The Callahan Chronicles

Baby A, Baby B & Baby C

2016-10-26T17:01:00.002-07:00

It’s a classic story: A couple with two kids is on the fence about whether they want a third. They decide to go for it and, surprise, along comes #3 and #4!

But this story has an extra element – for the first 9 weeks, it wasn’t just three and four, but also #5. This is the story of how we found out we were expecting triplets, the story of how we are now expecting girl/boy twins next April. (Or, if history is any guide, more likely late March).

Here’s the family photo we took the morning I peed on the stick in July:

Emilia definitely was not stoked about finding out she was about to become a middle child haha

About a week later, while we were on vacation, I started to have some cramping in my lower abdomen. It didn’t feel like anything I had felt with the first two pregnancies, so I decided to call the doctor to see if I was miscarrying or if something else was wrong. I had a feeling from the moment I took the pregnancy test that I was going to miscarry, so I felt somewhat prepared if that what was actually going to happen.

At five weeks on the dot, the nurse told me to undress waist down and wait for the doctor to come in. I was spread eagle for only about 15 seconds when the doctor said, “OK, I’m going to need you to hold your breath for what I’m about to tell you.” I sighed and thought, “This is the feeling that many women go through when they are about to be told that their baby doesn’t have a heartbeat. Everything happens for a reason.”  I took a deep breath and the doctor said, “I see 3...possibly 4.” My eyes bulged out of my head. “Babies!?!???!” She then said something about needing a few minutes to look around and confirm how many sacs there were and that I probably would not hear anything she was about to say for the rest of the appointment. She was right.

I was SHOCKED! I just stared at the ultrasound machine as she was moving the wand back and forth and back and forth, trying to decipher just how many embryos were in my uterus. That’s when the tears started to flow and I just cried. I cried for a long time. How was I supposed to take care of that many babies? How could my body fit that many babies? How did this happen? Wait, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?  

She finally confirmed that I was expecting triplets. She said that all three babies were in their own sacs, and that they’d all have their own placentas, which is the best case scenario when expecting triplets. But she also said that while two looked really healthy, one sac looked a little small and abnormal. The smaller one was measuring at 4 weeks 1 day and the two bigger ones were measuring at five weeks on the dot. She said that the smaller sac could have implanted a week later, but also warned that it could be a sign of other issues that may cause it to miscarry. The embryos were designated as A, B and C based on their relative positions. Babies A & C were the larger babies, and baby B in the middle was the smaller one. We still call each baby by that name to this day.  

Triplets automatically qualify a pregnancy as “high risk,” which meant I was to see the doctor  every week until about week 10. At each appointment, baby B was growing, but slowly compared to babies A & C. Ezra and I knew that we may lose baby B at any moment, but the little guy/girl just kept on chugging along.

When I went in at 9 weeks and 2 days, we found out that baby B didn’t have a heartbeat anymore. The few people we had told at that point asked me all day if I was doing OK. I was definitely feeling a lot of emotions.  In once sense I was relieved, because the idea of triplets felt overwhelming from the start. In another sense I was sad. I had just lost a baby. But because of the early cramping and inkling that this pregnancy would be different, I felt like I had already grieved baby B long before I found out that he/she was gone. Baby B was gone. But I still had baby A and C, who were both growing very strong.

A lot of people have asked, “Where does baby B go?” I wondered the same thing that day. It turns out that baby B will most likely be hanging out and keeping baby A & C warm and cozy until A & C decide to make their big debut. (Though the doctor said it might also “absorb,” whatever that means.) 

I’m now 4 months along and I’m starting to finally feel like a normal human. This third pregnancy had been rougher than the first two combined. But thankfully, I’m not vomiting on the side of the road anymore, and I can finally eat foods other than crackers and string cheese. I’m also getting more energy back.

We are expecting a baby girl and a baby boy, and we are both pretty stoked to be evening out the boy/girl ratio. Emilia and Zeke are pretty excited as well. Emi keeps asking Ezra if he has a baby in his belly too, especially right after meals. I like the way she thinks :).

Here’s a pic of all three babies when they were about 8 weeks. Baby B still shows up much the same on the most recent ultrasounds:

8 week ultrasound

baby C3.0 & 4.0 - 15 weeks

2016-10-25T15:40:00.003-07:00

Yup! I'm pregnant again. But this time with twins! We originally were expecting triplets but we lost baby b at 9 weeks.

How far along? 15 Weeks

Maternity clothes? YES! My uterus doesn't give a F this time around and I needed them at about 12 weeks along.

Weight Gained: 1lb, total of 8lbs gained

Exercising: not a chance. I don't have time and I certainly do not have the energy.

Stretch Marks? Nope
Symptoms: This pregnancy I was sick as a dog from weeks 6-12. I was throwing up multiple times a day and just felt boat sick all day long. At 12 weeks, it magically call disappeared.
Sleep: I've been sleeping really solid about 8-10 hours a night :). Going to bed between 9 and 10pm.
Miss Anything? Wine

Number of times I get up to pee each night: None

Movement: Not yet! Hoping to by maybe next week.
Food cravings: Carbs and more carbs

Best moment this week: Seeing Amy Schumer live with a few girlfriends
Anything making you queasy or sick: Chicken and deli meat
Have you started to show yet? Yes def.
Gender prediction: we found out last week we are having girl/boy twins
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood: Busy! So busy with two toddlers running around the house and prego with twins!
Looking forward to: Vegas this weekend with Ezra's friends for halloween!

34 Weeks :: 3rd Trimester

2014-08-01T09:24:00.002-07:00

Belly Pic:

How far along? 34 weeks

How big is the baby? Cantaloupe

Weight Gained: 2lb gained this week, total of 28lbs gained

Waist Size: 39 in, total of 9in growth (measuring around the belly button)

Exercising: None, I've been really tired and super busy with the little guy

Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: Just tired and extremely sensitive

Best moment this week: We've been going out to really yummy dinners this week with friends and family.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: once

Movement: yes, tons and tons of kicking!

Food cravings: SWEETS! All I want is icecream and cake.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing

Have you started to show yet: I'm ginormous this pregnancy

Labor Signs: no

Belly Button in or out? It's kind out haha!

