the S-&-J post

The Nursery - More views

2012-04-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our finished nursery ... after 2 months of work, and before the whirlwind of its new resident!

The crib mobile is called the Wimmer Ferguson Infant Stim Mobile by Manhatten Toy Company (based, interestingly enough, out of Minneapolis, MN). I ordered it online since it was sold out everywhere (you may have seen it on "Sex and the City," in Mranda's baby Brady's nursery).

Granted, it is neither motorized nor does it play any music, but here's what drew me to it:

Reflects more than forty years of research on infant vision.
Provides a wide range of simple and complex graphics that give a baby unlimited opportunities to study the places where light and dark meet.
Reversible graphic cards and Color-Cards allow parents to vary complexity and color as their infant develops.

The Infant Stim-Mobile contains:

10 black & white reversible cards

1 sturdy, easy to adjust upright

Instructions and Infant Vision Sheet

Height adjustable; raise it up as baby's vision improves.

Color-Cards add a splash of color to the classic Wimmer-Ferguson graphics. These cards will rejuvenate a baby's interest in the Infant Stim-Mobile by providing bold color and interesting variety.

Developmental Value: Encourages visual activity (scanning, focusing, tracking, orienting) and pre-reaching movement.

The Original, Research-Proven Developmental Toy; International Awards & Recognition:

Toy Hall of Fame- Parenting Magazine
Top 10 Toy List for Infants & Toddlers - ASTRA
Gold Seal Award - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
Mother's Choice Award - Baby Talk Magazine
3 stars Highest Rating - Canadian Toy Council
Bon Juet Award - LeCentre de Jeau et du Juet

... and sooo many more. (2 thumbs up from GeniusBabies.com moms too!)

Even cribs have skirts, too. I was a little skeptical about the necessity for this, but it actually worked out quite nicely:

Our crib has a drawer underneath -- perfect for extra sheets and blankets, and this crib skirt expertly keeps everything under wraps!

The "Circles" line by Bacati, at Target

The skirt was another purchase during Target's annual Baby Sale (the one time their prices are actually competitive with other major baby retailers!). Simple enough to go with any room decor, and adds just enough of a modern flair with it's inverted geometric print.

Sometimes a baby boy's room can seem a little "soft" in tone with all the pastel; not the case here with mixing in some bold darks to anchor the place. The nursery is now a place where my husband feels quite comfortable (and, yes, that may have something to do with the 32" flatscreen he mounted on the wall, too) Boys will be boys!

Last, but not least, the changing pad:

100% organic cotten terrycloth from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child

The actual pad itself is by Serta from Walmart.com (surprisingly, I had to do a LOT of shopping around for this item since there are so many kinds out there)

(Only $22.88 online)

Minor details:

The 3-sided enclosure helps keep your baby safe and secure. A safety strap with an easy-release buckle provides additional protection.. Designed to fit most baby changing tables, this pad has a vinyl cover that locks out stains and moisture. This infant changing pad is easy to clean and requires little maintenance.

Serta Nightstar - Three Sided Contour Changing Pad

Converts any flat surface into a safe, convenient changing table

Lush contour foam pad comfortably cradles your baby

Safety strap with easy-release buckle gently keeps baby in place

Durable vinyl cover locks out moisture and stains

1 year warranty against manufacturer's defects

Nursery - After!

2012-04-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

The front half of the nursery:

The crib was graciously handed-down to us from our 3 nieces.
The crib sheet is 100% organic cotton from Restoration Hardware's Baby & Child line -- it is as soft as you can get in a sheet without the thickness of flannel, and has elastic all the way around (makes a difference from sheets that only have elastic at the corners).
The rug is also from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child (5' x 8')

The back half of the room:

The chair is from Babies R Us -- comfy and very affordable. It's a rocker only, so no gliding or full reclining here ... but good enough for sitting in with a little baby (hey, isn't the point to lull the baby, not the parent?!) Besides, it has to comfortably fit not just your 5'3" self, but your 6'2" husband as well.

We were able to order it during one of their nursery furniture sales (takes about 6 weeks for delivery; shipment is free if you arrange to pick it up in-store).

