Great day at the consignment shop

[caption id="attachment_383" align="alignnone" width="225"] Our sling for baby carrying[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_374" align="alignnone" width="300"] Whale tub![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_372" align="alignnone" width="225"] Highchair...we're working ahead[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_382" align="alignnone" width="225"] Doug's manly baby carrier[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_381" align="alignnone" width="300"] Our current book collection[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_379" align="alignnone" width="225"] Needlepoint by Doug's cousin Melia (from when he turned 1[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_378" align="alignnone" width="300"] Booties from Great Grandma Allegar, 1 week's worth of diapers, baby's first classical CD[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignnone" width="225"] Figurine from Great Grandma Nehls[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_376" align="alignnone" width="300"] Wall hanging by Doug's cousin Carol (hand stitched, by the way and on the door says "Douglas Firs") made for baby Doug[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_375" align="alignnone" width="225"] Handmade rug for baby Doug by Uncle Jim, not allowed on the floor per Doug's request, so re-purposed for the rocker back[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="580"] Wally loves all of "his" new interesting things[/caption]

The first boy warning from my boss...

Doug and I went out to my work holiday dinner out this last week. My boss has 2 boys and a girl, 7 and younger and has been really excited for us. In the middle of dinner he warned us about boys and fire...not from his own kids, but from the things he did. He told us stories about the time he poured gas on the side of the house and stood with the garden hose running to see what would happen. He told us about the time he and his friends started a fire in the woods and ran home to have his mom call the fire department when it got out of control! Then another co-worker piped up about getting kicked out of summer camp for playing with fire...every guy had done something horrifying with their friends. I looked at Doug...I won't rat him out on the worst story, but playing after school with a group of boys he had a one especially pyro buddy and they did small experiments together. But then one day when he didn't hang out with them they told him about what he missed: filling a super soaker water gun with gas and lighting the stream trying to make a flame shooter, which of course was a melted plastic fire bomb. Oh God I can hardly wait.

16 pounds of baby bump vs. 18 pounds of Christmas turkey

Next week we will be half way through our 9 months! Merry Christmas.

It's a Boy!

Baby's newest photo shoot.

4 month appointment

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="165"] Our Doctor[/caption]

Wednesday the 12th was our 4 month appointment. It was pretty standard; peed in a cup, got weighed, up 4 pounds since last month (15 total pounds!) checked blood pressure ( up a bit, no red flags though since my normal pressure is super low) and listened to baby's heart 150 beats per minute. We asked several questions that have been piling up. I've been looking into prep classes, and talking to friends who said the birthing class is still valuable for a c-section couple because some parts of the class are about nursing and infant care, etc. However, our hospital divides it up separately. $25 for the breastfeeding prep, $25 for newborn care, and $225 for birth prep. Doug has already gotten a bit stressed at the thought of me going into early labor before our scheduled day (now that I've informed him of our long line of early birthers 2-5 weeks). Personally, I'd really like to go into labor a bit first and let those hormonal signals do there thing for our little guy so she's got a little heads up about moving out. Dr. Zino insists that we call her at the very first signals. Doug's been trying to coach me out of my gloom about not getting to give birth, which I think I would probably kick-ass at...under other circumstances! Again, I have to trust my Dr. on this, since she lectures on c-section prevention and she did my surgery and doesn't want me take the risk. She advised us to save our $225 on the birth class. I can't believe how much they cost, I checked at other area hospitals, all in the same ballpark.  I always like my appointments with her, she's fun and funny, has a great Irish accent, and at this appointment while asking me the regular questions she went over to cover Doug's ears when asking some intimate questions "husbands don't need to hear." She's a gem. Her Dad was a pianist and when she was a kid he would force her to practice the accordian.  She's always wishing she had more time to start piano lessons. The only bad news we got was about 3rd trimester travel, Doug's Mid West tour and my potential baby shower falls at 32 weeks, and Dr. Says no plane travel at 32 weeks, unless I want to risk breaking my water in the pressure of take off, or blood clots. She said I could do it, but it would definitely be against medical advice. Having no idea hoe secure my "baby seal" will be, I've decided to forget it. We looked into Amtrak but it's a 30+ hour trip one way, and already I'm feeling weird on my night train home from work. Doesn't seem like a safe bet. I figure since Doug and I are taking care of everything we really need, we'll do a little gathering post baby in July to or from the Oregon reunion so the WI crew can get their fill and if our friends and family demand to gift sans shower, the theme will be building our baby/ kid library: books! and 1st year clothing....Doug and I aren't good clothes shoppers for ourselves let alone having to fill our baby drawers on our own :)

Hello, my name is......