Mood: super sensitive about everything. I've been a ball of tears lately :)

Looking forward to: having a day with ezra this saturday. July and Phil are watching Zeke so we are going to do something fun just the two of us.

31 weeks :: 3rd Trimester

2014-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Belly Pics:

How far along? 31 weeks

How big is the baby? Coconut

Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 25lbs gained

Waist Size: 37.5 in, total of 7.5in growth (measuring around the belly button)

Exercising: Pilates twice

Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: SO. TIRED. ALL. THE. TIME. other than being tired, i'm feeling great. This pregnancy is way easier than the last.

Best moment this week: Just being home and relaxing. We've been traveling like crazy people so it's been nice to just be home.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: once

Movement: yes, so much kicking going on in my ribs. ouch.

Food cravings: SWEETS! All I want is icecream and cake.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing

Have you started to show yet: I'm ginormous this pregnancy

Labor Signs: no

Belly Button in or out? flat, almost out.

Mood: getting excited to meet this little princess.

Looking forward to: Being home this weekend and getting a lot of chores and errands accomplished.

28 Weeks :: Third Trimester

2014-07-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

Belly Pic:

How far along? 28 weeks

How big is the baby? Kabocha Squash

Weight Gained: 2lb gained this week, total of 21lbs gained

Waist Size: 36.5 in, total of 6.5in growth (measuring around the belly button)

Exercising: Pilates twice

Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: That weird ear thing where I can hear myself talking

Best moment this week: Hanging out in San Diego with Ez and Zeke for our anniversary and father's day. We went to the zoo and just hung out at the hotel.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: once

Movement: Lots of kicking going on in there

Food cravings: Dark Chocolate/Sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing

Have you started to show yet: I'm ginormous this pregnancy

Labor Signs: no

Belly Button in or out? flat

Mood: so tired all the time.

Looking forward to: Heading to Columbia with Ez to celebrate Karen and Jodie getting married! I'm nervous to leave Zeke all week but he is going to have so much fun with my mom!

25 Weeks :: 2nd Trimester

2014-06-21T14:04:00.004-07:00

Belly Pic:

How far along? 25 weeks
How big is the baby? Eggplant
Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 17lbs gained
Waist Size: 35 in, total of 5in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: Pilates twice and I'm going to try and make it to a spin class tomorrow in the morning :).
Stretch marks? Nope
Symptoms: Getting braxton hicks cramps like whoa. I had the Dr. check my uterus last week at my appt and she said everything is fine. Guess this pregnancy is just more intense!
Best moment this week: Heading to SF for the day with my friend Catherine to go check out some small businesses for the So Cal Children's Museum
Number of times I get up to pee each night: once
Movement: Lots of kicking going on in there
Food cravings: Dark Chocolate/Sweets
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nothing
Have you started to show yet: For sure. Looking huge lately.
Labor Signs: no
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood:  feeling blah again. this baby is sucking the life out of me.
Looking forward to: heading to a-town to celebrate Kristen's wedding and then off to Cabo to celebrate Ashley's 30th bday!

22 Weeks :: 2nd Trimester

2014-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Belly Pic:

How far along? 22 weeks
How big is the baby? Spaghetti Squash
Weight Gained: 2lb gained this week, total of 13lbs gained
Waist Size: 33.5 in, total of 3.5in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: Pilates twice
Stretch marks? Nope
Symptoms: Just really sleepy. I take an afternoon nap with Zeke everyday.
Best moment this week: Celebrating Mother's Day with my two dudes. It was a really nice and relaxing day filled with zeke smooches, shopping, sushi, and dark chocolate.
Number of times I get up to pee each night: none
Movement: this little lady is a kicking machine
Food cravings: chocolate
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nothing
Have you started to show yet: totally. definitely looking pregnant now.
Labor Signs: no
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood:  feeling happy to have such a wonderful family. i love zeke, ez and this little bean growing inside of me.
Looking forward to: heading to hawaii with all my high school girlfriends for a week this friday! woohooo!

20 Weeks :: Second Trimester - We are having a.....

2014-04-28T21:07:00.001-07:00

GIRL! Woohoo! Ez and I are both thrilled :). I've been doing some serious shopping, it has been a lot more fun to shop for a girl than it has been for a boy.

Here's how I told Ez and how we announced to friends and family on FB:

Belly Pics:

Here's some pics from our trip to Mexico!

How far along? 20 weeks
How big is the baby? Banana
Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 9lbs gained
Waist Size: 33 in, total of 3in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: was super lazy - i was in mexico all week
Stretch marks? Nope
Symptoms: Incredibly emotional. Zeke has been teething plus he got a million mosquito bites in Mexico so he's been crank town, and it's wearing on me!
Best moment this week: Hanging out in Mexico with the Ryan's, Nicole & Liam, and the Welches
Miss Anything? a bottle of wine to my dome
Number of times I get up to pee each night: none
Movement: lots of movement the last week or so!
Food cravings: nothing really this week
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nothing
Have you started to show yet: totally. i haven't had anyone ask me if i'm pregnant yet though
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood:  Exhausted and feeling down still. I'm still not feeling like my normal self.
Looking forward to: Heading to SF tomorrow for my brother Wade's wedding! I can't wait to see him and Hannah get hitched!

18 Weeks :: Second Trimester

2014-04-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Belly Pics:

How far along? 18 weeks
How big is the baby? Bell pepper
Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 6lbs gained
Waist Size: 31 in, total of 1in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: Pilates twice this week. Also went on a few long walks with Zeke and Bellini
Stretch marks? Nope
Symptoms: Tired! I feel like I'm completely exhausted all. day. long. Hopefully I get some energy soon!
Best moment this week: Wine & Canvas night out with my mom friends!
Miss Anything? nothing really this week
Number of times I get up to pee each night: once
Movement: none this week
Food cravings: juicy burgers
Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing
Have you started to show yet: I have a mini baby bump. Feeling just really fat right now :(.
Gender: Baby was literally crossing its legs at our last appt so we couple confirm gender. I have my big ultrasound on April 17th so I should find out then!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood: Blah :(. not really feeling like my normal self and just feeling tired and down.
Looking forward to: heading up to big bear on sat night to take our couch up there and to also look at a few mountian/lake homes! It's time to upgrade now that baby #2 is on its way!