Chair details:

Newco Serenity Classic Non Swivel Glider - Chocolate Micro Suede $379.99

Round back pillow glider chair
Coordinating gliding ottoman (Item# 240645 - Newco Serenity Classic Gliding Ottoman - Chocolate Micro Suede)
Handcrafted kiln-dried hardwood frame
All lumber and plywood are domestically harvested under sound practices to perpetuate forestry
Seat cushion made from high quality foam wrapped with additional dacron
Lofty recycled garneted fiber back pillow boxed and channeled to prevent shifting of fiber and create extra comfort and support
Seat cushion and back pillow covers are removable and washable
Proudly handcrafted in the United States
Product Dimensions (in inches): 39.5 (Height) x 33.5 (Depth) x 35.5 (Width)

Another view of the other half of the nursery:

You'd think that beadboard under the window was always there, but no! We got it from Lowe's.

Lumbar pillow is from Nordstrom Home Collection (down feather-filled, with a removeable zipper cover)
Side table is from Cost Plus (wedding gift from Ritesh!). We have used it in both of our living rooms, and now it works here, too. Low key, yet just interesting enough to look at!
Lamp is from Williams Sonoma Home (100% lead crystal, so no chance of baby knocking it over. This thing is ridiculously heavy. Shade is a natural rattan, like a light straw-color when unlight).
Throw blanket is from Pottery Barn Kids (baby shower gift from Ritesh & Ami!) -- great idea b/c it is double sided (navy on the other side). Love nautical themes!

Check out the ottoman:

This was a find of a find, and a steal of a deal! I found it on clearance at Macy's.com for $199. It was only available in Edina, Minnesota (suburb of the Minneapolis area). I called their showroom and learned that they only had one display model left for $299. They were able to locate a brand new, unopened ottoman from their Chicago warehouse, and matched the online price of $199! I ordered it, and scheduled to have it delivered to their Edina store on a weekend that we were in town to pick it up. Suffice it to say, we are very pleased with this purchase.

Ralph Lauren Piermont Small Leather Ottoman

Regular price $899, bought it for $199.

28 W x 22 D x 17 H

Side wall of nursery:

The changing cart was also graciously handed-down to us from our 3 nieces. We especially love the height and that it's on wheels!

The diaper stacker is from Target, by Bacati
The wipes warmer is by LionHeart (baby shower gift from Sidney!)
These cute little cubbies make for great storage We got them at our local Lowe's, and I love the splash of primary color they add to the nursery's pastels.
ALL of the wood trim was also from Lowe's, great prices and selection.

allen + roth 11" Solid Red 600D Milk Crate with PU Trim and Printed Lining

Height (Inches)	8.0
Width (Inches)	11.0

Depth (Inches)	10.0
Finish	Solid PU
Material	Vinyl

Nursery - BEFORE

2012-04-24T07:46:00.001-07:00

In-progress pictures of baby's nursery (from we first began the project started in February). The paints are all from Lowe's. You can't beat their sample prices -- under $4 for a 1/2 pint. Therefore, no real pressure to commit right away.

This just an example pf the paint sample size, these were not our colors (we try to stay away from brown hues on the walls as much as possible)

I knew that I wanted to do horizontal stripes on the long walls of the room, and a solid dark color for the short walls. Seth came up with the idea to use a navy blue for the short walls. As for the stripes, that would take some testing.

I had purchased these curtains from Restoration Hardware's Baby & Child line, as they were on clearance. The curtains are a wonderful heavy duty 100% cotton canvas, complete with blackout liner.

The intention was to lean towards gender-neutral (especially since I had purchased these curtains before we knew baby's gender). I tested some paint colors for the stripes to go with the "silver sage" color of the curtains:

This was done the first week of Feb. 2012

I mean, come on, what else are you going to do while 6 months pregnant and you're husband is away on a weeklong business trip to Phoenix? Not to worry, I made sure to only paint for short periods of time. For example, I only did one coat of one stripe color at a time, leaving the ceiling fan on & taking minimum of an hour break between each coat/color.

Note: The caulking and final paint had not been done yet on the woodwork.

You can see the previous paint color for this room -- it never would have worked for a nursery (unless you are giving birth to a 70 year old baby! Reference to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" which we just watched recently).

Btw, the wood trim was all done by Seth in late January -- we are so proud of him! Before that, we had plain sheet rock walls from floor to ceiling. Interesting to see what a combo of baseboard, crown, and beadboard can do for a room. Details on that later.

The stripes to the left are Benjamin Moore colors. While their paints are considerably thicker, I would not recommend using that brand for testing b/c the samples are miniscule and cost about twice as much as the Valspar from Lowe's.

After a few days of viewing the stripes in daylight and artificial lighting, and holding the curtains next to the striping, I realized we needed more a of a contrast to the silver sage of the curtains. The curtains needed to stand out on their own, with maybe a few room accents to match (but certainly NOT the wall color). Back to Lowe's, I went.

