short, it was hard to find one that wasn't too tall/deep to be able to comfortably operate. So, after a while of deliberating and trying different ones, we of course found the most expensive brand to be the one that fits us best (of course it's the only one that gets good reviews too). We finally decided to get it, and the girl there was so helpful, she saw that there was an extra one that had just been set out on the floor because it couldn't be restocked and it worked perfectly fine, had no scratches, dings, spills, or anything on it. And, she marked it down 25% off. Plus we got another 25% off on top of that. So, we got the whole set for less than what the chair originally cost and less than what the cheaper chairs cost too. WOO HOO!

The class was slammed with a bunch more info again today so it went by pretty fast. Enough information for me again to confirm that I don't want to do the epidural or pain drugs. I've read through my Bradley Method book twice now and have studied everything in it really well. Now, Thomas is reading it and we're going to start practicing everything so we'll be ready to know what we're doing when the time comes (which is so close!). I can't believe it's only a little over 2 months away!

Well, here's a picture of Maxwell and I trying out the new glider.

Sat. Feb. 7, 2009

Thomas and I worked hard this morning on getting some more tile laid in the front room (the room we've been working on converting from our front porch). Then, we took a break and Dad Starr came over to help Thomas get more tiling done. They got most of the rest of it done, now what's left is to lay all the pieces we have to cut around the edge of the room, which we can hopefully get done this week! Meanwhile, I worked on sanding down the drywall mud in the one corner of the "nursery" praying the whole time that it would be enough to be able to paint it and have the room ready for furniture. And, YES, it appears that that will finally be enough, so I was able to vaccuum up the mess and work on dusting everything down in there so we can start moving stuff in and setting things up. Still feels like we have so much to get finished on the house by April, but we are making progress at least!

Feb. 1st - Childbirthing Class Part 1

Well, today we had part 1 of our Childbirthing class. 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon after being out late last night for Thomas' company party, whew! There were 6 couples, including us, there. So far, it's proving to be a good class. I haven't really learned much new that the book I have didn't already go over, but Thomas is definitely finding it much easier to learn in this environment. They showed us a video, learned about the physical mechanics of childbirth, practiced relaxation techniques and labor positions, etc.

The other nice thing is I think it's really making Thomas feel part of the process now. He didn't want to go to the class at all, but came home talking about what we needed to make sure we had in our bags, etc. I think it's really becoming real for him now. Part 2 is this next Sunday for another 4 hours.

And, we're ready to start practicing at home. I fully intend to do this naturally with no drugs, so we're working on being as prepared both mentally and physically as possibly with lots of exercise and practice!

1/31/09 - Updated Belly pic

Here's an updated belly pic from when I was dressed up for Thomas' company party Saturday night. Belly size at 28 weeks...

1/31/09-Thomas' company party

Saturday we went to Thomas' company party at the Georgia Aquarium. I had to order myself a formal maternity dress, but it ended up being quite comfortable and I had a good time. The ballroom we were in had 2 large viewing windows into 2 of the tanks, it was really cool. Here's a picture of Thomas and I from the party (I'll try to post another one from the photographer there when I can get it).

Baby Swing

Thank you Brendan and Sandra for the baby swing, so sweet of you. Well, Thomas and I spent the morning Saturday working on putting it together. I've seen better instruction manuals but we finally won the battle and it works. Sad when the crib is considerably faster to assemble! Looks great in our living room already ;)