16 weeks :: 2nd trimester

2014-04-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

Belly Pics:

How far along? 16 weeks
How big is the baby? Avocado
Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 5lbs gained
Waist Size: 31 in, total of 1in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: Pilates once this week
Stretch marks? Nope
Symptoms: I don't even feel pregnant! Only symptom I have is being super sleepy all the time
Sleep: sleeping ok. I was up for a couple of hours last night but other than that sleeping pretty good.
Best moment this week: celebrating Ezra's 33rd birthday last monday at Osteria Mozza!
Miss Anything? wine
Number of times I get up to pee each night: none
Movement: none this week
Food cravings: chocolate
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nothing
Have you started to show yet: I just feel bloated and fat right now.
Gender: I think it's a boy. Ez thinks it's a girl. We should find out tomorrow at our 16 week appt.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood:  Happy!
Looking forward to: a fun week at home with zeke!

13 Weeks :: 2nd Trimester - Baby C2.0 is cooking!

2014-03-19T09:08:00.003-07:00

Well I'm prego again, and it happened just as fast as it did the first time. We are fertile mertiles :)! Zeke and Baby C2.0 will be 18 months apart. I'm pretty sure we are crazy but we're excited to have our kiddos close together in age. I'm going to blog my pregnancy again. Hopefully I'll have time to keep it up at least every other week or so - I'm a busy mama with a 1 year old now :).

Belly Pics:

(this week's pic is from 14 weeks - I totally forgot to take one last week)

How far along? 13 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Nope! I do feel like I'm def starting to get a little belly though! Def WAY earlier than last pregnancy.

Weight Gained: 1lb, total of 1lb gained

Waist Size: 31in, total of 1in growth (measuring around the belly button)

Exercising: I took Pilates twice this week.

Stretch Marks? Nope
Symptoms: This pregnancy I was only nauseous the first 9 weeks! I've felt completely different than I did last pregnancy. The 1st time I felt boat sick/hung over all day every single day. This time the nausea would come on super fast and then go away and I felt great. I haven't had a bout of nausea since week 10!
Sleep: I've been sleeping really solid about 8-10 hours a night :). Going to bed between 9 and 10pm.
Miss Anything? Wine

Number of times I get up to pee each night: None

Movement: Yes! I felt the baby move when I was about 12 weeks! Super early but I think I knew what I was looking for this time.
Food cravings: over-easy eggs with toast (i've had this almost every morning since I found out I was pregnant).

Best moment this week: Going up north for Karen's bachelorette weekend! It was so lovely spending time with the SF ladies!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No!
Have you started to show yet? A tiny bit. I have a super small bump.
Gender prediction: We did one of those silly gender pee tests again and it said it was a boy again! The Dr. also said that she thought she saw boy parts in our last ultra sound last week. We should be able to find out at our next apt on April 3rd. Crossing fingers it's another boy!
Belly Button in or out? In!
Mood: Busy! Zeke and I are keeping ourselves super busy. I sometimes forget I'm pregnant!
Looking forward to: Zeke's 1st birthday Party!

Zeke :: 11 Months!

2014-03-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

11 month photos:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

17lbs 8oz 2nd %tile
28in 13 %tile
Wearing 6-12 mos clothing and size 4 diapers

YOU LIKE:

To eat Bellini's food.
To smile really big with your eyes closed!
To feed bellini food.
cheese! you love cheese.

YOU DISLIKE:

having someone tell you not to go eat the dog food. you start to cry :(.

WHAT'S NEW:

you started to crawl a week after you turned 11 mos! you're now getting really fast and are also starting to pull up on furniture.
you're now sleeping through the night every single night. ahhh this is really nice!
you are no longer breast feeding. you have been on whole milk exclusively since 11.5 months.
you're starting to say dada and look at him!
if we ask you where the dog is, you're starting to look and almost point!

My favorite photos from the last month:

Zeke :: 10 Months

2014-03-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

10 month pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

no idea what your weight and height are this month!
Wearing 6-12 mos mos clothing and size 4 diapers

YOU LIKE:

to say how big you are buy throwing your hands in the air
Bellini more than anything. you love chasing her around the house.
cords! you love playing and eating with all the cords all around the house.

YOU DISLIKE:

loud noises still. if you're sleepy, you don't like like to be scared.
having your mommy and daddy tell you not to do something (eat dog food or put your finger in the electric socket).

WHAT'S NEW:

you're still army crawling but you're starting to get on your knees and rock back and forth. crawling on your knees is in the near future.
you can clap your hands!
you tell us how big you are.

My favorite photos from the last month:

Zeke :: 9 Mos

2014-01-17T16:30:00.001-08:00

9 month pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

17lbs 8oz - 9th %tile
27.8in - 34th %tile
Wearing 6-12 mos mos clothing and size 4 diapers

YOU LIKE:

To screech as loud as possible and then laugh at yourself
The HIPPO! Every morning you hug and smile at your hippo friend
Playing with newspaper, magazines, really any kind of paper that you can crinkle up
Bellini! You love hanging out and touching Bellini
Food! You're eating a ton and love almost everything we give you, even broccoli!
To bow to your toys and to hard objects. You love slowly hitting your head on basically everything.

YOU DISLIKE:

Teething, you now have 3 teeth (two bottom and your right top tooth)

WHAT'S NEW:

You started to army crawl - and you're getting pretty fast!
You're banging toys against each other and the table alllll the time
You love to imitate what adults do, especially shaking your head
You're kind of waving bye bye to your toys
You had your first Christmas and Hanukkah and made out like a bandit

Some of my favorite pics from the last month:

Zeke :: 8 Mos

2013-12-17T20:57:00.001-08:00

8 Mos photos:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

16lbs 13oz - 14th %tile
25,6in - 16th %tile
Wearing 6-12 mos mos clothing and size 3 diapers.