Rather than sticking to the original plan for gender-neutral tones, I really went for it and picked some old-school baby boy blue shades:

Painting officially commenced the first week of March 2012

We loved the traidtional feel of the dark and light blues. Especially how it looked next to the white wood trim. As you can see from this picture, our entire house is themed in soothing, neutral grays -- so we really were going for a different "feel" when it came to the nursery.

The light blue does seem a tad bright here, but bear in mind this is still before the final step of the 2nd horizontal stripe (more of a gray-blue hue) was added.

The window, prior to being adorned with the Restoration Hardware Silver Sage curtains

The crown at the top really helped to elevate the height of the room, and the wood on the walls made everything feel much bigger. The trim on the sidewalls also helped to elongate the wall height and lengthen the wall overall. It's quite a commitment, but we highly recommend it.

Just for reference: This is just a standard 8 foot high room. I'm 5'3" and the trim on the long walls came to above my eye level. Perfect for additional lateral surface area, too!

What's It Gonna Cost?

2012-04-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today's topic is something NO ONE likes to talk about, but pertains to EVERYONE. We sure wish someone had talked more about this topic, actually. So, I'm going to start the dialogue. Seth agrees that we should post this, in the case that it helps anyone out there.

Medical expenses of having a baby ... Here's the info we received directly from the hospital about what to expect:

External Cephalic Version (ECV)
$   500 mandatory co-pay
$3,000 minimum outpatient facility cost at the hospital*
$     95 Initial consultation with Perinatologist
$    439 Subsequent visit for procedure

*Whether or not this would have been covered by insurance is still uknown. They said we needed to be pre-authorized for coverage, but they would only start the pre-authorization process once we had committed to the procedure. Makes sense? Not to us, either. For some background info, please refer to this prior blog post.

Vaginal Delivery with 1-day stay**
Mom: $4,800 to $5,490
Baby:  $1,780 to $2,310
Total: $6,580 to $7,800

Vaginal Delivery with 2-day stay**
Mom: $6,350 to $8,100
Baby:  $2,700 to $4,000
Total: $9,050 to $12,100

Scheduled c-section with 3-night stay (standard minimum)
Mom: $15,100 to $17,600
Baby:  $ 3,820 to $ 4,600
Total: $18,920 to $22,200

Scheduled c-section with 4-night stay
Mom: $16,300 to $20,700
Baby: $ 4,880 to $ 5,630
Total: $21,180 to $26,330

** Vaginal delivery estimates are based only 12 hours OR LESS of labor, with no epidural, no induction, and no complications. Sounds VERY realistic, right? SMH.

The following charges are billed separately:

Pediatrician (for newborn check-up)
Anesthesiologist
Blood testing
Ultrasounds
Diabetes screening

Epidural supplies charge range from $1,800 to $2,300

Fortunately for us, our health insurance covers everything, however, here's what we do pay:
$ 450 "delivery package" co-pay
$ 600 "facility" co-pay (hospital)
$1,050 Total (again this does not include Pediatrician or Anesthesiologist fees)

Now, if we pay this at the time we're discharged, there is a 15% discount. Within 30 days, there is a 10% discount.

Oh, but there's more:

Baby has his own deductible of $300. We have 90 days to add him to our insurance plan.
Our out-of-pocket max is $2,500, of which we have met $366 (from Blood testing and diabetes screening).

At the end of the day, it IS a business. The business of being born, you could say.

The New Video Camera

2012-04-23T12:12:00.001-07:00

We picked up this nifty little Video Camera from Best Buy, just in time for baby's birth -- meaning this is the set-up that Seth plans to have in the Operating Room.

It's the Sony "Bloggie Touch" 8GB HD Camcorder with 3" LCD Touch Screen in Black. You really can't beat the size -- it easily fits in our regular digital point + shoot camera's bag.

So far, the picture is very sharp and the zoom is excellent -- considering how tiny this device is. It's much smaller than any digital camera we've ever had. The screen automatically adjusts to vertical or horizontal views too (like a Smartphone), and the touch screen menus are very intuitive.

It also couples nicely with our curent tripod that we use for our Sony NEX-5 digital camera. The tripod was from Target for $59.99, called the Manfrotto Camera Tripod with 3-Way Head.

