Pictures So Cute That They Must Be Shared

Look how cute my men are when they're sleeping.
Thanks to aunt boobie (Nicky) for the whale bib. Stay posted for pictures with the scary shark one from aunt Lisa! YUM.
If anyone needs some tennis lessons, Halen doesn't charge much, but he drools on the court alot.
Look who can stand up!

Where's That Red One Gonna Go???

Halen and I participated in a study last week at Emory University. It is a study on language and development. First they asked me lots of questions and I had to fill out tons of paperwork. Then they strapped Halen in a car seat and played a very boring set of noises for him. I and the other guy in the room had to be behind curtains. Halen wasn't into this study. The Ba ba ba and Da da da noises where boring him and he started screaming. The poor little guy was lonely. Oh, they had him hooked up to heart monitors to measure his reaction to the noises. They where just little stickers with wires clipped to them. He didn't mind. So then we moved on to the table where Halen sat in my lap and the study guy proceeded to play with Halen. He would show him a toy, then do what he wanted Halen to do with the toy, then put it down on the table, and see what Halen did. He was a rockstar!!! He did everything that he was supposed to do except for 2 things. They (there was another person observing through a one-sided mirror) where very impressed with his development. They said that they didn't expect him to do as well as he did at his age, that the study was aimed for a large age bracket, and he scored on the level as a baby much older than he is. I was surprised by how much he could do as well. I play with him every day, but I hadn't 'tested' him in this way before. They did things like show him a block and a cup, then hide the block under the cup, to see if he looks for it. Many babies at his age don't understand that once a thing is gone from view that they are not really gone from existance. So, if he looks for the block, then they know that he realizes that it's just hidden from sight. They score higher if they grab the cup one-handed by the handle than if they pick it up two handed. He went straight for the handle, picked it up with one hand and got the block with the other. Then he would show him different toys that made noises in different way. He would show him how to make the noise and then set it down. Halen would then grab the toy, bring it to his mouth for a little taste, then move it away from his mouth and shake it or press it to make the noise. Everything went to the mouth first. Then we got on the floor to see if Halen could sit, roll over, and stand flat-footed when balanced. Of course he did all that stuff with no problem. When a toy was placed out of his reach, he would squirm or roll to it.
After all that brain workout, Halen got some boobie and went to sleep. They then hooked sensors up behind his ears and played sounds. They measured his hearing ability this way. When a sound is made, the nerves behind the ear send a signal and these sensors read that. He hears well. While he was sleeping and being tested in this way, I peed in a cup, got some blood drawn, and took a hearing test of my own. There where several different tests. First I had to repeat muffled words. Next I had to repeat muffled words while background chatter was also being played. Then I had to repeat two different words that where played simultaneously, one into each ear. First I had to repeat the one I heard in the right ear, then left and then vice versa. Then I had to hear two sentences simultaneously and repeat the one I heard in the right ear, then a series where I repeated the one I heard in the left ear. this was fairly difficult, but I managed to get almost every single one right. They where also surprised by how well I did. I guess I'm a rockstar too.
Halen had to give a peepee sample as well. they put this ushaped sticker attached to a plastic bag around his cock and balls and waited for him to pee in it.
Halen then got a toy, a t-shirt, and $50!
We recently got asked to do another study too. Next week he's going to watch a puppet show while wearing a swim cap with brain sensors attached to it. we get a copy of his brain wave activity. i'll post it and you can all marvel at his genius level, because I'm sure it'll show that he's super highly advanced.
Oh, and the little guy is so close to crawling it's ridiculous. He's pushing up to his knees now. I think he'll be taking over the neighborhood by next week! Maybe he'll take his first real crawl for his daddy for father's day.

Guess Who's Cutting His First Tooth

bottom front left! I'll get a picture of it if I can. It's really hard to see, but you can feel it. That's why Halen was waking up and crying all through the night!!!

Another Blog? Their Entry About The Quilt Is Better Than Mine.

This is the company i got the fabric for Halen's organic quilt from. They liked it so much when I sent pictures that they wrote a blog about it. How sweet. I meant to get on here today and write about thet tests Halen took yesterday. I don't feel like it now though. I guess you'll all have to wait on pins and needles till tomorrow.

Quilt

Well, here's the quilt. Halen likes it.

Touch those toes!

