Shameless attempt to win a contest...

Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature's Child - Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

But, given my previous posting, this would be the perfect contest to finally win...and, I think I'm due after numerous failed contest entries, right?! ;)

Luck of the Irish

Ross found a big, beautiful four-leaf clover in the yard today. I'm taking it as a lovely sign of good luck and good things to come. And, we're saving the clover for posterity, nestled in Thumper's ultrasound photo album. Ah. ;)

xoxo
tara

And, we're into the home stretch!

Whew...it seems like a long time coming, but we're finally in the last two months of this pregnancy. If you haven't made a guess yet in the Baby Pool, you might want to get in on that action! Click the banner below to make your bet.





So, we're starting to get a bit of the 'nesting' bug around here. Getting some cleaning and organizing done, and starting to think through logistics a bit more. And, we have already secured several of the things that we deem absolutely mandatory to have on hand as soon as baby arrives, though that list is pretty short! (We're going to have a LOT to do and buy when this little person finally turns up!)

I will warn all you non-baby-minded folk that the following gets into a level of detail that will leave most enormously bored. But hey, this is a baby blog! And, for those who have a clue what I'm talking about, as always, I look forward to hearing your opinions, advice, and insight.

So far we've got our Amby Baby Infant Hammock--which we are hoping delivers the promised restful sleeper we would sooo like to have! ;) They come incredibly highly recommended, and tend to work best fresh from the womb--as babies are still longing for the snug fit and rocking motions they experienced in utero. So, our fingers are crossed that this particular purchase (and very tough get, btw) turns out to be worth it. It's nice because it is highly portable, and comes with a travel bag, so we can bring it with us if needed (though it is quite bulky).

And, as I am typing this I learn that our infant car seat w/ base has arrived! That is a an absolute must have if we plan to bring baby home from hospital--since they won't let you leave without a properly installed car seat in your car. We will be bringing our car and seat over to the North Adams Fire Department this week to have some expert instruction and installation to make sure that thing gets in there correctly. I think it'll be made a bit simpler as our new Baby Mobile (the PT Cruiser, if I've failed to mention that baby-inspired acquisition) has the handy dandy latch system in the back seat. However, I am completely ignorant of all things baby seat related, and really have no clue what the hell the latch system looks like, where to find it, or how to use it. So, expert instruction here we come! ;)

Those are the two main priorites we had for advance purchase items. In addition, over the next couple of months we will be acquiring a generously subsidized breast pump through a special program offered by Ross' health plan. Since that is shipped through a separate company, who takes an indeterminate amount of time to deliver the pump, we'll be taking care of that paperwork earlier than later, and probably have it in hand well before the arrival of little Thumper.

I've been really good about resisting the shopping bug so far. It's been really difficult, and has required some serious self-discipline and restraint. I've been channeling my buying desires into my varioius registry building exercises--it's like filling a shopping cart, without the commitment of checkout--and accumulating an enormous list of bookmarks to be revisited at the appropriate time. This also means that an intense amount of research and comparison shopping has gone on in the last seven months--informed by numerous parenting and baby magazines, discussion board chatter and reviews, recommendations from friends, and numerous google searches.

For instance, after much research and many reviews (both online and from people we know), I'm inclined to use BumGenius 3.0 diapers to get our little person from newborn status through potty training. This looks to be an amazing product, with very satisfied customers. These are the newest technology in cloth diapering--as easy to use as disposable, as reliable, and much much more cost effective. One investment at the outset gets us through all of diapering (though we will probably supplement with disposables, especially at the beginning, when we are away from home, so as to avoid the carry-factor)--about $300 vs. about $4000. And, better for most sensitive tushies (though occasionally a baby will have skin that actually prefers the disposables--so we'll see how things go).

I found a cool website that allows you to take several different brands and models of cloth diapers (including the Bum Genius 3.0, as well as another Bum Genius model) out for a trial test-run. It ends up costing just $10 for the trial, and we can make sure we're satisfied with the experience prior to making the commitment. Not bad. And, if I do go ahead and get that trial pack in hand now, the actual trial period doesn't start until baby comes.

We're figuring out what other things might need to be picked up immediately, and then a bit later, so things go smoothly when baby gets here. Based on the recommended shopping lists from various retail giants, there are about four hundred products we absolutely must have if our little one is to make it to toddlerhood in one piece. Hmmm...I'm not really buying that. I'm more inclined to try to identify those actual must haves, and then see what would be nice to add once we get to know our little Thumper and her tastes a little better.

Fascinating, eh? ;)

xoxo
tara

Let's play a game!

This is a Virtual Shower, after all...so, it's time for another game! (If you missed it, check out the archives for the Bloons game...mad addictive fun!)

This one seems perfectly themed, help the baby get his snack back! There's multiple chapters to keep you occupied, and it's a cute game. And, it comes from Israel--adding a little something to the experience.

Join the Bamba Snack Quest! Good luck!

xoxo
tara

We had better get in gear!

According to a fun little internet predictor site, Thumper is gonna come early...I guess we'd better get on that to-do list pronto! ;)

Here's what they had to say:

Labor Prediction Quiz

Your labor prediction quiz results are below.....

Get your bags packed early just in case you need them. Make sure your partner has a phone available when he's away because this baby just might come early. We predict your baby will come 2-3 weeks early. Your baby will most likely be born in the morning. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 8.0 pounds and that your labor will be about 12 hours long.

This is for entertainment purposes only.

Baby, you oughta be in pictures!

