Childbirthing Classes

Not a lot has been happening on the baby front. His room is finally 100% together and I can't wait for everyone to see it. We're expecting a lot of the family this weekend for Jenna's shower so that will be a lot of fun.

We have had 3 childbirth classes with 2 more to go. So far we've learned the stages of labor, toured the hospital, watched a video of a birth and a video of a C-section. If we get the epidural as planned then we'll not have to use the majority of the information we learn, but it is nice to know. If we get nothing else from the classes, they are really lowering Jenna's anxiety about the whole birthing process. In fact, she was kind of hoping for a C-section until she saw the video of one and now she thinks a vaginal delivery may not be so bad after all :)

Anyway, hope everyone is well. If you need directions to the hospital go to Noah's main site.

Update

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning. We go every 2 weeks now instead of 1/month. It was a good report. He praised Jenna for not gaining to much weight. He said Noah's heartbeat was 'perfect' and his position was good. He also took some time to help alleviate Jenna's concerns about not getting an epidural in time. We've had 2 friends get to the hospital to late for their epidural. Scary stuff. He said at Willow Creek there's an anesthesiologist in house 24 hours a day vs. Washington Regional where they are on call.

We also started our childbirth classes on Monday night. We have 5 of them so we'll hopefully finish before Noah get's here. The first class taught us the process of childbirth and what to expect. Most importantly they broke down the reasons to immediately call the doctor and the scenarios to immediately come to the hospital. Next week we take a tour of the hospital. We're already preadmitted because we prepaid for his delivery. Of course there could still be other charges if we have a C-section or something else.

Noah's nursery is coming along nicely. We have 2 shelves up and his monitor mounted on the wall. Yes, he has his own computer. He wouldn't be my son if he didn't have a way to communicate with the world. That's how we roll.

Jenna's going to Texarkana this weekend. The doctor cleared her travel but keep her in your prayers anyway. She's going down for her friend Kara's baby shower. Valerie is driving her down because I've got my fantasy baseball draft Sat morning. I've got my priorities :) Actually her Dad is gone and they'll be gone most of the weekend, so it was sit in Texarkana by myself or have my buddies over for some baseball and adult beverages.

I'll catch up to you later,
Chad

when is this going to end?

Okay, here at am at 33 weeks and feeling like a beached whale. I am starting to feel what I think might be Braxton Hickes contractions; although, I don't really know for sure since I have never done this. We start childbirth classes next week and I am hoping that they may help me understand some more about this coming delivery. I am starting to feel like I am running out of time. I am reading a book called Babywise that helps teach a strategy on putting your baby on a schedule for sleeping and feeding. Many say it is too strict, but I feel I may need help in this department. His room is coming together, but we need some stuff on the walls not to mention some stuff to care for him. I am hoping to get some stuff to care for him, like bottles, pacifiers, changing pad, etc at my next shower. It's just so hard to belive these little babies need so much stuff. I still want to get some more pages done in his scrapbook or the scrapbook of my pregnancy. In general, though, I'M SO SICK OF CARRYING AROUND THIS BELLY!!! And, I am ready to meet the little guy. I have been sort of grumpy lately and am thankful my husband hasn't left me. It's just hard so hard to watch him always having a good time with a cold beer and me getting the keys! Stupid, huh, but 9 months is so long! Okay, I am just rambling, but wanted to everyone to know I am still kicking!!

News and Notes

Here's a quick list of recent events:

-Got Noah's furniture in on Saturday and we got it all up and together. His room is very cute if I say so myself. His closet is the last bastion of not all his. We'll have to put a couple more hours in to figure out where my computer stuff will go.

-Next week Jenna and I are out on Spring Break. I'll still have to work 15 hrs or so. I'm planning on finally getting the baseboards back up in the bathrooms. If anyone wants to come help out or just visit they are more than welcome.

-I'm gonna try to not have my wife leave me today. I could not remember if I put on deodorant this AM so I stopped at Walgreen's and bought some just in case. I thought I'd try a small aerosol can and leave it in the car in case this were to happen again. Well the only thing in aerosol they sold was TAG body spray/deodorant and we've all seen those commercials. I sure hope women don't attack me all day.

-Jenna began an aerobics class yesterday. It's an afterschool program and other pregnant people are doing it as well. Wish her luck.

-I gave up soft drinks for Lent. Yes, I know I'm not Catholic but I've given stuff up before. Nothing this hard, but I've done it. I'm beginning week 3 and it is going okay. It's amazing how much easier to give something up is when you made a deal with God. I've tried this a million times and its never been this easy. It's not easy mind you, but its a lot easier than it has been in the past.

-Jenna's going back to blonde next week so the Reece Witherspoon sitings will be reported again in Fayetteville. Stay tuned to your National Enquirer's and People magazines for details of the tall, dark, handsome man she's spotted with.