Sorry it's been so long. We had alot going on for a few days. I also had a plugged milk duct in my right boobie and I was cranky as hell. It hurt! Apparently my bra is too tight. I'm in constant denial that I need to go buy a bigger bra. I still think I'm part of the itty bitty titty committee or something.
I've been working on a quilt for Halen and it's moments away from being done. I'll post pictures when it is. I started a webshop on etsy to sell my crafts. it's kinda like ebay, but not an auction and it's only handmade items. it's a great site to check out in general. alot of the same people that sell things at youngblood are on there. alot of it is wholesale too. anyway, my page is www.crustychristy.etsy.com Right now there's only 5 things on there. I'm slowly adding more. I hope to sell baby quilts, but I don't know how I'm going to actually get them done because it takes fucking forever!
We took Halen and the dogs to the dog park. Halen loves dogs so much, we figured he'd go apeshit at the dog park. There was no one there! One other dog came and left while we where there and he wasn't interested in Halen. Oh well, the dogs got wore out for a little while.
Kelly and Frances had a bday party. Halen was the hit of the party, showing off his mobility with his walker. The dogs all got doggy frozen yogurt. Lucy fought another dog to try to get some more. She got put in time out.
Well, I'm gona go back to bed. I got up to let the crazy dogs out. In the morning, they school around me like sharks. It kinda drives me crazy. Halen is still asleep so I'm going to go join him.
There's another baby craft night tonight, my place, 6:30. Other people (non-reproducers) are allowed to come as long as they make stuff for the babies! Haha.
Later,
Christy

BIG DAY

Halen had two big things happen today. One, he was left in the YMCA day care with a stranger! I felt nauseous on the way to the Y and after we left him in there. He was fine when we left and fine when Dan went and got him half an hour later, but I couldn't do anything but think about him the whole time. I felt guilty the whole time I was swimming laps, like I should be swimming with Halen. It did feel good to swim laps though. Two, Halen went in the pool. He had fun. There was another baby there who was the same size as Halen. I thought he was probably just a little older (cause Halen is usually as big as the older kids), till his parents put him down and he was just standing there. He was seriously the same height at Halen, but walking and talking. He was 15 months. We sat them next to each other on the pool edge and laughed at them. Halen splashed and kicked like mad! He never got cold of upset by the water. In another month, he'll be old enough to start the parent and me swim class. We'll definetely be signing up for that. He is going to be a fish! It's awesome that you can leave the baby with someone while you workout, but it's hard on the mommy! It'll be easier when he's old enough to play with the other kids.
tonight is babie's pizza night. only 2 more hours. i'm starving!!!

picnic

we went on a picnic today. here are some pics.

a true pirate!

Here are a couple of the crafty t-shirts from craft night. The ladies couldn't make it. Halen was in a nasty mood at the end of the night and he let us know with this piratey glare. He's cute even when being mean.

Babies craft night

Halen and I hosted a mommy and baby party. It was a mad house! It was tons of fun though. We all made little shirts for our babies. Halen's is a pirate ship. All the babies are going to wear their shirts to pizza night on Tuesday. I'll post a picture of that when that happens.
Today is my first mother's day as a mommy. Dan made a deeee-licious breakfast. Halen is being extra cute and got me an excellent present of 2 hours on a new tattoo. I gotta figure out what to get now. I'm excited.
I like mothers day.

Avocado

Yummmm!

First trip to the Ocean

Momma, that's cold!!!


What is this stuff? It's kinda cool! It makes me want to sit up ALL BY MYSELF!!!!


HALEN WAS HERE!! 5-1-06

There are no words!

New Toy!

Halen woke up from his morning nap to his new exersaucer being all put together and ready to go. He loves it! He's very intently studying all the things to chew on and his new level of mobility is pretty exciting for him. He'll be at it for awhile, with the look of blue steel on his face, and then he looks up and smiles. We got a circus themed exersaucer, cause mommy likes the circus! it even has a circus tent that plays that amazing circus tune that we all know and love.

Wow, Kale, Yum, Really

Halen is such a good eater! He even likes Kale! So far, he has had baby rice cereal, bananas, papaya, and kale. Booby is still his favorite. Like every good parent, I will now comment on his poop. It's changing. It's getting solider and stinkier. A diet of bananas and breast milk makes really nasty looking poop. I don't think I'll ever eat a banana again. I'm not looking forward to the Kale diaper.
Dan is on the couch snoring behind me. It's the weirdest snore ever, it sounds like when you're trying to start a car, but the engine never turns over. Halen is sleeping in his crib. The dogs are crashed out too. I guess it's bed time or something. It's only 10:18! We live on the wild side over here at the hawkins/harrison house.