YOU LIKE:

Hanging out with your new friends at La Canada Mommy & Me
To swing on the baby swings at the park
Prunes! It's your favorite solid food right now
To laugh and smile all the time

YOU DISLIKE:

Loud noises - you still get really scared when there's loud noises around
Going from one time zone to another. Jetlag is not your friend

WHAT'S NEW:

You're talking up a storm. You really like to talk to yourself and animals
You started to roll over on Dec 3rd! You're a very content baby. Moving is not your 1st priority
You went to visit your uncle, aunt, and extended family in Texas
You celebrated Hannukah with you bubbe and zadie
You went out of the country for the first time! We went to Punta Mita for Thanksgiving
You went into the ocean for the first time. You love the water :)

A few pics I love from the last month:

Zeke :: 7 Months!

2013-12-17T19:51:00.004-08:00

7 Mos Photos:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

no idea how much he weighs!
Wearing 6-12 mos mos clothing and size 3 diapers.

YOU LIKE:

Swim lessons! I think this may be your favorite part of the week.
To screech super loud in restaurants.
To say "ahhhhh" as you get into the bath. It's super cute :).

YOU DISLIKE:

Your high chair. You've been refusing to sit in it the last few days. Hopefully it's just a phase.
Taking naps up in Big Bear. I think you know we are on vacation and want to hang out with everyone. It's either that or you are uncomfortable from the altitude and dry air.

WHAT'S NEW:

You're starting to say your Gs, Ns, & Ms. I've also heard a few Ds in there as well.
You're sitting up really well!
You're still not rolling over, although you've been moving a bit more lately. Super lazy baby!!
You're babbling a ton.

A few pics I love from the last month:

Zeke :: 6 Months!

2013-09-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

6 month pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

16.2 lbs - 20th %tile for weight
25.6 in - 16th %tile for height
Wearing mostly 6-12 month clothing now. Graduated to size 3 diapers.
You cut your first tooth!
You got your first cold. You were super snotty and sad :(.

YOU LIKE:

Talking with your stuffed animals, especially with your nap and bedtime lovie Elliot the elephant
To try and grab at everything on the table when we are trying to eat
Your new exersaucer. You will jump and play with the toys for hours
To squeal at the top of your lungs and then smile super big after you get our attention
Pear and squash mixed together, sounds really gross to me :)

YOU DISLIKE:

Having a runny nose and having your mommy and daddy clean your snot. Typical kid!
Being picked up from behind without seeing the person's face. That really makes you angry.

WHAT'S NEW:

You started eating solid foods!! Avocado was first, then squash, pear, carrots, turnips, and sweet potato.
You are sitting up on your own now!
You can roll over but you don't like to do it. You're perfectly content just staying on your back or belly.
Your rolls are becoming quite ridiculous and the talk of the town :).
You visited Seattle, SF, and Santa Cruz.
You're starting to wave bye-bye. We will see if it keeps up.
You graduated from Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit and now sleep in your PJs. It was a super easy transition and you're still sleeping great.
You're now on a super solid eating and napping routine. It's amazing to be able to just place you in the crib when it's nap tame and tell you it's sleepy time and you fall asleep in 5-15 minutes. Serious game changer!

A few pics I love from the last month:

Zeke : 5 Months

2013-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

5 month pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

15lbs 5oz.
25.5 in.
18th %tile for weight and 23rd %tile for height (Intl WHO)
30th %tile for weight and 37th %tile for height (US CDC)
Wearing 3-6 mos clothing and size 2 diapers
Still teething. I can see the tooth is coming soon!

YOU LIKE:

Playing and talking with your stuffed animals
To put everything in your mouth, including your entire fist
To chew on your mom's fingers and toys
Your new play mat in the living room. You now have the ability to move around and play with all your toys

YOU DISLIKE:

SF's cold weather, dirty streets, and loud noises, you're definitely your parent's child :)
The descent when you're on the plane. You've decided to take a huge poo on the descent home from SF and from Seattle to SF.

WHAT'S NEW:

You took your first flight to Chicago and spent a week there wondering around
You took your first swimming class
You visited Portland, Or
You visited SF again and got to meet our first cousin, Alex

A few pics I love from the last month:

Zeke :: 4 Months!

2013-07-16T12:19:00.002-07:00

It seems like just yesterday I was writing your 3 month update. I'm amazed by how much you've grown both in size and personality in just a month. You're such a happy and smiley boy. We love you so much, lil rascal! Happy 4 mos!

1-4 month growth:

4 Month Pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

13lbs 15oz. Gained 1lb 9oz in the last month
24.6 in. Grew 1.6in in the last month
18th %tile for weight and 23rd %tile for height (Intl WHO)
30th %tile for weight and 37th %tile for height (US CDC)
Wearing 3-6 mos clothing and size 2 diapers
Battled a nasty neck rash.
Dr. said you're officially now teething. She thinks you will cut your first tooth is about a month or so :(.

YOU LIKE:

Your new mommy & me class that has only babies born in the month of March! You love to smile and play with your new friend Nolan
To grab objects and stuff them in your mouth
Still love bath time more than anything else in your life (besides your mommy & daddy :))
To talk to your geoffrey the giraffe and yourself
Traveling and going places!

YOU DISLIKE:

The dry air and altitude up in Big Bear
Being swaddled. You have now graduated from the swaddle to Merlin's Magical Sleepsuit. Once you start rolling onto your tummy (which will prob be in like 2-3 weeks based on how much you're moving lately), we will need to put you in normal sleepers and sleep sacks.

WHAT'S NEW:

Reaching, gripping, grabbing objects (and stuffing them in your mouth)
You let us know when you like or dislike something
Talking and babbling allllll the time
Belly laughing!
You've been falling asleep on your own when we put you in the crib or pack n play
TEETHING! We went to the dr. to check up on your neck rash and the dr. said that she can see a bulge on your bottoms gums, she thinks you will be cutting a tooth in less than a month! ahhhhhh
Rolling on both sides. You rolled over onto your tummy once and it freaked you out
You went to Cambria and hung out at the beach
You got to meet your Tutu Trisha from Hawaii for the first time

A few pics I love from the last month:

Zeke :: 3 Months!

