Same Gabe, Different Look

Tuesday night, Gabe lost his umbilical cord.

This morning, I cut Gabe's fingernails for the first time.

And this afternoon, Gabriel was circumcised. Both Bret and I watched the procedure, me with my hands squeezing each other tight so I wouldn't make a noise and distract the doctor...and Bret with a look of stoic discomfort on his face.

This is Gabe on the way home in the car:

Sleeping peacefully and completely unaware of the big changes in his appearance this week!

First Bath

Today Gabriel had his first bath at home. This look on his face cracks me up...as if he's saying "um, Mom & Dad, you guys read this warning label over my left shoulder, right? RIGHT??"

What We Did Last Weekend

1) Logan's Soccer Game

2) Helped Jason & Anna move

3) Had a Baby

You know, your typical Saturday (and into early Sunday).

1) Logan is Bret's friend Brian's son, who LOVES Bret. Bret really wanted to catch a soccer game of Logan's before we had the baby...good thing we went to last Saturday's game! So we got up first thing Saturday morning, and I decided that we were going to fully pack everything we would need if we went into labor since we were going to be in Seattle & then Kenmore all day. Good thinking, Cheryl! Logan's game was at 10AM in Wallingford...we stayed chatting until 11:30 AM, then meandered up to Edmonds to help Bret's cousin Jason & his girlfriend Anna move. During the end of drive, I started feeling uncomfortable, but it felt just like a little intestinal discomfort (sorry...no other way to describe it).

2) We roll up to Jason & Anna's around 12:30 PM and started loading up the truck. Okay, again, my liberal use of the word "we"....because I didn't do anything but stand on the sidelines and try to help brainstorm about places to put items to make it all fit. I was still feeling uncomfortable and was trying to keep moving, if only just to sway back & forth. Jason & Anna were moving to Kenmore, so we decided that after we dropped off the load of stuff at their new house, Bret would take me to my parents house for a bit, and then we were going to head back to Jason & Anna's new house for their housewarming party that afternoon/evening. We got to my parents' house around 3 pm and I was steadily feeling more uncomfortable, but really didn't think I was having contractions...it just felt like a bathroom break was needed (again, sorry...no other way to describe it!). But, nothing was happening on that front so I just went ahead & called the hospital to ask "What does a contraction feel like?" Yeah, sounds like the silliest question...but I hadn't had ANY up until that point, and these feelings were coming 2-3 minutes apart, and didn't feel like a hardening of my uterus so much as just this pressure in my guts. The nurse asked me if I'd felt the baby moving and I hadn't really felt a lot of movement, since we were out running around and I was distracted. So she told me to drink some juice, lay down and see if I could feel him move 10 times in 30 minutes. After feeling only a few flutters/small movements, I told Bret that we should just go to the hospital, because at least then they'd put me on a fetal monitor and I could hear the baby's heartbeat to know he was okay.

3) We got to the hospital at 5 pm, they checked me and I was 3 cm dilated (I had been 2 cm dilated since week 36!). They told us to go walk around for an hour and see if things progressed. My blood pressure was high so they wanted to see if that would go down as well. My blood pressure was still high at 6 pm, so they took a blood sample for lab work and told us to go walk around again to see if things kept progressing. They checked me again shortly before 8:30 and I was 5 cm dilated, so they admitted us to the hospital. Then we spent 2 hours with the nurses trying to get the wireless fetal monitor working to get 15 minutes of recording of the baby's heartbeat. I was in the tub, the fetal monitor was being finicky...and the nurse asked me to get out of the tub at 10:30 pm so they could try to get the monitor working with me on the bed instead. Well, contractions were pretty intense and I was HIGHLY uncomfortable (understatement of the year), so the nurse decided to check me....and I was 9 cm! They called our doctor to come in, she showed up around 11:00 pm, and Gabriel Edward Totten, in all his 5 lb 14 ounce, 19.25 inch long glory, joined us at 12:09 AM on Sunday morning, October 18. I guess Gabe decided that the corn maze, lunches/dinners out with Aunts, and the Science Center just weren't his thing, and that he preferred to attend in-utero! Good thing we didn't plan any other outings, otherwise he might've stayed in there even longer!

Wish You Were Here

Last night I told Bret that I was starting to get bored waiting around for this baby to show up. I said we should go do things we normally don't get to do during the week because of work and that we don't do on weekends because of crowds. I looked online and found out that the Imax Theater at the Pacific Science Center was showing a movie on elephants, which Bret loves. (Ok, so "loves" is a strong word...but it sounds oddly academic and unusual to word it "which Bret really enjoys" or "which are an interest of Bret's"...doesn't it?) So this morning off we went to the Imax movie, the Science Center, and the Planetarium.

