Tripod Specs:

Features: Portable
Material: Aluminum
Tripod Mount Type: 3 Way Panhead
Tripod Extended Height: 60.6 " H
Tripod Retracted Height: 18.1 " H
Maximum Weight Capacity: 3.3 Lb.
Dimensions: 5.0 " W x 18.1 " L
Warranty Description: 90 Day Limited Manufacturer Warranty

The Bloggie retails for $199, but as of last weekend it was on sale on Best Buy's website for $99 -- and the store matched that price since their in-store price was $149. As of today, though, the price online has gone up to $129. Definitely pays to shop around online, and jump on the best deal while you can!

Bloggie specs:

4x digital zoom
Brings you up close to distant objects and scenes.
3" touch-screen LCD with vertical and horizontal operation
Automatically rotates orientation for simple use.
1/2.5" Exmor CMOS image sensor
With 12.8 effective megapixels for stunning detail and clear images, even in challenging lighting conditions.
4 lens groups in 4 elements
Along with a f/2.8 aperture provide clear, crisp images. Autofocus and auto macro keep your pictures and video in focus.
SteadyShot image stabilization
Helps reduce blur caused by camera shake.
Face detection technology
Recognizes faces and optimizes camera settings for both video and still images, so faces are captured more clearly and skin tones look more natural.
Photo mode
Lets you capture images up to 12.8MP with 4128 x 3096 resolution.
Mono audio recording
Lets you capture sound with your videos.
8GB internal flash memory
Lets you store video and photos.
Built-in rechargeable battery
Powers your camcorder.
Flip-out USB arm
Lets you connect your camcorder directly to a compatible PC to upload media and charge the battery.
HDMI output
For digital transfer of media.
Video tagging
Lets you tag videos and images and upload them to Internet sharing sites, including Facebook and YouTube, the next time the camera is connected to a computer.
Bloggie software 1.0
Embedded on the camera for tagging videos, pictures and more.
Compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7
For wide-ranging use.

Baby's Birth Date (has been set)!

2012-04-23T11:51:00.001-07:00

"It is your DESTINY." -- Darth Vader

We found out as of last Friday that our c-section date will be:

Monday
April 30, 2012

Yes, Baby's birthday was determined based on our OB's schedule, in conjunction with the hospital's delivery O.R. scheduling. I have to admit, it's kind of strange not having much influence at all in the date - but I suppose that's how it goes for the natural births anyway.

37 Weeks: The Gameplan

2012-04-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 37 weeks (and 4 days, to be exact) appointment. It actually consisted of 3 separate meetings:

1) Perinatologist - partial ultrasound to measure my amniotic fluid & to discuss an external cephalic version (ECV).
2) Meternal Fetal Ward Billing Specialist - Are ECV's even covered by our insurance? If not, how much out-of-pocket are we looking at?
3) OB - Layout a gameplan for baby's birth

What is an ECV? It's a procedure where the doctor manually tries to turn the baby into the necessary head-down birthing position. The doctor would push baby's head and rump from the outside of my tummy, in hopes of getting baby to naturally react and move along in the desired direction ... until he is finally upside down.

Easier said than done. If successful, this is considered to be an outpatient procedure performed at the hospital (minimum charge for successful outpatient procedure at our hospital = $3,000 ... does not include physician's services). Due to the risks, all parties involved (patient, doctor, and medical team) are prepped for surgery AKA emergency c-section.

Major RISKS:

Baby's heart rate decreases (and does not go back up)
Water breaks (amniotic sac, specifically)
Ruptured placenta
Umbilical cord tightens around the baby (reference point #1)

... all of which would result in an emergency c-section to take the baby out.

Minor RISK:
Baby turns back to the breech position, resulting in a c-section birth.

PROS:
If the ECV is successful, then it means I would be able to have a vaginal delivery. However, this also is not guaranteed. We're talking about a baby who was in the 73rd percentile for weight as of a week ago...

CONS:

Major discomfort for the mother
EMERGENCY c-section (rather than a scheduled one)
No guarantee that this procedure is covered by our health insurance (details on that in the next post), as it is considered to be elective.

WHY?
... is the baby breeched in this way? Hard to say. They did use the partial ultrasound evaluation to look for any genetic defects whch sometimes cause the baby to be breeched, but didn't find any (PHEW!). Due to this, Dr. suspects that baby is breeched due to my uterus and pelvic bones.

ODDS (%):

Only 3-4% of babies are born in the fully breeched position.
45-50%: success rate of an ECV for us.

The fact that baby is our first pregnancy is also factored into this, as the mother's stomach muscles are very tight. The Perinatologist said that, were this to be our 3rd baby (for example), he could estimate the success rate to be quite a bit higher.
Size of baby and mother are also factored in. Back when baby was 2.5 pounds lighter, the Perinatologist had estimated our success rate for ECV to be up to 70%.