2013-06-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Three Month Pics:

YOUR GROWTH/HEALTH INFO:

12lbs 6oz. Gained 2lbs 4oz in the last month.
23in long. Grew .5 inch in the last month.
15th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height (WHO).
Wearing mostly 0-3 mos clothing but can fit into some 3-6 mos. You're in between size 1 and 2 diapers right now. We've had a few pee leaks with size 1 but size 2 diapers are humongous on you. I wish they made the size 1.5 :).
Jaundice is completely gone. See ya later alligator :).

YOU LIKE:

Bath-time is definitely your favorite time of the day!

To sleep through every Mommy & Me class you've been to. The teachers call you Mr. Sleepy Head :).

Your new Baby Einstein toy. You will stare at that thing for hours.

Meeting your SF family! Even though you were a bit cranky and sleepy while visiting everyone, you still brought out a few smiles to share :).

To smile, giggle, and coo when you wake up in the morning.

YOU DISLIKE:

Getting your neck stretched out so we can make sure there isn't anything growing between your many neck rolls.
Sitting in the car seat for more than 7 hours. Coming back from SF, we realize that 6.5 hour car rides are about your limit :).
When I have my iphone in your face to take your picture. You keep swatting it away.
Being in a life jacket.

WHAT'S NEW:

You went on a looong car ride to Napa to visit some fun wineries and then to SF to visit with some of your Mom and Dad's friends. You really enjoyed traveling and seeing northern California.

Hello 10-11.5 hour sleeping stretches, good-bye 6-8 hour stretches!

You are starting to observe your feet and hands very intensely. I made you touch your own feet and you thought it was the coolest thing ever :).

You really like to sit up on people's laps and observe everything in the room.

Tummy time is something you kind of enjoy now (for only 10 minutes max :)).

You're starting to grab at toys and people's hands.

You went boating for the first time at the lake in Big Bear!

Some of my favorite pics from the last month:

One Year Wedding Anniversary

2013-06-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe just one year ago, I was getting ready to become Mrs. Callahan and that now, fast forward 12 months later, we have a 3 month old son. It is so crazy to think that a year has flown by. So many things have happened in our first year of marriage. On the 1st day of marriage we got to witness the LA Kings win the cup, sometime during the 3rd week of marriage we created our son, in our 3rd month of marriage we celebrated Bellini's 1st birthday, and in our 9th month of marriage we welcomed our son, Ezekiel, to the world. I can't wait to see what we will accomplish in our 2nd year of marriage, and if it's anything like our 1st, I know it's going to be a crazy and wild ride full of laughter and a lot of love. I love you so much, Ezra!

For our 1 year anniversary we all went on a road trip to spend a few days in Napa for some private wine tasting. After a few days in Napa, we went to SF to spend some time with Ezra's college friends. It was great seeing everyone. On the night of our anniversary, Ezra surprised me by having Dave Rubell, our wedding caterer, come to our house to cook our wedding meal. It was very romantic and extremely tasty :). The past year was definitely my favorite year of my life. I got married, welcomed Zeke to the world, and also got settled in to our home in Pasadena.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the past year:

Zeke :: 2 Months!

2013-05-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Two Month Pics:

YOUR GROWTH INFO:

10lbs 10oz. Gained 2lbs 3oz in the last month.
22.5in long. Grew 2 inches in the last month.
14th percentile for weight and 18th percentile for height (WHO).
Wearing 0-3 mos clothing and size 1 diapers.
Almost have kicked jaundice's ass!

YOU LIKE:

To smile and coo in the early morning and the early evening.

Bath-time and floating in the salt water hot-tub (you're quite the splasher).

Listening to Daddy read you the Economist.

To be Mr. Independent. You love laying and sleeping on your own in the Roo (the momaroo) and in the crib. I'm also happy to say that you're self soother, woohoo!

To grab people's hair. Your mama's long hair is getting longer from all your hair pulling.

YOU DISLIKE:

Getting your diaper changed.
Being sweaty! It's been a scorcher the last week and you've been a sweaty mess.
Gas! You still hate to fart and poo.
To be startled by loud noises, especially Bellini's loud bark!

WHAT'S NEW:

Cooing and talking in the Roo and the bouncer.

Smiling back at your mommy and daddy.

You have been sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night!

You track your mommy and daddy when they walk by. You also love tracking your wooden rattle.

You poo about every 2-4 days now. Kinda freaks your mom and dad out.

You have some serious chunk rolls all over your body now, mama is fattening you up!

You can hold your head up really well now.

Your farts smell ridiculously bad. Like clear a room bad.

You have a few nicknames: lil rascal and smelly bear.

You went to the beach for the first time!

You went on your first vacation to Newport Beach. You slept really well in the hotel room and had fun at two birthday parties.

You met your new cousin Olivia and your great grandmother Karen!

Some of my favorite pics from the last month:

Zeke :: One Month!

2013-04-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

One Month Pics:

YOUR GROWTH INFO:

8lbs and about 6 or 7oz.
20.5in long.
18th percentile for weight and 14th percentile for height.
You're just now graduating from premie diapers and newborn clothing to newborn diapers and 0-3 mos clothing.
Still battling jaundice.

YOU LIKE:

To sleep during the day and stay up at night with bad gas pains.
To be rocked to sleep by mommy in her new rocking chair.
The white noise machine.
Walks outside in the stroller.
To pee on mommy and daddy when your diaper is being changed.
All the visitors who've come to see and play with you!

YOU DISLIKE:

The swaddling procedure, but love it when it's over and you're all cozy.
To be butt naked and have your diaper changed.
The pacifier, but you love sucking your thumb.
Tummy time after about 3-4 minutes.

WHAT'S NEW:

You got your first official bath and really enjoyed it!
You're more and more alert.
You took your first bottle from your daddy.
You have the silliest facial expressions!
Holding your head up on your own for some period of time.
You're pretty mellow and content, unless you have gas pains.
You've started to chunk out, and you no longer have a neck :).
You visited our favorite sushi spot.

I can't believe Zeke is one month today. In some ways this last month flew by as we watched him grow from 6lbs to 8lbs and grow some adorable chubby cheeks. In other ways, it feels like Zeke has been part of our family for years! I think we both can say that this has been one of the happiest months of our lives. We really can't wait to see what is in store for the next month.