-Don't forget to check out Noah's new home page and see his photos. I'm sure when he gets here it will be easier.

Love you all,
Chad

32 week ultrasound

We had our second ultrasound today. The good news was Jenna's placenta has moved up as Noah has grown so we will not have to schedule a C-section. More good news was that Noah was confirmed as a Noah instead of a Nora, Susan, or Nancy. I had a bad dream a couple of weeks ago that his gender was mistakenly identified as male and he was in fact a she. Well he is in fact a he so all the baseball stuff gets to stay :)
The bad news is he was face down during the entire ultrasound. Not even one little peek at his face. He also is too big for the whole body shots we got last time. He is now 4 lbs. and 4 oz.!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that. The technician said Jenna's on pace to deliver him at about 8 lbs. I thought she was gonna faint but its too late to turn back now. We have a couple of good pictures of his foot, leg, and boy stuff. I also uploaded the entire video for you to download. It's 56 MB so be patient when downloading. Enjoy.

Pics link

View the Video link

Download Video link-Remember you'll need QuickTime to view

Noah the night owl

I don't think I actually needed proof that you are my child but it was nice to get it anyways. You have been sleeping all day long and then having a party every night. Last night your mother said she hadn't felt you all day long and now you were doing flips. It was 9:15. She woke up and had to use the restroom at 4AM and couldn't go back to sleep cause you were "having a party in there." You see son, I'm a night owl too. I come home from work exhausted and need a nap. I have mastered the art of the 30 minute power nap. Your mom can't do it. She naps and wakes up grumpy and more tired. I wake up refreshed. I come home and usually don't even nap, I just veg out for about 30 min and then I'm good to go. I'll sit on the couch and do nothing for hours each week. But come 10:00 and I want to start projects. I don't know how it began, but I've always blamed it on your Papaw. When I grew up we went to his house on the weekends and we would just stay up. I don't ever remember my Dad ever enforcing a bedtime. I'm sure he did, I just don't remember it. I remember going to his house on Wednesdays and going to the skating rink where he was a manager and just staying up late and skating. On a school night. It was great. So it is nice to know you have some of my personality quirks before you're even born. As long as you don't get your Aunts' Melissa and Holly's ability to sleep until 2PM the next day, we'll get along fabulously.

Interesting Anniversary

I'm gonna tell everyone the story of our Valentine's Day/Anniversary so we can all point at the Sullivan's and chuckle. I think one of the biggest mistakes we have made as a couple has been to marry on Saint Valentine's big day. Not because we get one less gift, as some of Jenna's friends have told her, but because of the pressure. When you have to select a gift to represent both events, the pressure is on to get the perfect gift for the other. I began my research a few weeks before the big day. The 2nd anniversary is represented by Cosmos flowers and either cotton (traditional) or china (modern). We have enough china to build the Great Wall and Jenna's pregnant so clothing was out (as was linens, towels, etc. cause we can start a thrift store off that stuff alone). So I knew I was going to have to be creative. With the help of my mother on the phone, I went to jewelry stores in search of jewelry made out of china. Well stores don't carry china jewelry, but they will order it. Both Wedgewood and Lennox make china jewelry and will express deliver in time for St. Valentine's celebration. I order a broach that was very pretty and looked a lot like Jenna. At the same time, unbeknown to me, my wife was at Rick's bakery ordering a replica of the top layer of our wedding cake. In case you didn't know, wedding cake is my favorite food group. So we go through the next few days feeling pretty good about ourselves. Mine goes wrong first. I go by on Monday (Feb 13) to pick up my wife's thoughtful, unique gift. It was hideous. It had a lot of gold leaf painting all over it. It was hideous. The picture in the catalog must have been airbrushed more than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It was like ordering a Lexus and having a Pinto delivered. Luckily, the store did not make me pay for it and sent it back. The problem was I am now 24 hours from exchanging gifts with my wife and I have nothing, zilch, nada for her. I hit the mall that night and found nothing. That night I lay in bed awake and resigned myself to giving her something other than china or cotton. I had the gift in my mind, but I will not share it here, instead I have filed it back as my emergency gift for the future. Also, in case you were wondering, I had cosmos seeds delivered to her office on Valentine's Day, so the gift was all I needed. The next morning, I call the store of my emergency gift, and...out of stock. It will be in, in 3 weeks. Crud. I have inspiration though and spend my morning calling jewelry stores between patients all day. At 2'o clock I was freed from the shackles of the public schools and went to a jewelry store that said they had a lot of unique china keepsakes, picture frames, etc. I found a beautiful figurine of a husband and wife made by Lennox made out of, you guessed it, china. It was on sale for 50% off. If that wasn't God smiling on me I don't know what it was. I also called Things Remembered and ordered a brass door knocker with "The Sullivan's" engraved in it. I had liked the gift the night before when I was there looking, but was holding out on spending my money elsewhere. I get through at 4:30 and call my lovely wife. She was "preparing" the house for my arrival and I was not allowed to come home yet. I ran a few errands and called again to see if I was allowed home yet. I was met with a conversation I will never forget.
Jenna was crying. Not the kind of crying where a kid on the playground called you stupid, but the kind of crying that would shame Niagara Falls. She was sobbing uncontrollably. The only words I could understand were "Its ruined, sob, sob, its ruined, sob, sob, sob, sob." Ok, I love my wife but she's been a litle over emotional this trimester. I wanted to be sympathetic but I knew whatever had happened was going to be ok. I calmed her enough for her to say "Just come home sob, sob, its ruined." I race home to see the disaster. I find her standing in the kitchen with mascara all down her face. Then I notice our wedding picture on a stand on the counter and a couple of wrapped gifts. Sandwiched between these was a cake on a cake stand. It looked really sweet. I thought, "How cool she had a couple of 2nd graders make a cake for me." The icing was smeared all over it and it kind of tilted alarmingly in one direction. It was pretty obvious, but I had to ask anyway. "What's wrong sweetie?" Well I'll cut to the chase since I'm tired of typing the word sob, just believe me there was a lot of them. The cake shop had made a replica of our wedding cake, and I'm sure it was lovely. She took the cardboard the cake was on and set it on our cake stand. She then was going to take a picture of it before I got home. She also had bought an "I love you" balloon. She took the string tied to the balloon and tilted the cake stand to place the string under the cake pan when the cardboard under the cake and the crystal in the cake stand tried an experiment to see if the friction between them could hold a 3 pound cake when gravity pulls the cake after the stand is tilted. In the end, Newton won. The cake slid off the the cake stand, shot over the counter, turned in midair, and crashed face down on the dining room rug on the other side of the counter. She walked around and was amazed at how well she was holding it together. That is until she tried to tilt he cake back onto the cardboard and it began to fall apart. Somehow she got the cake somewhat back together and onto the counter before she realized what had just happened. I had called 15 seconds later. Luckily they put about an inch of icing on the cake. In the end, we picked the hairs off it and made it look respectable. The flowers on top and the scrollwork on the sides was of course gone, but at least it was a whole cake and in the end its the thought that counts right? I'll also go ahead and tell you, since everyone who has heard the story has asked. The cake was fantastic :)