Seriously

I've been meaning to write about the joys of motherhood for awhile now, but I'm enjoying life so much, that I can hardly find time for sitting in front of ye old computer!
So here's a short version of my story. I have lived a pretty adventurous life. I've rode my bike across 4 countries, hiked 250 miles straight, lived in several different major cities, taken countless road trips, camping trips, life adventures, etc. I even went to circus school for a year and flew on a flying trapeze (i'm not bragging, just leading up to the good stuff)! Up until I met the lovely Dan Harrison, one of my mottos was 'buried before married.' I had no desire for children or a husband or anything resembling a normal 'tied down' sort of life. Soon after spending time with Dan, I realized that a partnership can be a wonderful harmonious thing and that he'd make a great father, so we should get married and have kids. It went against all my future beliefs, but when you meet the right person, things just fall in line. So, we decide to get married and figured we'd have a kid sometime in the first couple of years of our marriage. A bit to our surprise, Halen gets conceieved immediately and we have a Costa Rican souvenir bun in the oven. I was pretty terrified at first, not knowing how my body would handle the pregnancy and most of all, the birth! Pregnancy certainly has it's ups and downs, but it's overall a fascinating experience. There's so much you never know about the process until you're there. It's stuff every pregnant woman goes through, yet you never learn about it. I was often left wondering why I didn't learn more about this in health class. If they can show you how to use a tampon, they should also tell you a bit about pregnancy and all it's quarks. I guess some crazy conservative somewhere decided that teaching about pregnancy might encourage it or something. Anyway, pregnancy is nuts! I didn't experience many of the food cravings, but I did experience the need to feed! Holy moly, I was hungry! Then I got heartburn regularly, always carrying my little bottle of Tums. Toward the end, I didn't want to do anything but have that baby. i just wanted to get that little kicker out of me so I could meet him face to face! While in utero, I sang songs to him, held flashlights to my belly to see if he'd respond, and told him lots of stories. When I finally started my labor, shopping with Maggie and Melanie in Target, I didn't know if it was just cramps or the real deal. Several hours later, I decided that it was real. I was already tired, but so excited that I couldn't imagine sleeping. I stayed up all night, going in to the hospital around 2am. Once there, I was hardly dialated, so I just walked around the room, squatting here and there, hanging on Dan, pooping every 2 minutes, throwing up a couple of times, biting Dan, and trying to deal with the pain. I was so exhausted I would fall asleep standing up, hanging on Dan, between contractions. Everyone finally talked me into an epidural so I could let my body rest and get ready for the pushing. It was a terrifying experience when that big ass needle was going into my spine, right as I was screaming from the pain of a contraction, but soon came some serious relief from the pain. I managed to sleep a couple of hours and felt much better. Then it was time to push. We won't go there! I'll just say that it was really hard, took too long, was pretty painful, but resulted in the happiest moment of my life. Each moment since has been happier, as I get to know this little bugger. He was so beautiful, slimy, cone-headed, and all. He was good at nursing right away. At first, there's no milk. It's just colustrum, which is stuff that they suck out and it lines their system as a protective coating. It's the first step in the development of their own immune system. When the milk comes in a few days later, it is insanely crazy! My boobs where enormous, lumpy, and hard as rocks. I was worried to death that they would stay that way. After about a day, they figure out the cycle and no longer get that big and that hard. Breastfeeding is amazing!!! I have never felt so much pride as when I am making milk for Halen. Of all my accomlishments, I feel like it is the most miraculous and amazing one. It makes me feel like a friggin super hero! Being Halen's mom has been the most amazing experience in my life so far. I sometimes wonder why I didn't do this sooner, but I know that I had all those other adventures to take care of first. They are part of me and I'm glad I did them.
Halen is awake now and I'm doing that magical nursing thing as I type. I'll wrap this up so I can hang out with the little angel. Basically, I used to not want kids, then I did but I thought I'd wait a little longer. Now I can't imagine how anyone can go through their life without this experience. If you've ever thought there was a slight possibility that you'd want kids, then do it! It's amazing! Also, Halen needs some playmates!
love,
momma christy

Big Day

Today is daddy's b-day and Halen's first try at solid foods. Halen gave Dan a shirt that says 'world's greatest daddy,' cause he is. we've been hanging out in the house overloading on sweets all day. Halen did real good eating his rice cereal, mixed with breast milk. He barely spit any out and he was opening his mouth for the spoon with every bite. we'll start giving him a little of that for about a week, and then we'll try bananas!!! I personally don't care for bananas, but Dan loves them and so do most kids. I look forward to letting him try some. We got video of Halen eating, but I don't know how to put video on the blog. Oh well.
christy

golfing anyone?

