Still Waiting...

Baby Harvey is apparently quite content to stay put for now.  We are now 4 days late and everyone keeps checking in to see if she has arrived.  Believe me - no one is more anxious and ready for her to come out than I am!

We had a fetal non-stress test on Monday and Baby H is doing well.  Plenty of movement and heart rate changes.  The test picked up on the fact that I'm apparently having contractions, which should mean that I'm making some progress toward delivery soon.  The contractions don't hurt, so I couldn't really tell the difference between the contractions and Baby H's movement until the test helped me distinguish them.  I've been having some more in the last 24 hours, so hopefully that means that labor will come soon.

We'll keep all of you updated...

Let's Go Oakland!

Since Baby H decided to stay put past her due date, Thomas and I decided to take in a little baseball action today and enjoy the nice spring weather.  We watched the A's defeat the Giants in their last spring training game of the season.  Everyone at the game commented about the little A's fan that I had on board.

My mom arrived tonight into San Francisco, and she is happy that she is going to be here for Baby Harvey's arrival!  Still feeling good and no sign of labor yet...

Forty Week Photo

Here I am at 40 weeks and 1 day.  Hoping this is the last weekly photo I have to take!

Due Date

Baby Harvey's due date is now here, but Baby Harvey is not!  We suspected we were in for a late baby after our Tuesday OB appointment, when we learned I had made very little progress since the previous week.  Only a little over 1 cm dilated and 50-60% effaced.  Last week, I was 1 cm and 50%, so the change was very minimal in 9 days' time.

I've actually been grateful for the extra time, to be honest.  I have done so many errands this week and have had time to rest and relax as well.  Plus, I still feel really good so I'm not miserable and uncomfortable like a lot of friends have been this late in the game.  Today, I walked to work with Thomas, sat in a coffee shop for a bit, and then hit Union Square for some shopping!  I took the cable car home and enjoyed the fabulous spring weather.  Tonight, Thomas and I are off to dinner and a movie.  And if Baby Harvey stays put tomorrow, we are going to go to the Oakland A's vs. San Francisco Giants baseball game.

We are looking forward to Grandma Neeland's arrival tomorrow evening.  I guess Baby H is staying put so she can make her arrival when both grandmas are here!

We'll keep everyone updated....

Work is Through and One Week to Go!

Yesterday was my last day at work for six months and also marked my entry into the 39th week! The past few weeks have been really difficult at work - very long hours trying to finish up projects and quite a lot of stress, so I'm glad to have a break. I've been very lucky to continue to feel good this whole time. I walked my 1.5 miles to work each day and didn't really have any major pregnancy side effects, so that was the only thing that got me through it all.

Some of the women at work threw Baby Harvey a shower this week. We had a great time eating cake (topped with a sleeping baby made out of white chocolate) and opening presents. Baby H got a beautiful blanket, lots of cute clothes, and all sorts of bath products. Thanks Christine and the women of Covington!

We saw the OB a few days ago and I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced, so we're making progress, but don't think Baby H is coming in the immediate future yet. Thomas had a dream that Baby H would be born on April 7 (four days late), so we are going with that. I'm hoping this means that I will have about 10 days to finish up baby preparations and take it easy. My mom is coming to town on April 4, so we are hoping she will be here for the delivery too!


Here are my 37 & 38 week photos:

National Corndog Day

Thomas and I always look forward to our favorite holiday of the year - National Corndog Day - which takes place on the first Saturday of the NCAA basketball tournament. Even though I was 38 weeks and one day pregnant this year, we were determined to celebrate it like always. We invited lots of friends and co-workers over to our house for lots of eating and game-watching.

For those of you who don't know about Corndog Day (http://www.corndogday.com/), the goal is to eat as many corndogs, tater tots, and canned American beers as possible. You have from the tipoff of the first game (at about 10 am) until the last buzzer (about 8 pm) to do it. The ultimate goal is to complete the triple-double - 10 corndogs, 10 beers, and 100 tater tots. We didn't have anyone make that goal this year, but Thomas was a surprise contender, setting a personal best of 7/7/70. I was handicapped by Baby Harvey taking up all the space in my stomach this year. But I still managed 6 corndogs during the day.

Here I am manning the oven and holding my very own non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer (who knew they made these!?!?!?).

Corndog Day is family-friendly! Megan teaches her daughter, Whitney, about the finer things in life:

Getting the Nursery Ready

Thomas and I have been spending what little free time we have had the past few weeks making some big preparations for Baby Harvey. During the first weekend in March, we attended our second birthing class with the McMoyler Method. Thomas was unwittingly picked as a "volunteer" to demonstrate how to push the baby out in front of the whole class. He was quite a trooper and acted it out with reality and drama! Here we are with our teacher and with one of our classmates who was Thomas's "birth attendant."

We also have been making repeated trips to Target and Babies 'R' Us to get final supplies. Picking which diapers and wipes to get was quite overwhelming - Thomas finally determined that we should try Huggies first after reading lots of reviews.

The nursery is almost ready. We purchased a beautiful Ragazzi changing table from one of my coworkers that matches the natural wood furniture look we are going for in the nursery (thanks, Kim!). Thomas found a matching bookcase at Ikea, so along with our glider we purchased off of Craig's List and the dresser we already owned, we have managed to decorate the nursery at a reasonable price. Our only "splurge" was a new crib from Italian furniture maker Bellini. Sadly, it is the only hiccup we've encountered in our baby preparation so far. When we opened the box, we found that it was broken and had several stains on it! So, we won't have our crib until a replacement shipment comes in by mid-April. Baby Harvey is instead going to have to make do with the bassinet feature of our Pack N Play for a week or two (somehow, we don't think she'll know the difference).

Here are some photos of our almost-done nursery. I like to say that we kept the blue wall color because we are progressive San Franciscans who are raising a gender-neutral child, but those of you who actually know me know that probably isn't true! We just didn't want the hassle of painting since we are looking for a house and may move within a few months or a year. And the blue is kind of calming.

The Latest Belly Photo

Here I am at 35 weeks... can I get any bigger? I'm afraid so!

California Baby Shower

This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending another wonderful shower for Baby Harvey. This time, we were in California at the beautiful home of Laurie Dachs, who was co-hosting the shower with two other friends of Susan's - Marcia Argyris and Bryn Bettelheim.

In attendance was a great group of women - friends of Susan from Piedmont and the East Bay, my co-workers, and friends from college and law school. Baby Harvey received so many adorable clothes and will most certainly be the best-dressed baby in town now. Thanks to everyone!

With Elena, who has been giving me tips on having a new baby girl:

The lovely hostesses....

Baby Harvey receives her very own pair of pink glitter Converse sneakers (to match Thomas's Spizzwink shoes!):