busy boy

Well, here I sit at work at my computer trying to finish writing an evaluation before the end of the day. As you can imagnine, I am stretched out now from my keyboard in order to make room for my belly. As I sit here and type I feel little master Noah moving around in me. I look down at my belly only to see it jumping and wiggling around. I started giggling out loud! How funny to see your own body moving around in a such a way when you are being perfectly still and quiet. It is times like that when I feel close to him and realize I am going to be a mother. I know that should have sunken in by now, but it is just so amazing. I can hardly wait to meet him!

Good report

The doctor said everything was perfect yesterday. I told on Jenna about her exercising (or lack there of) but it is completely my fault. I've probably gained more weight than her. He said the last 3 months are the most important when it comes to exercising. He said a lack of exercising and eating a lot of high fat/sugar foods can make a pudgy baby right now. The actual way he said it was 'It's a lot easier to push a 7 pound baby out than a 8 1/2 pound one.' Hopefully, she and I both got the message. Only time will tell. We will be having another ultrasound next appointment which will be on March 10.

Sensitive ears or just nervous kiddo?

Just so you know your hearing has gotten a lot better. Now, everytime the dogs bark or a horn blares or any sudden loud noise you jump. It's pretty much clockwork. A door closes outside, the dogs do there "Must protect this house" thing and bark, and your mother goes "Ugh" and holds her belly. Either your ears have finally developed fully or your easily scared. When I think of the latter I think of Tweak from South Park. Don't worry your mother will let me teach you who tweak is...when you're about 16.

Dr. Appointment today

We go back to the doctor today for another scheduled appt. It's possible we'll have another ultrasound but not likely. The doctor said at the first ultrasound we need to have another one in 8 or 12 weeks. Well today is 8 weeks, but Jenna's friends who go to the same place say they usually wait til 30 weeks for the 2nd ultrasound. They just want to check and make sure Jenna's placenta is moving up as her belly get bigger. I'll post tonight what the docotor says.
Chad

Finally can be friends

Ok little man, we can finally be friends. After weeks of kicking your mother in the belly and having her laugh for no apparent reason (to me lookin on anyways), you have finally began to kick when I'm feeling her belly. Last night I lay beside your mother in bed and rested my hand on her belly, no different than any other night. Except this time you began to kick. Actually I don't know if you are kicking or punching, but you definitely have a future as either a soccer player or a boxer. Yesterday afternoon you kicked so hard your mother's clothes moved. You used to tease me by stopping kicking when I tried to feel you do it, but now you either don't mind or are just so restless it doesn't matter. Anyway, keep exercising, just try to keep it to a reasonable time of night.

