Nestingness...

So from bedrest I am nesting as best as I can...

Knitting baby blanket and matching yellow and green decorative pillow.

Knitting Bubby the Bear for his first stuffed animal.

Choosing crib and glider for his room.

Pictures to come as soon as we really start making some progress!

I'm Sure You Know By Now

That we won't be going to Martha's vineyard for our one year anniversary this year, unfortunately. I'm coming off my second night, and into the third day, of being in the hospital for contractions and some concern over possible PTL. I swear that other than my insides apparently thinking that this is week 40, and not week 32 of my pregnancy... everything is really fantastic. Little Asher still looks amazing, and I got to see him working on his breathing during an ultrasound which was really awesome if only for the fact that the resident was thoroughly impressed with his lung development at even this early a stage and his odds look great with the Beta (steroid) shots and a little more time in there (Did the doctor just say modified bed-rest for me...? Yep)!

I finished my first unofficial semester at the Institute Direct Entry Nursing Program (one of the pre-reqs) and it is great to be off to a good start with a refresher course before diving in headfirst this September. And yes, because I will be "full term" at 37 weeks when I begin school I will be allowed to come off bed-rest and back into the real world.

It's Coming Up Fast!

We had an amazing weekend! Jesse surprised me by taking me to my 25th birthday dinner at a restaurant called "Top of the Hub" in Boston and I got what was the most amazing lobster dish ever! I think I will never want a bib or anything else to ever eat lobster again, I'm so spoiled! I highly recommend the dish! We also went out to see "Iron Man II" and it was really good. I think that we are both really getting into the "comic-book remake genre" as the movies are always entertaining in an old-fashioned story kinda way, but with all the explosions and other special effects that make it worth watching on the big screen (unless you have a giant plasma at home).

We also took a tour of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Labor and Delivery and Postpartum departments this past weekend. I cannot believe that we're past the viability mark for our little guy! It just seemed so real being in the rooms during the tour and thinking that in about 3 months I could be in that very same room only hours away from holding our little guy! The unit is really nice, with all the rooms being private (a requirement of mine), and of course since this is 2010 in Boston there is free Wifi in the hospital (total score). It's time to start getting the nursery put together a bit more, washing all the little baby clothes and blankets, getting the crib and everything ordered, etc.... It's so exciting but I can't help it if I sometimes wish I could put the brakes on it all and enjoy each moment a little more!

My Snuggle Bunny

Kahlua went to a new home today. Why does doing the right thing sometimes feel so wrong? I'm gonna miss you fuzz-ball, be a good boy and have a great life....

Painting the House Green

Well not really, but we are going green for a lot of products for cleaners and baby supplies. Why? For several reasons.

Firstly, there are chemicals that as a pregnant woman I just should not be handling and as you know I have this thing about obsessively cleaning the house (although not always where or when we need it...) and I just could not live without my organic all-purpose wipes that are free of harmful chemicals so I can just grab them, without having to locate the gloves first, and clean up whatever contamination is bugging me.

Secondly, for a baby I do not want dangerous chemicals around that they could potentially get into. Yes I know, I know, I know that you have to lock drawers and cabinets but at the same time who knows of a single toddler that hasn't figured out how to do something they aren't supposed to? Anybody? No? That's what I thought.

And Finally, because it makes me feel good. Not that I'm in the artsy-fartsy-well-funded-keep-up-with-the-Joneses-class (far from it actually) but I like feeling like this is one health trend that (a) is not only good for your health, but is also (b) good for the environment without feeling like you have to preach a "holier-than-thou" message about your recycling, energy-saving, habits in order to feel included in something that puts you in a slightly better standing than the average consumer.

Speaking of great products, The Seventh Generation line has a "Natural Baby Kit" of which I found the details of from Alternative Housewife (one of the blogs I publicly follow). This includes:

• Seventh Generation natural paper towels.
• Seventh Generation all purpose cleaner.
• Seventh Generation baby wipes (tub).
• Seventh Generation baby wipes (refill pack).
• Seventh Generation multi-surface cleaner/disinfectant.
• Seventh Generation bathroom cleaner/disinfectant.
• Seventh Generation disinfecting surface wipes.
• Seventh Generation baby laundry detergent.
• Seventh Generation diapers (in your choice of size).
• Seventh Generation reusable shopping bag.

And now I just with I could somehow register for this on my baby registry, ha!

It's A...

BOY!

Little Asher J. was more than cooperative today at our big ultrasound! Everything came back great and he gave us a clear shot of his little boy parts. What a good little boy. Now I'm desperate to get his room set up!

"Oh boy, oh boy! It's a boy, it's a boy! ...Doctor, it's a boy!"
"I know."

--Lady and the Tramp

Walk for Change

Today Jesse and I did the "Walk for Change" through my volunteer organization, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. It was great to see such a turnout, even if walking three miles was a "wee" bit too much for me today. It was great to get to chat with some of the other women that volunteer there and to have some time together, for once, when Jesse and I are both awake and mostly functional. Now it's time for me to take my rumbly tummy downstairs to the kitchen before my little fetus throws a temper tantrum and has it out with my kidneys. Well, in reality we don't know what the little guy or girl is doing in there because I can't feel it yet (oh, the anguish) but we can imagine the face that a child of mine might make when they want to say "I. AM. HUNGRY!"

If you want to know more about the BARCC or think about joining us for an event in the future you can visit us by clicking here to find information about who we are, what we do, and upcoming events!

Update: Names

Very briefly as today is absolutely gorgeous and I must be on my way... babies names are:

Asher or Cosette

And no, this is NOT an April Fool's Joke, I promise!!!

Suprise!

Sooo... as many of you know... we are expecting a new "Baby Him/Her" on September 28th!

So far everything looks great, baby is very active and healthy, mommy-to-be is feeling doing fine even if a little miffed about her expanding rear end, and daddy-to-be seems great! We know it is early but since I despise referring to unborn children as "it," and since there are only so many times you can say "he/she," we have begun picking names out. We won't know what name we will be using until April 27th, which is the big ultrasound where we find out how our little one is going to play the gender card, but in the meantime it is fun to speculate!!!

Our girl's choice is Cosette (courtesy of my favorite character from Les Miserables), middle name TBA.

For boy's names we are still stuck. We both like the name Anakin (yes, from star wars) but I just can't justify picking that name for my child so we will have to see what name a little boy would get. Runners up are: Logan, Archer, and personally I liked "Keegan" but daddy-dearest vetoed that one pretty quickly so it's a no-go.

We will keep you updated!