We all just got back from a quick trip to asheville, NC. Halen got to meet aunts and uncles, cousins, and a grandma! He was getting passed around like a hot potato! He wants to tell you all that it was lovely to meet you and thanks for letting us visit! We ate three times at Rosetta's kitchen! they have some of the best vegan food in the world! i wish it was my kitchen and all that yummy goodness came out of it to my lazy bones. today we're back to the grind, well daddy is. Halen and I are just hanging out. He's about to nurse while i get my morning fix of E.R. on the way back to town, we stopped at the outlets and got halen some new threads, this crazy adorable hat included.
tonight Halen is going to his first hockey game!!! GO THRASHERS!

Trick photography?

several people have asked if the 'new trick' post is trick photography. absolutely not! Halen is just very strong and talented. I guess he has some of my circus genes. it must be those handstands i did while pregnant!

Sweet Dreams

ever wondered what he's thinking?

New Trick

Never underestimate the power of the finger in the mouth!!!

HARD AT PLAY

sleepy boy

who's a happy baby?

Look at that boy! He's so friggin cute and happy. We must be doing something right cause he's the biggest baby ever, completely off the growth charts. He's 12 weeks old now, almost 3 months! He had his first celebrity run in last night at Harmony. Andre 3000 was there. Halen was just like, 'whatever mom, it's just some dude. can you pick me up now?' he's so wonderful. we're all so happy. see ya soon.
christy

New Record

Halen just sneezed 7 times straight! He's very pleased with himself.

anyone for a doobie?

Ladies Man!

Our niece and Halen's cousin Kayla came to visit us for a few days. We had a fun filled time, going to Fernbank's chocolate exhibit and the new aquarium. Halen slept through most of the fun, but was happy and fascinated when awake. He's getting so big, over 15 pounds now!
We're all feeling much better now too. Halen having a cold was rough on me. I didn't sleep for days. Things are better now. I gotta go now. He's waking up and it's time for him to eat.
Christy

Sick

Halen's first plane ride
We are all officially now sick. I am getting over it, Halen is getting over the hump, and Christy is just starting to get it. There is lots of phlem flying around over here. That is really just about it.

Will you please be my valentine?

with the dogs

here's a couple of pics of Halen hanging out with the dogs. sorry it's been so long. i keep meaning to get on here and write a long post about how wonderful it is to be a mother, but i just can't find the right words or the time. i will though. i have to talk all of you friends of ours into having kids of your own soon.
Later,
mommy

He's a big boy!

Last night we met up with a couple of other babies. One of them was a cute boy who is 3.5 months old! Guess what? He and Halen are the same size. Halen's hands where even bigger than his. It was cute. We forgot our camera, but pictures where taken. I'll try to hunt one down and post it.
Love,
Momma

Mom!!! You're embaressing me!

Ha ha. He's only a month old and I'm already embaressing the boy. Look at how cute he is in the bath with the rubber ducky. I love him!

party and checkup

Halen had a little party last night in his honor. He's a big one month old. He met a girl (and tried to eat her). We had a Dr. appointment this morning. He's 11lbs. 13 oz. and 22.5 inches long. He's growing well. He's in the 90th percentile for weight and height. We're very proud!

One Month

Today is Halen's one month birthday. He is very excited about it and so are we. It has been a crazy month as well as the best.

4 WEEKS!

Well, our little bugger is 4 weeks old today! In those 4 weeks, the longest stretch of sleep I have gotten is 3 hours, yet I am happier than I've ever been. I feel so lucky to be his mom and have him in my life. I am also lucky to have his dad in my life (even if he has done nothing today but play playstation). I love my boys and our life. Here's a cute picture of him sleeping on his 4weekday.

big boy

I can't believe he's 3 weeks old! He's really growing up. He's already practicing being a teenager, with a bit of baby acne. I call him pizza face. He has learned how to blow spit bubbles too. Next, the pythagorean theorem. I'm sure I didn't spell any of that right. Momma isn't the genius that Halen is. We're very happy here, still a bit tired, but happy nonetheless. Come visit us anytime, just bring food with you when you do. Ha ha. here is a picture of the little guy just starting to pitch a fit about all those lights flashing in his face. He's still a handsome devil, even when he's mad.
oh, and we got another dog! Lucy is her name. Pictures of her soon! she's gone to the pet store with daddy.
later
momma