• We had a sleeping fetus, with a scrunched up face that was partially obscured by placenta matter, etc.
• To solve this problem and attempt to get a better shot, we poked, we prodded, we jiggled, I rolled around from one side to the other. Not sure if any of this was having an impact.
• Then Ross decided to try a little music, so he loaded up some Beatles tunes. She Loves You and Ticket to Ride didn't seem to do much either, but when Within You Without You, from the Sgt. Pepper album, played, that seemed to do the trick.
• Just prior to this clip, around when the track was playing, she started to stir, she rubbed her eye with her little hand (there's a photo of this in the post below), and then...
  
• She opened her eyes (this is where the clip begins), and grabbed her forehead, while making facial movements that alternated between grumpy at having been awoken, yawning, and then calming herself with sucking motions.
• Her chubby little cheek is smooshed up against the placenta, but you can still see her face pretty well in this segment....and we, in our unbiased and completely objective opinions, think she's pretty cute.

Enjoy!

Drum Roll Please!

After much frustration and several thwarted attempts to determine what gender our little Peanut might be, we decided to make the trek into civilization in order to avail ourselves of some recreational ultrasound imaging.

While some scoffed at our desire to ogle our little fetus, suggesting that our need to know the gender was bordering on the unseemly, we would not be dissuaded from our mission. So, off to Brookline we went this past weekend, to visit the retail, entertainment sonogram provider nestled among the trendy shops and funky restaurants.

Stopping first to meet some friends for lunch, and indulge my craving for some kosher noshing--I wanted Chopped Liver, dammit!, we braved the hottest day of the year thus far (101 degrees!, yikes).

Our goal--to get a 3D/4D ultrasound scan of the soon-to-be-Jacobs Baby, with the specific intent to:

1. Figure out exactly what gender little Thumper actually might be. That 70% girl crap just irked us to no end! Inquiring minds must be satisfied!
2. Get a gander at our wee bairn's face, and see if we can spot some family resemblances.

So, after a yummy snack at Zaftig's Delicatessen--my first time, but I'd definitely head back again--we headed over to the ol' Goldenview scanning center, just around the corner.

Within seconds of clambering up onto the very comfy, mom-centric scanning bed (hospitals could take a few notes from these folks), and exposing the belly for the copious gel application, we received the answer to our first question (though the technician had to go to some lengths to educate us on how she was able to tell, as it all looked rather mushy to us):

IT'S A GIRL!!!!
110% Girl...no messing around!

Whew! It's so nice knowing. And, now I can finish my registries--all those items that I was waiting to choose based on gender can finally be selected, and some of the green and yellow items can be replaced too...not that everything must be pink, of course.

And, now we can really dive into the name game with gusto! (Reminder: Got a name suggestion? There's a place to make those in the archives--maybe if I get my act together I'll pull a new post up front so you can all indulge, if you feel the need.) Our list continues to grow, and I'm sure we'll whittle it too...but our plan remains to meet our little Thumping Peanut first, before committing to a name choice. We want to make sure our choice fits the person who comes out.

Anyhoo...back to our adventure in scanning!

Having established that we are having a girl person, it was time for the real fun to begin! On to the 3D experience!

It took a minute to find her face--she's already in the Vertex position, by the way (for the uninitiated, that means head down, getting ready for eventual exit...). And, having found it, we wished for a better, clearer visual, so we began a series of antics to attempt to shift her around for a better view.

We poked, pushed, and shimmied my belly (I paid for this later, I'll have you know). I rolled one way and then the other. And, then Ross had the brilliant notion to motivate her with music. Pulling out his handy cell phone, equipped with a database of music to rival many ipods, he loaded up some Beatles tunes and proceeded to serenade our little fetus.

The scans that accompany this series of events are precious--and soon to be available for viewing, once the conversion to YouTube is complete. Turns out, little Thumper was sleeping, and our various ploys finally managed to lure her into wakefulness. In classic Sleepy Gene style, no less! Ah yes, she is her mother's daughter! ;)

First, one little fist came up to sleepily rub at her eye.

Then her eyes opened, and she grabbed her forehead, as if to say, who sent for these people and their noise?! (This was when Ross had started up a particularly screech-y Sgt. Pepper track.)

Now awake, probably jostled out of a lovely fetal dream, Thumper made the classic 'Sleepy Grumpy Face'--with which we are quite familiar around this household, as not only does Mommy make that face when prematurely awoken, but so, too, does Winston Puppy Pants. It's something of a family trait--clearly deeply ingrained, rather than learned, as Thumper is making it in the womb! ;)

Finally, Thumper worked her way out of her grump with a little soothing suckling, working her little mouth and lips in the cutest little moue. It looked like she indulged in a little yawn, as well.

She's a cutey, alright--plump little cheeks, sweet button nose, and darling little lips. One cheek is mooshed up against the placenta in the scans, but it doesn't obscure her adorable little punim. Awww.

I think this was the most fun thing thus far of the entire pregnancy! And, it has struck us anew--Wow! We're having a baby! ;)

Into the home stretch!

It's been too long since I tended to our Baby's little blog, so you can look forward to a flurry of updating over the next couple of weeks. There's been lots of little things going on, and a couple of bigger news items to talk about.

Look for:

• New photos in the photo gallery!
• A new YouTube video--yes! Our little bean is already making home videos! ;)
• Third Trimester woes, trials and tribulations
• And, all kinds of 'Whoa! We're having a BABY! Duuuude....!' moments

xoxo
tara