Newborn photos:

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Callahan :: Birth Story

2013-03-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Story:

Everyone has been asking for the full story of how “Backseat” Zeke, as my best friend Ashley has dubbed him, came into this world. So here is a full recount of how I ended up delivering Zeke myself in the backseat of our SUV as Ezra drove like a madman to the hospital.

First, some background…

I had been preparing for a natural delivery, so our birth plan had always included trying to labor at home as long as possible. This was the advice of almost every birthing professional, book, and blog we had encountered during pregnancy – it minimizes pressure for unneeded interventions to speed things along, and allows you to try natural techniques for relaxation and alleviating pain in the comfort of home. The goal was to get to the hospital sometime near the end of active labor or the beginning of the transition phase of labor.

I also had a very experienced doula, whose 15 years of experience was preceded by a long stint as a midwife. She worked with me throughout my pregnancy and was going to be with me throughout labor. In addition to her help, we’d taken a number of classes on natural birth, so we were pretty well educated and prepared for what (we thought) Zeke’s birth would be like.

On the day before Zeke was born, I had a regular check-up with my OB. I’d been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions and had lost my mucous plug a few days before, so she ended up doing a cervical check. She told me I was 1cm dilated and 80% effaced and should expect to go into labor sometime in the next week. So we knew the show was coming soon.

Sooner than we realized…Lo and behold, the next morning I wake up to the sensation of my water breaking. Now most doctors would insist you go to the hospital at this point, but from all our education, we felt confident waiting at home to see if contractions would start naturally soon after. We of course monitored me for fever and knew everything to do, and not to do, once my water broke. But the decision seemed right as my first contractions came just a couple hours later.

My early contractions were really mild – barely any different from the Braxton-Hicks I’d felt for months. I was able to go about my morning without much difficulty. Throughout this stage, my contractions were always about 3 to 5 minutes apart. In retrospect, this probably was a sign that my labor was progressing faster than “normal” for a first time mom, but at the time it didn’t register as being too out of the ordinary. And we were keeping our doula up to date on what was happening in case there was anything special we needed to take into account.

Around noon, Ezra and I took Bellini for a walk around the neighborhood, which wore me out some and quite well may have accelerated my labor some. I decided to try to squeeze in a nap, expecting that I could have anywhere from 6 to 24 hours of labor to go. For first time mothers, they expect things to progress quite slowly. And the only decent indicator they have is how long your mother’s first pregnancy took. With me, my mom was in labor for 20 hours. So all indications were that there was quite a long haul to go.

Around 2pm, after taking a nap and eating a delish pb&j sando, there was a noticeable increase in the intensity of my contractions. I figured this was me going from Early Labor to Active Labor based on everything we had learned. I was still able to move around and do stuff between contractions, but I definitely had to focus more to relax through each contraction as the pain started increasing markedly.

By 3pm, the contractions had already become really intense, and Ezra and I were already going through just about every relaxation method we had learned. Our doula said she was on her way and said that it sounded like things were progressing nicely.

By 4pm, things had reached a whole new intensity. Even between contractions, I was having trouble doing much of anything. The contractions themselves were now getting to be a minute long. Our doula arrived and immediately started helping me try different positions to get through the contractions more comfortably – which definitely helped a lot. I had already found that being on all fours was about the only way I could bear the pain. She tried a number of massage techniques that helped a ton. Oddly, the best help came when she pushed in and up on my hips and butt cheeks, which I think helped the baby start to descend faster than we realized.

After spending just about half an hour with me, our doula said that she thought things were progressing much faster than she had ever encountered with a first time mom, and we started getting ready to go to the hospital. She didn’t want to rush things to keep me comfortable and relaxed. From her experience, while we were moving quite fast through labor, she still figured we had at least a couple hours left and thus didn’t need to go into any sort of panic mode. She kept check to make sure she couldn’t feel the baby at the top of my pelvis, which would’ve been the biggest red flag that delivery was more imminent than we realized.

Around 5:15, I felt the first sensations of really having to go #2, which is often the sign that the final stages of labor have arrived. Our doula definitely realized that this was going to be a very, very short labor overall and we began moving towards getting into the cars for the hospital. Her and Ezra began discussing what options were available. Our target hospital (we’re Kaiser members) was going to be about an hour away due to traffic. Our doula was confident we’d make it in time – and would likely go right into pushing, which in a lot of respects would’ve been ideal for our overall birth plan – but she was concerned about how I would fare during the drive itself. We talked about maybe going to Huntington Hospital, just a few minutes from our house, or calling ambulance to help us get to the Kaiser hospital faster. But by 5:30 we decided just to go for it and get to Kaiser ourselves.

It took a good 20 minutes to get downstairs from our room and into the car. The contractions were unbelievably intense, as the pain stopped me dead in my tracks every couple minutes and I fought hard against the sensation of needing to poop my pants. It took a few minutes to find a position in the backseat of the car that I might have been able to withstand during the drive. I basically ended up on all fours in the backseat, mimicking the position I’d been in throughout much of labor. We had the foresight to get some towels down over the seat, just in case various fluids or other emissions came out.

Right around 6pm, we were off to the hospital with the doula not far behind in her car.

Just about three minutes into the drive, I had a huge urge to go to the bathroom and became convinced I was about to deliver, screaming to Ezra, “The baby is coming! The baby is coming!” Ezra did his best to try to get me to relax and continue the breathing techniques we’d learned, thinking it was just the same sensation I’d had for a while that would last for some time til the baby came.

But with the next contraction, and whole new feeling came through me.

“The head is out! The head is out!” I screamed. Ezra, not thinking it was possible, turned around to look, and utter shock came over his face as he saw that Zeke’s head really was sticking out of my underwear, which I was still wearing and would be throughout this whole experience.

Ezra frantically changed direction, screaming “We’re going to Huntington!” and trying to get the doula on the phone. This was really the dark part of the whole experience. I was in total shock, seeing Zeke’s head between my legs, and not seeing him move or breathe. Of course, he was still getting air from the umbilical cord, but at that moment, all I could think was that the baby wasn’t breathing and wasn’t going to make it. I burst into tears, screaming that he wasn’t alive. Ezra, who had gone into commando driving mode, did everything he could to try to reassure me things would be ok, as he weaved around traffic, blaring the horn and trying to get help from the doula on the phone.