Happy New Year

Halen said good bye to 2005 in style, and then passed out. Happy New Years.

happy days

I could write a book about all the emotions and experiences of the last week, but I'm pretty exhausted, so I won't. Having Halen join our family is the greatest adventure I've ever experienced, and I've been on a few pretty great adventures. His first Christmas was fun. He looked adorable in his little red Christmas outfit. We got a guitar so we can play lullabys for him.
Dan is the best dad in the world. When I see them together, I get so happy and teary.
well, i just wanted to say hi. i could go into details about the birth and stitches and all that, but some people might not want to hear all that stuff. it all doesn't matter as soon as it's over anyway. i'd do it again any day.
later,
christy

The First Few Days

Well things have been going pretty smoothly, hahahaha. Not too bad but the world has kinda been turned on its side, not all the way upside down. Halen still has Jaundice. He looks like he is getting better today. We have to go back to the doctor for the third day in a row since we left the hospital. They keep poking holes in the bottom of his feet for blood samples and it is very sad to watch. Christy has to wake up every two hours to nurse him and now i have to wake up when she is done to supplement with a little soy formula. The next time you see us we will probably look about as bad as you have ever seen us, but we wil still be glowing. I have always wanted to be a dad and it has been better than I had hoped. I am absolutely in love with the little booger and have been since the moment i pulled him, with a little help, out of Christy. Aunt Melanie has been in town for a few days now and has been a huge help which is nice cause Im out of it most of the time.

Halen other than being slightly sick has been perfect. He only cries when we make him so he will eat more or when we change him.

Home Again

After 3 long days at the hospital we are finally back home +1. His name is Halen Hawkins Harrison and we couldnt be happier.
9lbs. 13oz. 22" . More later. Too tired.

i might be in labor

It's 11pm on the 16th, did anyone guess the 17th?

Not a werewolf

Well, the full moon didn't draw him out. I've always been terrified of werewolves anyway, so that's okay by me I guess. Maybe today??? Maybe he wants to come out when the sun is shining and it's not the crappiest weather ever outside! Just like his daddy, rainy weather calls for staying inside and cozy.

I hope my babies head is proportioned like this.

Is that my water...?

...or did I just piss myself again? My bladder is in serious turmoil these days. She'll be the happiest organ in there when this is all over with.
Monday, as I was walking around Target, I got a surge of wet that completely soaked my panties. I thought for sure my water had broke. So, I headed for the door and came home. I called Dan and nonchalantly told him that my water may have broken, but since I've never broken water before, I wasn't sure. We decided to just wait until my midwife appointment and see what she said, unless other symptoms starting progressing. He came home from work early to take me to my appointment, and we packed our hospital bags in the car, just in case. She did a full exam and several tests, but there no sign of amniotic fluid. My cervix was dialated a "real good 1 cm." The baby was +3 cm, which means she could feel his little head 3 cm. up from my cervical opening. She could feel him! He's really in there! I can be dilated like that for days before labor starts though, so don't get too excited. Anyway, she said that after the plug is gone and the cervix is dialating, there is just lots of discharge, some spurts wetter than others. So, that's probably what it was. I'm just wearing pads these days and waiting for that real water to break, if it does. Sometimes they have to break it for you. So, it's not always the first sign. At this point, I think I'm going into labor about every 5 minutes. I have lots of contractions, but they're all just the practice ones. My aunt gets here today, so I'll be more mentally ready. Maybe that's what we've been waiting for. After she gets here, I think I'll eat some spicy food while getting a foot massage. I think I'll do a 'natural labor inducing' google lookup right now and add a few more things to that list.
Oh, and in case you don't know. We can have visitors at the hospital. We'll be at Northside Women's Center, in the labor and delivery area. I'm not positive what the visiting hours are, but they're something like 8-8, so it's a broad time frame. I may or may not be seeing people directly after the birth. No matter what time it is, people are allowed into the actual birthing room after the baby comes, but only if we're ready. We'll only be in there a couple of hours after he's born, then we move to the regular rooms with regular hours. The first thing we'll do after the birth is try the whole breastfeeding thing. After that, we'll let people come in, if there's still time and I'm not too exhausted. It might be easier for people to get in at this point if they have chocolate with them. Just a thought. Also, we still love you if you're sick, but please don't visit us until you're all better. Our baby will be tough as nails of course, but we'd rather not take the risk.
Okay, this momma is gona try to go back to bed. Some nights I sleep great and others I lay there convinced that it's 200 degrees in the house and I can't understand why we're all not spontaneously combusting.
momma