Are we noticing a common denominator here? As you can see, the term c-section is mentioned in just about every factor here.

In the end, we decided not to try the ECV. We opted to schedule a c-section. No word yet as to when that will be, as our OB is trying to coordinate with the hospital's delivery operating room schedule. Hopefully, they get back to us today with some options about when our baby's birth date will be!

** At our last appointment of the day with the OB, we told her our decision. It was only after we revealed our final choice that she was more candid and told us she personally would not have recommended for us to try the ECV either. But professionally, she had to let us choose on our own. She had performed ECVs during her residency, and never "liked it."

We noticed that in the medical world, the term "like" is used very loosely -- often implying something much more dire (as in "if the heart rate decreases, baby doesn't 'like' it" -- WHAT??)

It's a hard decision to make, especially for first-time parents-to-be (we're humbled by this experience, have learned so much, and yet can't help but feel medically-unqualified to make such a big decision).

We sought as much professional advice as was available to us, and avoided the internet + word-of-mouth "advice" as much as possible prior to making our decision. The important thing was to go with the option that was safest for baby, first and foremost.

Labor Day Weekend 2011 - Tucson, AZ (Part 1)

2012-04-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Ritz Carlton resort in Tucson, AZ offered a deal in Spring of 2011 that we just couldn't pass up. So, we booked this trip for a long weekend getaway back in April as a nice "good-bye" to summer (possibly our last summer as just "Seth and Jennifer" ...). It turns out, a few days before we flew out, we found out we were pregnant. We were overjoyed, elated, you name it. It made the trip all the more fun and memorable. An inadvertent "babymoon," if you will. My first time out to the desert. I must say, it was very interesting and not boring as a Californian might think (or maybe I'm just getting old?). Here are some pics.

As we drove along the highway to the resort, it was already neat to see the scattered cacti

We even drove past an ostrich farm! I think I was too baffled and surprised to even snap a picture. Beforehand, we had spent some time shopping at the Phoenix outlets (selection was good, higher caliber of inventory than the SJ outlets). The hotel just opened in December of 2009 and has a PGA golf course. Check-in was fairly busy, but the resort was so huge that it never felt too busy or full. The resort offered plenty of activities throughout the day, but most of them were geared toward children. While there were lots of families present, it didn't affect our relaxtion at all -- we never even heard one crying baby or yelling child! thank goodness for that!

Complimentary dessert on our first dinner there. An early celebration of our 3 year wedding anniversary!

Even though the temp was in the 90s during the day, and then low 70s at night, the resort had plenty of beautiful landscaping in addition to the gigantic cacti. Outside of one building door was an herb garden which the restaurants use, and outside of another was a lime orchard -- they both smelled wonderful!

They also grow their own grapefruits and lemons (for those fresh cocktails!).

At just 1 month pregnant, they made me a refreshing non-alcoholic drink: the best ever fresh-squeezed rosemary lemonade. Sounds a little funky, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Not the sugary, high-fructose-corn-syrup lemonade that we see everywhere else.

We also stopped at the golf course club one afternoon for appetizers. The food was divine and the scenery was beautiful.

This outdoor sitting area at the golf course was gorgeous ... and HUGE!

I'm including a picture with a 6'2" person in it, so you can get a reference for the size of this place:

You can tell he was a bit in awe of the design & craftmanship ...

It was all very peaceful and quiet. If you want an easy getaway to the middle of nowhere, I highly recommend this place. And trust me, I had my fair share of anxiety about going to any type of "middle of nowhere!" But now I know what people talk about when they mention "relaxation!"

Check out this neat stone artwork on the wall of the golf club restaurant:

and this lengthy sconce, too. After building our house, I have a new found appreciation for decor details such as lighting:

The Boppy Wedge Pillow

2012-04-18T06:44:00.000-07:00

If there's a pregnancy sleep aid that I can recommend, it's the Boppy Wedge Pillow. Retails for around $15 (or $12 if you take advantage of Target's annual Baby Sale). Small enough for you to shift around whilst in a sleepy daze, but substantial enough in size to offer support for your growing tummy.

I have 2 actually -- 1 for the front and 1 for my back. I didn't want to commit to a full-body pillow, since I'm a light sleeper and change positions frequently as it is. Ideally, for a restless sleeper, you want something that ou can easily pick up with one hand and move to where you need it to be. And this is it! The zip-off cover is 360-thread count, so it's certainly soft enough to be comfortable. And the padding has enough support to withstand your husband completely squishing it flat (bounces right back!)