It felt like minutes passing, though it may have been only a few seconds. But another contraction then set in, and in a split second, Zeke came flying out of between my legs and into my arms. I caught him, in total disbelief as to what was happening. The umbilical cord was everywhere, there was blood all over the place, and here I was, now holding my brand new baby.

And before any other thoughts could pass, Zeke started crying.

Zeke’s screaming immediately changed the mood of the entire situation. Our terror and horror that we had lost our baby and messed everything up transformed into a flash into an absolute shock – almost a happy, hilarious shock – that I was holding our baby in the backseat of our car.

Ezra continued his stuntman driving, flying down the center median, driving on the wrong side of the road at times, honking his way through red lights and stop signs. Just a couple blocks from the hospital, he came up on a motorcycle cop, who somehow hadn’t heard his frantic honking and yelling behind him. Ezra paused for a second and rolled down the window to talk to the officer, spitting out some gibberish along the lines of “We-just-had-a-baby-in-the-car-we’re-going-to-the-hospital-aaaah!” The officer simply waved us along, sadly not providing a police escort that might’ve been pretty helpful, but at least not stopping us or caring as Ezra blew a redlight right in front of him.

Moments later we pulled in the ER, with our doula now pulling in right behind us. We hadn’t really been able to hear much from her over the phone as the connection wasn’t great. But she immediately ran up to me in the backseat with a look of happy shock on her face as she found me holding the baby and everything looking ok. Ezra ran into the ER, screaming at the nurse’s desk something similar to what he’d said to the cop moments earlier and then ran back out to the car, getting his first glimpse at our baby and the bloody scene in the car.

Despite the terror of minutes earlier, we both could not contain the smile on our faces – as you can see in the picture our doula took just after we arrived at the hospital.

Within a couple minutes, a number of doctors and nurses had gathered out front by the car, assessing what was going on. None were in a rush to do anything, as baby and mom appeared to be perfectly fine. It took a few minutes to figure out how to get me and the baby on the stretcher, as the cord was still connected and all over the place. We got wheeled into the emergency room, me somewhat oblivious to everything going on around us, just staring at Zeke in my arms. Ezra was trying to keep up with me while answering a barrage of questions about what had happened, my medical info, our insurance info and everything else they needed to admit us.

It became clear that the ER wasn’t entirely used to dealing with deliveries. The doctor cut the umbilical cord a good three feet away from the baby. A nurse jabbed me with an IV in about the worst place possible in my arm.

Another nurse, trying to record all the birth details, asked, “What time was he born?”

“Pfft, I don’t know,” Ezra said. The nurse pointed up to the clock, showing it to be about 6:30. “I don’t know, maybe like 6:10,” he said.

“Wait, make it 6:11,” I chimed in, since 11 is my lucky number. The nurse was happy to oblige.

We hung out in the ER for about 10 more minutes as the doctors and nurses did a few checks to make sure there was no excessive bleeding. Finally, a team from the labor and delivery wing arrived to take us to their department to finish delivering the placenta and get back into a somewhat normal birthing process for the final stretch.

As we were being wheeled up to the delivery wing, a nurse near my feet looked back at me, and, startled, asked, “Wait, is your underwear still on?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I never had a chance to take it off.”

“How is that even possible?” she asked, eliciting shrugs from all of us.

We got into the delivery room, and things from there progressed fairly normally, except for the barrage of questions the nurses had to ask about me and my pregnancy, as they had no information on us whatsoever. As they put me in stirrups to deliver the placenta, I got my first look at my legs that were entirely drenched in blood and fluids. The OB walked in, fairly silently, and went to work on delivering the placenta. Once that was out, they did a quick cleanup and everything basically paused for a good half hour as we happened upon a shift change for the nurses.

That gave me and Ezra our first real chance to appreciate what had happened and to bound in somewhat calm with Zeke. Our doula, who was in relative shock herself, gave us some time alone, and we had our first close moments as a family together. We couldn’t believe what had happened and had already nearly forgotten the absolute terror we felt when Zeke’s head first peaked out back in the car.

From then on, things progressed fairly normally for a birth. We made it to the maternity ward around 10pm and were finally able to start calling family to tell them Zeke had arrived. We hadn’t really had time to even tell people I was in labor – we never wanted to let people know until we were about to leave for the hospital to avoid having people come over to our house or the hospital too early or get overly excited when we wanted to relax. We definitely shocked my dad, my brothers, Ezra's parents, and Ezra's brother and sister-in-law when we told them that they were a grandpa, grandma and uncles and aunts. My mom and best friend, Ashley Cooley, who were going to dog/housesit for us while we were in the hospital, were two of the few people we had told we were going to the hospital, but were utterly shocked when we told them that they were already a grandma and an aunt and let them know how it happened.

It was almost impossible to sleep that night, between the adrenaline of the situation still lingering, and the usual new-parent feelings and fears that were kicking in. I mean, how can you look away for a second, in case something happens to the baby.

In the morning, we started finally thinking about what comes next. Ezra went down to the car to see what sort of shape it was in. (We had just left the car with the valet at the ER – I imagine he’s seen some pretty gnarly scenes like that one before.) It actually fared pretty well, as the towels remarkably soaked up most of the damage. Our doula had done a bit of cleanup when she had gone to get our stuff for us, providing some extra services not normally part of her package.

A hospital case worker came in with information about the birth certificate. Unfortunately, she informed us, since Zeke was born “in the field”, the hospital couldn’t file the birth certificate for us. We would have to find some time to go to the County Hall of Records sometime in the next few weeks and go through an interview process to prove Zeke was ours. It’s actually pretty involved to get a birth certificate for babies born outside of hospitals, which makes sense in some respects when it comes to kidnappings or illegal immigrants. But we thought that since I showed up with the cord still attached that it should’ve still counted. The case worker informed us, “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.”

Looking back on it, we’ve thought about what we could’ve done differently, and there really isn’t anything we could come up with. Oddly, if we hadn’t done any classes or preparation, we likely would’ve gone to the hospital when my water broke, not knowing there were some good reasons not to heed conservative doctors’ advice on that one.