I want you to know, little baby, that this is fun event #4 that you've missed in the week and 2 days since your due date. Not that I'm keeping track or anything. On your actual due date we went to a corn maze.















And last Saturday we went out to dinner for Aunt Sara's birthday. And yesterday we went to lunch with Aunt Laura in Snohomish and had yummy pie and ice cream for dessert. See what you're missing??

Internal Memo

To: Our Son
From: Your Parents

You're late.

Ahem. I mean: Son, Mommy and Daddy don't understand the choices you're making. I know it's warm and cozy in-utero, honey, but you're getting to be a big boy now and big boys don't stay in the womb forever, they come into the world to be with their families and make friends, and your father and I simply don't understand what is taking you SO long!!!

Ahem. I mean: Buddy, your Dad and I know that a due date is just an estimate, and we know that every child develops at their own pace. I don't expect you to be walking at 9 months old (although think of how much faster you'd get everywhere) and I don't expect you to be potty-trained at 18 months old (although think of how fabulous it'd be to not have a wet diaper against your bum) and I certainly don't expect you to date. Ever. Or until I want grandkids. Then I'll give you the green light on talking to girls, and then your father and I will screen contenders for an acceptable life mate, and then you can marry her, and then you can provide us with grandkids.

Ahem. I mean: We know you're going to grow and develop and learn at your own pace, and that we can't rush that. We're really just trying to understand your point of view here so we can meet on middle ground. Can you help us, buddy? From our point of view, we're thinking you must be cramped and running out of room in-utero, and probably really water-logged, and you've gotta be tired of being upside down and having all that blood rush to your head. And look, these are pictures of your room. Notice anything? You're not in them!!

Ahem. I mean: See? That entire crib is just for you! And don't worry, we'll be taking the bumpers out as soon as you get here and putting breathable bumpers on so you don't have to worry about smushing your face against the fluffy bumpers when you're too little to hold your head up. See how Mommy and Daddy are thinking about your safety?

And this is a cozy glider from Mommy's friend Marilee, who used it for her daughters. And they're happy and healthy and running around OUTSIDE Marilee's womb, and that couldn't have happened if they'd stayed inside, like you're doing.


Ahem. I mean: ...and see the blanket that Grandma Myrtle crocheted for you? And the puppy dog stuffed animal that Mommy's friend Leslie got you? A lot of people besides Mom & Dad are excited to meet you!



And WOW! The crib bedding even came with a matching valance! If that's not enough to make you want to come out and see it in person, we just don't know what we can say to motivate you...

Listen honey, the bottom line is this. Mommy and Daddy love you, and we really feel like we've waited patiently for you to get here. Remember when you were only a few months old and Daddy was saying "I just want my son to get here already!"? Well that was 6 months ago, and we went ahead and let you have that 6 months to finish growing your organs and limbs and now we really just feel like this extra few days you're taking is testing our patience.

Why don't you spend a little time (a very little time, please) thinking about the choices you're making and how they're affecting Mommy and Daddy, and then come out of the womb and be a part of this family in person. Ok?

Love,

Your parents

5k Run

I love that the title of this post is "5k Run", something I wouldn't even be able to do were I not pregnant...

A couple weekends ago Bret, his mom, & his sisters participated in a 5k run in Kirkland: the Race for Fetal Hope. Before the race they had a moment of silence for kids that had been affected by fetal diseases. Holy cow it took about 2 seconds of them reading kids' names for me to be teared up. I mean really, that's emotional enough of a topic anyway, but add my own hyped-up-about-to-have-a-baby anxieties and there wasn't a chance I could think about those other kids with anything remotely resembling stoicism.

These are the Fab Four, posing at the starting line. Notice how the girls are all smiles but Bret apparently is already in race mode!We were taking another group shot (below) and a gal from the organization asked if she could also get a picture for the publicity info. Nice!
I went along to cheer them on and take pictures...but my picture taking skills need a little work. I missed Sara completely! And I saw Bret coming from several hundred feet away...and tried to follow him in the camera screen to get a good close shot. But this is what happened instead:I was better when Mary and Lisa came by:
Finally, I got a good picture of the Fab Four at the end: And here's me and my big belly (apparently so big that Bret needs to help me hold it up!)