We will find out the sex of our little guy on Monday December 17, so we have 3 days before we have to get down to serious naming business. We've got a scratch pad with our on-going brainstorm and most recently tried to lengthen our boy list a bit. We're more on the same page with the girl column...maybe because Doug contributes names such as: John Jacob Jingleheimer Detrick and Alexander Graham Detrick...... Anyway, before we get down to serious business we're taking the risk of sharing our first round brain storm...we are not done going through the book ( or at least I, Jenny, am not done. Doug hasn't cracked open, he prefers the random strokes of naming genius that come to him organically) nor have we started to dabble with first and middle combos, or begun trouble shooting problematic initials. Well, I guess I knocked off Vera and Vivian fearing the initials V.D..but otherwise here is our start:June, Elenor, Beatrice, Grace, Audrey, Joy, Charlotte, Cory-----Gabe, Henry, Evan, Franklin, Graham, Jude, Elliot, Scott, Joel, Matthew

Shake Your Baby Maker

Jenny has been asking me very nicely to take her to this place called the Pyramid Club where its 80's Night every night. She went once a few months or so ago on our friend Mary's bachelorette party and had a blast. On Saturday night I had a gig subbing in for one of the trumpet players in a very fun band led by a Mexican singer/songwriter named Rana Santacruz. The band plays Rana's original songs that are all in Spanish and are mostly inspired by different strains of traditional Mexican music, but then he also loves rock, punk, bluegrass and jazz, so a lot of those sounds are mixed into the songs as well. He's a great musician and writes nice trumpet parts, so I'm always happy to sit in with his band when he calls. After the gig was over and we enjoyed some good Mexican food and drink.

Then Jenny tells me that the Pyramid Club is just a short walk from the Mexican Restaurant, and I, being the obliging husband, agreed to go with her. I don't generally like dancing, but I had promised I would take her, so this was a great opportunity. The dance floor was fairly small, or perhaps normal by Manhattan standards, lit by the standard colored lights moving on a random pattern. The other dancers were in groups mostly with some solo guys (some looking very lonely, some looking....well, REALLY into dancing.) and some solo girls. I didn't know most of the music, I'd have to say that my forte when it comes to dance music is more from the 1940's through 60's. Give me Count Basie over the Pet Shop Boys any day, but Jenny filled me in on the most important names. I had a good time shaking my "baby maker" despite myself.

Our trip home was interesting. We caught the last train of the night out of Grand Central, the 1:53. These late trains are always interesting because they are filled to the gills with drunk college kids in big groups. This train was no exception, and to make it all even better, the train lost power one stop short of New Rochelle. After 10 minutes went by lots of these girls were complaining to their boyfriends, and after 20 minutes they were complaining LOUDLY. Finally, after about 30 minutes we were on our way again, but when we got off there were no taxis waiting at the station like usual. So, we walked home at 3:00 in the morning, and Jenny's blisters got worse than they already were. It was a late, wild night for us!

Study Hall

Five months until the final and we've barely dented the assigned reading! Delivery, baby care, vaccines, nursing 10,000 baby names....it's a lot to study. Of course some topics are really working ahead, but I'm up for extra credit. Once the baby is here we'll just have to wing it like everyone else before us, but we'll try to be good students while we have the time. We're anxiously awaiting our 4 month appointment this week. We should be getting scheduled for the ultrasound that will reveal the sex by the end of the month or so according to my timeline. My previous dreams say girl, my friend "who has a sense" says boy, my boss says girl for no apparent reason. We started talking names a while ago, but were very stumped with boy names, if we wait to pick up the topic again after we know boy or girl, at least we have half the work:) I've been feeling fine, aside from feeling a bit off on train rides home at night, not sure why. As soon as I'm outside in the cold I feel better. I'm still sneezing daily with no explanation other than some women sneeze a lot during pregnancy. We're awaiting the first flutters of movement we're told to expect soon. We'll keep you posted!

Doug's first nursery purchase

Here it is, our nice thrift store find...one thing off the list, finally! There is a sizable list of to-dos, but I've been consulting with my experienced mamas to whittle away at the daunting list. There are many things that are pushed as must-haves, but really aren't. We haven't stepped into a baby store yet. We trying to not activate the overwhelmed sensations quite yet....I think we can hit it after the new year!