I think I started using it during month 6 (January), around my first bout with the PUPPS rash. Any pulling on my skin was really painful, so even sleeping on my side with a growing tummy was difficult -- I needed something subtle under that baby bump. Thus, the ingenius incline of the wedge shape -- believe me, a regular pillow, although only a few slight inches thicker, won't cut it.

9 month Ultrasound

2012-04-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Baby has not changed position for over a month now, and has taken what seems like permanent residency on my right side. On the plus side, his lungs are already working & he is in very good health (as am I).

SIZE UPDATE: Baby weighs 6 pounds, 12 ounces -- moving him into the 73rd percentile for weight. Thoughts along the lines of "just what have I gotten myself into?" cross my mind momentarily.

Here are some pics of our little guy:

A blurry profile of baby's face. They guessed that he was pushing his lips out (or maybe they really are that big?). Yes, that is hair on top of his head!

A view from below, looking up baby's nose and at his lips. Whose nose does he have?

A sleeping Baby Skogen, with some chubby cheeks.

Belly PROGRESS (Months 8-9)

2012-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

No need for quotations here, we're talking major belly sightings.

8 months: Just a fraction of the shopper that I used to be.

8 months: Baby is getting big + effects of my weight gain from suffering through Month 7. 03.10.12

8.5 months: After a day of working hard to finish the nursery. Big thanks to Seth's parents! 03.17.12

9 months: Taken on Easter sunday 04.08.12

9 months (officially). Gucci makes a cameo

Belly "Progress" (Months 3-7)

2012-04-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Against my better judgement, and by popular demand, here is a compendium of my belly as it grew through the pregnancy:

4 months: Not much size here, considering the photo was taken on Thanksgiving 2011.

4.5 months: Taken in early December, after a Christmas party (AKA our last chance to play dress-up during the pregnancy)

5 months: I'm pretty sneaky, not a very good view of the belly. 12.25.11

6 months: This YSL dress (non-maternity, of course) was sooo comfy! 01.19.12

7 months: This is what a nightmarish outbreak of the PUPPS rash will do to you (ZERO rest!). I was NOT up for taking a picture of this phase.

8 Month Ultrasound ... stats

2012-04-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

03.13.12: It was during this viewing that we first learned baby is breeched (meaning: head has not turned downwards to the necessary birthing position). His position was essentially being folded in half: legs extended over the top of his body, with his feet past his the top of his head. This is called the Frank Breech position:

As a result, we didn't get a view of baby's face due to all the limbs covering his front. Most babies have turned by this fetal age, and then continue to grow bigger afterwards being positioned upside down in the womb.

Size Update: 4 pounds, 6 oz. -- 62nd percentile for weight. Anything below the 10th percentile or over the 90th percentile is potentially unhealthy and a red flag.

03.27.12: 8.5 month check-up. The nurse practioner guaranteed that baby was at least 5 pounds by now. This also means that there is a good 10 pounds of fluid in my abdomen as well. She used this neat device called a VSCAN (portable ultrasound) to check baby's position:

Low and behold: Baby Skogen is still breeched!

Merry Christmas 2011

2012-04-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

If you think I have thrown all chronological-awareness out the window ... you're right. Here's a "reject" photo from our Christmas photo shoot at McKennan Park in Sioux Falls, SD. Actual timeframe: Mid-November (not quite 4 months pregnant for me). Photographer: our nifty Sony NEX-5 camera on tripod+timer.

* My hair is shorter here, b/c a lot of it was falling out during Month 4. Luckily, this was just temporary & it all came back by the end of the following month!

It's a Boy!

2012-04-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, in all honesty, we've known for quite some time. Our 2nd ultrasound was on Dec. 20, 2011 (a.k.a. Month 5). We could not have asked for a better Christmas gift! It was wonderful to hear the great news about baby's gender, health, progress, etc. Each time we see baby through the ultrasound on that wall-mounted flatscreen monitor, it feels as though we are "re-visiting" him (and as of that date, there was no more referring to baby as "It!").

Full-body view of baby. Even though head is facing up, baby's hips are turned so you can only see his right leg.

Here is a bird's eye view of baby's face. At this point, his eyelids were still closed and would not be able to open for at least another month.

While we do see baby's eyeball here, his eyelids are still officially closed. We were very surprised to witness baby's mouth opening and closing (in real time)! He was gulping amniotic fluid; this is how he "eats"

"Those feet look too wide to be a girl's" -- Seth (BEFORE we were told it was a boy!)