still no baby

I've got a midwife appointment today at 2:00! We'll discuss the mucus plug and see if I'm dilated. I'll let you know. I am so ready, but I'm also holding out for my aunt to get here on Wednesday. She's my support in case Dan faints.
I talked to a woman yesterday at the Indie Craft Experience who just had a baby two months ago. She had a homebirth in Asheville, au naturale. I wish I could have a home birth. Damn Georgia laws! She said it's illegal in N.C. too, but she found a midwife who would do it. Anyway, it's so wonderful to talk to women who have recently given birth. She was very encouraging. I'm actually really looking forward to this experience, pain and all. Bring it on baby, Momma's ready!

This just happened

I remembered our birth class teacher talking about this, so I googled it and found it under a health reports "first signs of labor." I haven't had any contractions today, so it could still be awhile. It's just neat that these things are really happening.

"Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug

During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus blocks the cervical opening to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and open, this plug may be discharged. You may notice stringy mucus or a thick discharge. It's typically brown and sometimes tinged with blood.

Losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor may begin soon, but it's not a guarantee. Labor may still be a week or more away."

POP!

I am so ready to just burst right open. Only 12 more days till D-day! Yahoo! The 15th is the full moon, so it's possible I'll go a little early, in order to be inline with the lunar schedule. My body has been known to follow the moon cycle.
Well, some people have actually asked me what they should get the little bugger for Christmas. He's not even born yet, calm down. He won't remember, take advantage! In 3 years he'll be asking everyone he knows for remote control cars and shit. Anyway, I went ahead and registered for some organic cloth diapers and a couple of other things at Kidbean.com. It's an all vegan online family store. There's lots of cool stuff (toys without batteries are nice) on there that I didn't register for, if you like to pick stuff out for yourself. Diapers aren't lots of fun, but certainly practical. If you do want to get him something, type in shipfree1205 in the coupon code box for free shipping in December. I only registered for 4 terry cloth diapers, but we really need about 12, so you can go over the limit on those things. I just thought that would get us started.
Well, I'm outta here. I have to go get busy at some more laying around. I'm at the point where I'd prefer to be standing or lying. Sitting is getting a little cramped.
Later,
Big huge momma

rain rain go away

Momma is going stir crazy, couped up inside during all this nasty weather. I feel cramped and gross. I need my dog walks. I had a bunch of 'practice contractions' last night. we got a little ansy for a little while. Dan started packing my hospital bags that i never finished. then i just went to sleep instead. no baby. i had a midwife appointment this morning and she said that they are going to be coming stronger and more regularly all the way up until they're the real deal and I can set my watch by them. Let's hope that day comes soon. Well, as much as I want to have him, I also want to wait for my aunt and she doesn't get here till the 14th. Then, it's on, baby having time!

quack quack!

I'm detecting a slight waddle in my walk and it's getting harder and harder to fight it as the day goes on.

Done

Well, today is the day. I'm 37 weeks, a.k.a TERM! That means that our little biscuit is all done, he's just hanging out in the warming drawer till he's good and ready to come out and grace us with his presence. Get your bets in to Lisa, cause the time is now baby, the time is now! Oh, and I'd appreciate it if the guesses are 9 pounds or less! Don't encourage him. Momma's going about this au naturale. Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend

We've had a good ole Thanksgiving weekend so far. We had some excellent grub at Lisa's mom's for 'don't kill that turkey' day. All that good food got us ready for our big hike. We left Friday morning to go to Providence Canyon State Park. It took a little longer to get there than expected, due to my inability to pay attention to details like highway splits. We got there nonetheless and set out on our trip. The hike starts out behind the ranger station/interpretive center, going down to a creek bed. Then you actually hike for about 2 miles in the creek bed. It was just a trickle of water, that actually didn't smell too good. After that, we climbed a hill, slowly for pregnant mommas, and found our campsite. We set up our fancy schmancy tent that we hadn't used yet and built a fire. It got chilly, but it felt great next to the fire and later in our sleeping bags. We then got to use our fancy schmancy stove, that we haven't used yet, to cook up some Katmandu Kurry by 'backpackers pantry'. For freeze-dried camp food, it was pretty durn good, with lentils, rice, potatos, and other veggies. Bruce dined on some of the local nuts and the food that he carried in himself in his own new backpack. We told a couple of stories by the fire and then went to bed. We all seemed to take turns sleeping and snoring. Bruce was on guard constantly listening for critters outside, which was usually just the wind. After a full night of semi-restful intermittent sleep, it was nice to get up with the sun and cook some backcountry oatmeal. That stuff was GREAT. Dan, being a man, had to get the fire burning again. You can't spend any waking time at a camp site without a fire going. duh! It's true though, even I, who has never been a man, agrees. We then packed up camp and where on the trail again by 9am. We had between 3-4 miles of trail to go today to get back around the loop to the interpretive center. Bruce led the way. There where some beautiful canyons on the latter part of the trail, with crazy colors. The fall leaves on the trees added to all the beauty. It felt so good to get out of the city and walk in the woods for a couple of days. It's been too long. We're determined to go more often, especially when we have our little munchkin. Now we're all home and just chillin. I think Bruce is going to sleep for at least 2 days. I might just join him.