Brief update

We'll be 26 weeks into this thing on Thursday. You won't believe how big Jenna's getting. I went to Vegas for the weekend and I swear she grew in 2 days. She saw Noah kick today. He's still being a little pill for me. I've only felt him kick once. Anyways, we have a chair now to go with the bedding. We also finally ordered furniture for the little man. I figured we'd let him sleep on the floor, but you know Jenna, she insisted on a bed :)

Baby update

Ok, I've dropped the ball the past week. I have tried to put another countdown timer in the margin but have been unable to get the coding just right. It ends up putting it out in the middle of the page. Anyways, the next Dr.'s appointment is tomorrow at 3PM. Jenna will be taking a test for gestational diabetes. The next appointment will have another ultrasound so we are more looking forward to that appointment. I'm not going to go to the Dr. appointment tomorrow. I need to work and they really act like nothing big happens. We are planning on the birthing classes. Our friends have said it really helps with the labor until the epidural is given.

Other than that we have bought baby bedding and have furniture picked out. It has not been ordered yet, but we're pretty certain. We also have a rocker picked out and I'm going to go pay for it today. We have the nursery all cleaned out. His bedding is all laid out as if it were in a crib. We've each caught each other looking into the room and dreaming. We really are disgusting:).

I'm picking up an application for daycare today from the place we want. The strike against us is the little man will be 4 months old when he begins daycare. Most daycares that take infants, take them as infants. They move them class to class by ability (can sit up, hold their bottle, etc) not age in the beginning so the open slots open up at 1-2 months old not usually at 4-5 months old. We'll see what happens.

Jenna's doing good. She's getting bigger and bigger. Luckily she has began getting bigger going out instead of up like the beginning. Her good friend Kristen gave birth yesterday to little Jack Baldwin. She had a pretty rough pregnancy and it was a super smooth birth so Jenna's anxiety has been a little relieved (but not much). She's pretty nervous about the birth and if I say anything to her reassuringly, she'll look at me with a look that says, "I don't see you squeezing an orange out of your penis." The look pretty much shuts me up.

On a strange note, we are at the point that if some horrible tragedy were to happen right now, Noah has a more than 50% chance of survival. He's about a pound right now. He would probably have to stay in the hospital until his due date but he has a good chance of survival. The reason I know this is my friend Shae Barryman White went into labor yesterday. She is one week ahead of us. She is in the hospital and they were trying to stop the labor as of 3PM yesterday. I haven't heard anything today (they live in Tupelo). Please keep her and Baby Boy White in your prayers.

I think that is how we stand all across the board, or I have to get back to work (one of those :P). Love you all and stay safe. Hope to see you soon.

How is Baby & Mommy?

I know that Noah is busy growing but I am wondering how Jenna is doing? When is the next doctor appointment? Are you guys planning any classes for the delivery? I watched the ultrasound again yesterday and am still amazed that this little person has a life going on already - pretty limited but a life nonetheless. Gramma (aka Magga) wants an update. BTW, I may end up using the Magga name...it's growing on me.

Happy Birth Year

Well we made to the year of your birth. According to the Chinese Zodiac you are being born under the sign of the Dog. Your old man was born under the sign of the Buffalo and your mother was born uner the sign of the Dragon. In China births go way up in the year of the Dragon since its considered the best. This is just one of the many facinating things I have to teach you that will have your mother rolling her eyes. She just doesn't appreciate my desire for useless knowledge.
Last night we went to a party and your mother and I were supposed to bring an appetizer. We usually flake out on this stuff and do the salsa over cream cheese thing or just buy a box of something from Sam's. Anyways, we decided to go all out and make salsa from scratch. Then we decided to make 4 different salsas. I have a point to this story just bear with me. We made your mother's regular salsa that people are always a big fan of. Then we made a tomatilla and avocada salsa, blackened tomato salsa, and cranberry salsa. So we are at this party having a good time and people are coming around the table of food and they stay at the salsas for a while to determine the one they like the best. Then they would heap some on their plate with their other goodies. I stood there wondering which salsa you would pick. I know it will be a while before you are able to partake in the family pasttime (just wait we go through 10 bottles of salsa before we finish half a bottle of ketchup) but those are the types of thoughts I'm having the closer we get to meeting you. What kind of salsa will you like? What will be your favorite color? What's gonna be your favorite sport? Will you like books as much as me? Will you like a good movie as much as your mom? I hope I'm the type of father that always pays attention to you and knows what you like and dislike. I hope I always have a good grasp of who you are.
Well enough rambling. You're mom's not feeling good so she's in bed where your both sleeping. Grow well.
Love,
Dad