3D view of baby's body. He is looking downwards & covering his face with his arms.
"No pictures, please!" I suppose the flash was a bit much for him ... (?)

Baby's face. Consensus all around is that baby bears a strong resemblance to Daddy.

Baby is playing "Peek-a-Boo" with us already!

Our First Ultrasound

2011-10-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Oct 27th was the first OB appointment of our (yes, also first) pregnancy, so -- as you can imagine -- it was quite momentous for Seth and I. We got to meet our doctor for the first time, and I do like her a lot. Not too young, not too old. She was very open about discussing anything, yet was also brief and concise in the topics she covered. Not too much small talk (and thank goodness for that -- what a breath of fresh air that she didn't immediately delve into personal details, focusing instead on the more important tasks at hand).

Unfortunately, when it came time to schedule upcoming appointments with the receptionist, we learned that our Doc also serves as a hospital Administrator in addition to being an OB -- thus, limiting her availability for our appointments. At this point, we are comfortable sharing our appointments between two doctors as long as things go relatively smoothly and there are no complications during the pregnancy. I've spent many years working for overachieving women, therefore I suppose it should come as no surprise that our doctor of choice falls in line with that group as well ... am I drawn to this "type" or do I just have a 6th sense when it comes to personnel selection? Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. Ah, I digress!

I just assumed that we would be listening to the baby's hearbeat via the ultrasound machine ("2 birds, 1 stone"), but actually the initial appointment with the doctor and the ultrasound appointment were at 2 separate locations. After a few minutes of pertinent dialogue, Doc approached me with a small device that was no larger than a VHS tape. It's called a Fetal Doppler and is undoubtedly one of the coolest gadgets I have ever encountered (partially due to its portability, fast response, & ease of use, but mainly b/c it litereally introduced us to OUR BABY!):

The Doppler Fetal Heart Rate Monitor, invented in 1958 (I was surprised to learn that, too!).

Doc said, "And this is the best part of my day: we're going to hear the baby's heartbeat." I was taken aback that we were jumping right into things, but composed myself quickly enough to make a phonecall to Seth (in the waiting room) so he could join us in the exam room for this part. One end of the device scans over my lower abdomen, similar to that of an (mini) ultrasound. Then the speaker came on and we waited. A few seconds of silence passed as we both watched the doctor's serious expression. Without looking at each other (Seth & I), the same frightening thought entered both of our minds. Meanwhile, Doc was concentrating and trying to find just where this baby was situated in that moment.

And then VOILA! We hear a wonderful heartbeat. A very fast one at that. The Doppler showed that our baby had a heart rate of 163, which Doc said was very healthy. Music to our ears! We were a little surprised at the doctor's genuine amusement upon hearing the heartbeat (surely, she has heard it countless times!). There was even a slower, muffled yet loud noise that Doc said was the baby doing a "flip." We heard that same noise a second time, and Doc sounded pleasantly surprised that the baby flipped again.

Seth later shared a revelation: This little heart has already been beating in the womb since week 5, and does not stop until the end of a lifetime. It certainly gave us a renewed appreciation for life. Later that day, my mother-in-law Marsha mentioned "the miracle of life," and I could not agree more. No words were more fitting to describe this experience. Truly a miracle.

And while we're on the topic, here's a little background info on fetal heart rates:

Starting at week 5, the fetal heart rate accelerates by 3.3 bpm per day for the next month. The fetal heart begins to beat at approximately the same rate as the mother's, which is typically 80 to 85 bpm. The approximate fetal heart rate for weeks 5 to 9 (assuming a starting rate of 80):

Week 5 starts at 80 and ends at 103 bpm
Week 6 starts at 103 and ends at 126 bpm
Week 7 starts at 126 and ends at 149 bpm
Week 8 starts at 149 and ends at 172 bpm
At week 9 the fetal heartbeat tends to beat within a range of 155 to 195 bpm.

At week 9, the fetal heart rate begins to decrease, and generally falls within the range of 120 to 160 bpm by week 12.

"We now take you back to your regularly scheduled programming."

Oh, and just to paint you a picture of exactly what we were hearing: Although the volume on the little Doppler device was very audible, the sound coming out of it was slightly static-y. Reminiscent of what you might hear from the speaker of the safari Jeep in the Indiana Jones ride at Disney. I was elated to hear our baby's heartbeat, but couldn't help but think that, somewhere in that background noise, I would hear a familiar British voice from the movie saying "Dr. Jones! Are you there? Do you copy?"