9 Days Until Term

YAY!

Sleepy

I am 12 days away from being "term." The due date is always set at 40 weeks, but they say that the baby is fully developed and ready to come out any time after 37! I'm all the sudden frantic about getting stuff done. I am reading 'anything related to baby' books, researching pediatricians, scheduling hospital tours, buying baby stuff, buying nursing bras, cuddling Bruce to death, and not sleeping at all. I'm pretty exhausted these days. I just want to lay around and have my feet rubbed. All the swelling that was happening in my ankles and feet is gone. I think my body was still recouperating (sp?) from all that dehydration of being sick.
So, are we gona do this betting pool or what? I think it would be fun. Who wants to keep track of the bets? Is there going to be a fee and the winner wins the money, or a prize bought with the money? What do you guys want to do? I think there should just be bets on how long he is and what he'll weigh. Everything else gets too complicated, like if we do hair color and then he's completely bald. I get guesses all the time from strangers on how big he'll be. The bigger I get, the more people want to talk to me about it. They're usually crazy too. Yesterday, I got accosted by a crazy toothless woman who has 11 children! Her oldest is 20, her youngest is 1. She also has a grandchild by the 20 year old, who is 1. So, she's still making babies when hers are having them! Somebody stop her! The guesses people make range from 5 lbs. to 10 lbs., so no one seems to have a real clue. I'm going to get a guess from my midwife next Monday, but I'm keeping it to myself. I figure she'd have the best guess of anyone.
Well, I just wanted to say hi. No pictures today. I'll get some more up soon.
Later,
Momma

Oh no!

Well, I just found out that my little baby boy should be around 20 inches long and 5 lbs. heavy. The scary thing is that his testicles are making their way down to his scrotum around now. My uncle just sent me an email saying that he's going to protest all that vegan food and take him to Hooters for some wings. I informed him of the beating they would both be getting if that ever happens! We're gona have our hands full, that's for sure.
I've gathered everything that I think I will need to bring with me to the hospital for me and baby. I'll be packing those bags in the next couple of days. Lots of people have been volunteering help now and when the baby comes, but I really don't need anything yet. Well, I finally figured out something that people can do. After the baby is born, I'm not going to want to be up and about in the kitchen, nor am I going to be able to go out to eat. If anyone wants to make us some yummy vegan casseroles to freeze and heat up in those first few weeks, that would be awesome. Me and baby will need lots of healthy veggies and protein. I don't want to sound snooty, but we're trying to be mostly organic with the little bugger too, so that means that momma's gotta eat mostly organic. So, if this sounds like fun to anyone, we'd be much obliged.
I can't believe my baby has testicles! Oh dear.

oh dear!

Well, we had a bit of a scare yesterday. Friday night, I started puking my brains out. I continued puking and pooping yucky stuff (I could go into some nasty details here, but I'll spare you) all night long. I wasn't able to drink water or anything, because I would just have to go right back into the bathroom. I was so thirsty and so dehydrated by Saturday morning that I had a 100.5 fever and was having contractions. Dehydration can bring on early labor and I was DEHYDRATED, with a capital d-e-h-y-d-r-a-t-e-d! So we went to the hospital. They hooked me up the monitors and my contractions where only 4 minutes apart and pretty durn strong! That's right about where I should be when I'm starting active labor. Oh, and by the way, those buggers hurt. My stomach muscles are still sore. So they started an IV to hydrate me and gave me some anti-nausea stuff, which made me act a little loopy for awhile, but then put me to sleep. Poor Dan didn't know what to do when I was freaking out. They kept having to re-adjust the monitors because I couldn't stay still. I would just have to flail my arms and legs a bit every couple of minutes. 2 IV bags of fluid later, mine and the babies blood pressure where still up and the fever wouldn't break, but the contractions had slowed down. Oh, and I was done with the puking part, which was nice. They where going to let me go home, but changed their minds. More IV fluid, tylenol, and sleep finally broke the fever and the blood pressure. After about 10 hours, we got to go. I continued to have a few more randomly spaced contractions after we left, but they're gone now. I slept really good last night and I'm about to get back in that bed and sleep some more. I had to get up and eat and drink a little bit. It's nice to be able to eat again. It all happened so fast, we didn't really have time to tell anyone what was going on. So, I thought I'd fill everyone in here before you hear it somewhere else and don't know what was wrong. We're all fine, no premature baby, and he's moving around like normal. He was going a little crazy during all those contractions.
Well, I hope no one else catches this bug. It was terrible. I got it from my niece and nephew. I knew I shouldn't be hanging out with them cleaning up their puke, but that's my job. Okay, back to bed.
Christy