Given how long the hospital drive was going to be, we would’ve needed to leave for the hospital almost an hour and a half earlier than we did, to be sure that we would’ve actually arrived and gotten to the delivery room on time – and even then, it would’ve been incredibly frantic. The only way we would’ve had a “routine” hospital birth is if we had left when my contractions were only about 20- 30 seconds long and not terribly intense. That could’ve meant being stuck at the hospital in labor for a day or longer, or even of possibly getting sent home if I hadn’t actually progressed very far (Kaiser sends home moms who are not 4 centimeters dialated)

A lot of people have asked why Ezra didn’t pull over to help finish delivering the baby, but he says the thought never even occurred to him – he just wanted to get to the hospital as fast as possible. And me screaming “Get to the hospital, oh my God, oh no!” over and over certainly cemented that decision.

Some have asked if we feel like our doula messed up, but we really don’t feel that way at all. Right before we got in the car, she checked my abdomen and still didn’t feel the baby there at the top of the birth canal. And she has had years of experience and never had anything like this happen before. She helped me get through the worst of my contractions. And ultimately, she didn’t really delay us from going to the hospital at all. She has also been amazing since the birth, helping me a ton with breast-feeding and guiding us through some early issues with Zeke around jaundice and getting his weight up.

While we could, of course, have done any number of things differently that would’ve enabled us to get to the hospital earlier, ultimately it doesn’t seem like any of those scenarios were ever really going to happen given our birth plan. We didn’t really make any “wrong” decisions in our mind all day – no one really could’ve known that my labor would be bafflingly short for a first time mom.

And in the end, as one friend told us, any birth that results in a healthy baby is a successful birth, no matter how wild or hectic it may have seemed at the time.

Of course, since subsequent babies tend to come faster than the first, we’ve been told by just about everyone that for our next child, we need to go the hospital the moment I feel my first contraction.

As for lasting effects, we wonder if the birth experience has affected Zeke. He didn’t flinch at all during his circumcision or at any of the blood draws he’s gone through testing for his jaundice. Ezra thinks that means he’s poised to be a hockey player, ready to get stitches on the bench after getting hit in the face with a puck and then hopping back onto the ice.

Everything since birth has been amazing. He’s feeding great, sleeping a ton, barely cries when he’s not being changed, and already such a smiley and happy baby :). Kaiser has so far handled us ending up at an out-of-network hospital reasonably well, and the doctors there have been great during our follow-up appointments. And we are filled with nothing but joy at having started this new stage of our lives together as a family. We both love this handsome boy more than we could have ever imagined.

Xoxo

Marisa, Ezra & Zeke

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Lee Callahan. Born March, 14th @ 6:11pm(ish) in the backseat of our Mercedes SUV, weighing 6 pounds 4.9 ounces and 20 inches long.

Here's some pics of his birth and first week at home:

Zeke's first pic in the backseat of the first family pic in the backseat of our car :)
SUV!

heading to the labor room to cut the being born in the back of a car is tiring!
cord and deliver the placenta

first family pic in the hospital

Pics of Zeke's first 12 days:

37 Weeks :: Full Term, Baby!

2013-03-07T13:52:00.001-08:00

I'm finally considered full term! BC is basically all cooked up and ready to come hang out with us any day now. On average, first time moms don't deliver until after their due date so I'm not expecting this little dude to arrive until sometime beginning of April.

Belly Pics:

How far along? 37 weeks
How big is the baby? As long as a stock of swiss chard - somewhere a little over 6lbs and 19 inches in length.
Weight Gained: 1lb gained this week, total of 29lbs gained.
Waist Size: 39 in, total of 9 in growth (measuring around the belly button)
Exercising: I've been feeling really huge, slow, and sleepy this week so I haven't taken any Bar Method or Yoga classes. Ez and I walked around the Rose Bowl on Monday (3 miles) and I've been taking Bellini on her daily walks (about 2-3 miles). Research says that walking is the best exercise to do in the last weeks of your pregnancy so I'm trying to walk as many miles as I can. Bar Method is just going to have to wait until I recover from delivering BC.
Stretch marks? NOPE!
Symptoms: I've been getting menstrual like cramps everyday for about 3-4 days. I'm also getting crazy shooting pains in my groin area when I'm walking around. I also lost some or all of my mucus plug last Friday night (sorry for those who get grossed out from this stuff). The loss of the mucous plug basically means that the cervix is starting to open up. Think of it as a cork in a bottle of wine, as the cervix opens up, the plug will come out (do you love my wine analogy :)). Some women lose it parts at a time, while others lose it all at once. Many women never ever see their plug as it drops in the toilet in pieces or is not noticed. In general, loss of the plug means that labor will most likely start within 3-4 weeks, sometimes sooner.
Sleep: Sleeping OK. Some nights I'm out like a rock for 10+ hours, while other nights I feel like I only sleep a few hours.
Best moment this week: Getting my life almost completely organized. The baby room is completely done and super organized, we put together all the baby gear (dear lord there is a lot of baby gear and crap in our house right now), I packed the hospital bag (still working on little gift baggies for the nurses and Dr.), the car seat is installed in the car, the work/craft room is now almost fully organized (we are still waiting on a bookshelf I ordered like a month ago), and I decided to reorganize my dresser drawers in my closet (I even organized my socks and undies by color, nesting much lol??).
Miss Anything? I'm getting really excited to consume mass amounts of raw fish in about a month. It's going to be so delicious!
Number of times I get up to pee each night: 4-5 times.
Movement: BC is def slowing down a bit. He's been having bouts of hiccups at least 2-3 times during the day and then usually right when I decide to go to bed.
Food cravings: Milk. I've been drinking a glass or two of milk every morning for a last few days.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing
Have you started to show yet: Feeling like a humongous house/mansion.
Gender: handsome baby boy
Labor Signs: some or all of my mucous plug was released and having menstrual like cramps.
Belly Button in or out? It's basically flush against the rest of my belly, so not technically in or out :).
Mood:  Been a little bit more weepy this last week.
Looking forward to:  Heading to Santa Barbara for the weekend with a few of my high school girlfriends! Hopefully I won't go into labor while we are there :).