If you presume that this is the first of many Disney references to come, then you've presumed correctly ... Dr. Jones.

Our next stop took us to the Ultrasound room. Before we got started, the ultrasound technician asked nicely if we were ok with also having a new trainee girl sit-in on our appointment? Sure, why not. I think our ultrasound appointment actually went longer due to the training, and we loved every minute of it. The tech would explain to the trainee every step of what she was doing, which in turn was very helpful to us newbie, parents-to-be.

Once we were situated, the lights were dimmed and Seth & I focused our attention to the flatscreen TV mounted on the wall in front of us. This definitely created a theater-like effect. Time for the "Seth & Jennifer's Baby Show" to begin! Before we knew it, we were looking at a 2D view of our baby -- realtime, real motions and all. It was your classic ultrasound shot - baby is lying on its back, facing up & you can see it's head, little nose, body cavity, and the little heart beating. A very peaceful scene. I've seen this picture many times before from other parents, but of course this time I found it to be just magnificent! Amazing. I started to cry. The tears must have been silently streaming for a good 10 minutes!

Drumroll please ...

The USC drumline: one of Seth's favorite teams. Let this be a timeline reference (football season)

**AND NOW WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!**

With just 1 click of a keyboard key, the screen would switch from 2D to 3D view. Here's a good full-body view of the baby:

The baby was moving its arms up and down over its head.

In this view, we saw what appeared to be the baby "jumping" up and down. The technician explained that this was most likely caused by the still-developing nervous system. When the baby was laying on its back, at times we would see a sudden jolt -- sending the baby arching up at the trunk of the body and lifting it up suddenly. Then it would float back down to the original resting position. The jolt effect was similar to what you see on TV when defibrillator paddles are used on a patient. Needless to say, we were surprised to witness these sudden movements and found it peculiar. The tech reassured us this was normal behavior inside the womb, as the baby's nervous system is still developing.

The baby was very active from the get-go, which is typical for its "age" of 12.5 weeks. Both arms would move up and down over it's head. One minute, baby was laying on its side, facing us:

You can see the baby's brain, 2 eyes, nose, mouth, left arm up, and right arm close to face.

Then it would flip, with its back to us and laying on its other side:

You can faintly see the right ear, part of right arm (legs tucked up in front at the abdomen).

After waiting for the baby to change positions so they could get a different angle, the Tech asked me to get up and walk around for a few minutes. This worked and a few more pics were taken. Also towards the end, the Tech switched seats with the trainee so she could try her hand at using the ultrasound. Very cool for Seth & I, b/c this meant we got to see our baby in 2D and 3D, from the back, from the front, from the top of the head, etc -- all over again!

Here, you can see baby's right ear, face, and fully-extended right arm.

When the baby was conveniently laying on its tummy (facing my back), the Tech freeze-framed the shot to take some measurements. The baby is currently 6.9 cm. long (or 2.7 inches) from "head to butt," as Seth eloquently put it.

For quick reference, here's a little schedule of the baby's growth (length) over the next few months (keep in mind we're just finishing month #3):

Month 4: 6-7 inches
Month 5: 10-12 inches
Month 6: 11-14 inches (weight may be up to 1.5 pounds by end of 2nd trimester)

The Tech measured the thickness of the fetal neck, referred to as the the nuchal translucency (fluid beneath the skin behind baby’s neck). A large fetal neck size at this stage is due to excess fluid build-up, and is considered an early indicator of Down's Syndrome (chromsome name for that is Trisomy 21) & one other genetic defect known as Edward syndrome (chromosome name is Trisomy 18). The tech reported that our baby had a very normal/good fetal neck size.

We were so happy to hear about the baby's healthy status!

A quick update about me, since I know some have inquired: The early mornings are still rough, but a new improvement that I can report is that Friday (Oct 28th) is the first day where I dont have to eat every 2 hours. I eat breakfast, and then later I eat lunch -- LIKE. A. NORMAL. PERSON! Believe me, this little feat is something I'm not embarassed to embrace. I'm also able to make it through the workday without taking a 30 minute nap on my lunch break. Yeah! again, more like a normal person. I still usually take a nap in the evenings after work -- just for an hour max. Any longer, and I'll wake up feeling starving and weak. If the 2nd trimester is all its cracked up to be, I'm really looking forward to the increased productivity. After getting through this first trimester, I hope I never take my well-being for granted again!!

Seth & I look forward to reading your comments, thoughts, and reactions!