Haha. This picture is funny. My belly looks crazy! We had fun hiking. The dogs are pooped! So are we.

33 weeks

It's November 1st! That means that NEXT MONTH!!, I'll be a mommy and Dan will be a daddy. Whoopi. I may have trouble bending over to tie my shoes (Dan did it for me this morning), but I can still get my big butt over my head into a handstand. It's a totally different balancing game with that belly, but it's actually kinda easier.
I have poison ivy. I think the dogs brought it in and rubbed it on everything cause Cassie has it too. It really sucks. It's not harmful for the baby unless it gets in my bloodstream, so I'm washing like crazy and no scratching!
My dad sent us a stethoscope so we could listen to the baby better. It's pretty fun. It's easy to hear him swishing around in there, but takes a bit of searching to get that little heartbeat.
I recently spent $100 on a new pair of fancy orthopedically correct shoes and it has done wonders for my sore back. Now if that little guy would quit playing with my bladder, ribs, and liver, i'd be totally comfortable. Ha, I wish! Dan and I are about to go hiking today, so I guess I really do feel all right. It could be worse. I could have swollen balloon legs and arms.
Later,
Momma

32 weeks

Only 8 more weeks till my due date! I had a midwife appointment this morning and heard the little heart beat. He's still going strong. When she asked me if I've been feeling him move, he gave two good knocks on my belly that she could see, to answer for himself. Oh boy, he's already independent. I weighed in this morning at a whopping 175! Holy Moly, I never thought I'd weigh that much. That's 25 pounds heavier than I've ever weighed and 35 pounds more than when I got started with this special little project. I hopefully won't catch up to Dan's 185. I'm getting pretty close though! I did some prenatal pilates with my niece today, to get the blood pumping a little. It's pretty fun to do prenatal pilates with a 4 year old. of course, she was doing everything better than me and made sure to let me know.
Daddy's getting a new tattoo right now. Mommy can't get them while pregnant, but I plan on getting his name on my arm once he's born. Halen is still the top name in the running, but not definete.
I'll post another picture soon. We recently ordered a new computer which should be arriving shortly. After that, I probably won't be able to get a word out of Dan as he zombies out in front of his new toy. Maybe it'll be good for the blog though, because he'll want to post something finally!
Till next time,
Momma

Shower

Well Christy had her baby shower yesterday and we got tons of very cool very cute and soon to be very useful stuff. I haven't posted in a while and I'm sorry. Christy has been doing great although I think the weight of the baby is starting to really pull on her back so I get to do lots of back rubs. Probably not enough though. The day is rapidly approaching when the little monster is due and I really cant wait. So many things to think about and so much wonder. You should ask me about it sometime.

week 30

well, i don't know if that picture worked or not. we'll see. it's a few weeks old and already my belly has grown more. between my last two appointments, 4 weeks time, i gained 10 whole pounds. whoe momma! the babe and I have completed and passed all of our tests determining whether he's gona be a healthy baby or not. now we just wait. the shower is this weekend. i'm excited. i've got some house cleaning to do though. there will be yummy snacks and even two kinds of cake. mmmm mmmm good. the baby likes cake!
the little monster is moving like crazy. he should be weighing in around 3 pounds by now. i think he's more. he's got my entire belly wobbling around and poking out in weird angles when he moves. sometimes i think he grabs my ribs and shakes them. it's a strange feeling.
like always, i'll try to post more frequently, but probably won't. i think ole daddy needs to get on here and post something about how he's feeling about all this. get to it daddy!
later.
christy