daddy-to-be

Is there such a thing as Sympathy Nesting? If so, James totally has it! He hasn't left the kitchen in about 2 weeks now. He has frozen so many meals for the future that we have literally run out of room in the freezer. He bought groceries to make a pie for one of the kids of the family we hang out with, and they even remarked that he must be nesting. Today he came home with a tandoor oven! It's kinda like a grill, but Indian style. When I teased him about nesting, he smiled and said, "I thought it would be fun to cook with Hazel." How precious is that?

I have to say, James is going to make a great dad. Especially if patience with a pregnant wife is any indication! He loves children, and they love him. I think it's because he's so young at heart.

Every day I realize more and more how much of a blessing James is. He is so ready for Hazel to get here, even more than me, I think. Today, at the doctor's appointment, she indicated that things are progressing very well and I'm pretty much in early labor. (although still a ways off, obviously) James was grinning and laughing, and the grin was plastered on his face the rest of the night. We went to a new mall by the hospital after the appointment, and he kept encouraging me to walk upstairs and all around the place. He is ready to hold his baby girl!

what about you?

Because I absolutely crave to hear other womens' birth stories right now, I am posing some questions that I hope you all answer! I'm very near my due date, so the more info, the better!

1. Were you early or late?
2. What do you think brought on your labor?
3. Did you try any of the "natural labor inducements"? (ie, walking up stairs, drinking castor oil)
4. For a week or a few days leading up to labor, did you have any signs that it was coming?
5. How long were you in labor for?

Feel free to post your birth story...you know I of all people could never think anyone was too wordy!

they're having a sister!

I never passed on the good news - my brother and his wife found out they're having another girl! So the twins will have a younger sister, and Hazel will have a girl cousin her age to play with. I'm so excited to meet my niece next year!

37 week phenomenon

The weirdest thing has happened. Today marks 37 weeks of pregnancy. Hazel's lungs should be fully functioning now, and in the chance that I go into labor as soon as today, most likely everything will be perfectly fine with both of us. For months, I have been looking forward to this milestone, and thought that once I hit this magic number, I would be praying for immediate labor and doing all the things that are supposed to bring it on.

But...now I'm hesitant. Is it the fear of the most painful thing known to woman? Is it because I love sweet potato casserole so I want her to wait until after Thanksgiving? Is it because now, all of a sudden, I'm terrified of the responsibility of caring for another human? If you guessed d.), all of the above, you would get an A+.

I never would have guessed my feelings could change so drastically from one day to the next!

week 36 pics and doctor appointment

Look out! Big belly coming through! There's definitely no hiding that I'm really close to having a baby. I'm dressed up because we were on the way to Jaya's for a Diwali party.

I went to the doctor again today. We "reserved" our room for the delivery. I was highly confused about that when I first heard we had to reserve a room. I guess it's just so they have an idea of how many women to expect around a certain time.

I had some cramping last night, just for about 20 minutes. I read in What to Expect that cramping is a sign of possible early labor. (which can last for hours or for weeks) But Dr. Kapur told me that most likely I just ate something that disagreed with me. I've convinced myself she told me this just to keep my expectations low. Unfortunately, I'm all too ready for this baby to get here, so my expectations are sky-high. She said Hazel is about 3/5 engaged, but seemed to think I'm still a ways off from labor. Also, she had to be reminded that Hazel has been measuring as quite a large baby. That's odd - it's all I can think about. :) She did some metric system math in her head that would mean nothing to my American readers, but came out with the number of 4 kg (about 8 lb 12 oz). Her eyes got big when she realized the number. So much for comforting me.

hazel's room

At the baby shower, Tonya provided an activity for us to do that turned into a cool gift for Hazel's room. In lavender, pink, and green (colors I told her I would have used to decorate Hazel's room had we an actual nursery) she had a friend paint/draw on a canvas the letters HAZEL with some girly details. Then everyone at the shower thought of a word starting with each letter in her name to describe Hazel. For example, for 'H', people offered happy, honorable, heavenly, etc. They did this for all the letters - obviously 'Z' was a little hard! Then I chose one word I liked the best, and someone wrote that word out, and it turned into a cute custom made painting just for our little girl! Isn't that creative? Also, her name is written in Hindi on the right side. What a great idea and memory for Hazel and me.


The room is pretty much ready for Hazel's arrival. Since her room is also the spare room and so it's functional and not very decorative (we're leaving this house in just a few months, so that would have been a waste of energy and money!) it didn't take me that long to get it together.


Here is her crib. If I have the time or energy, I'm gonna get a pillowcase made for the little white pillow. If not, then it'll be tossed. Also, James' aunt and uncle, and his mom are each sending some more sheets for the crib!


Aunt Tiffany (maker of delicious scones and quiches! :) bought this wicker shelf for me to put some of the items that I'm assuming will be the more used ones, like diaper paraphernalia and onesies. I really needed this shelf, because I completely ran out of room in the closet.


The stuffed closet!


A side note - our very sweet friends in Russia, the Goodman's, sent Hazel a couple of bibs. (Thanks, y'all!!) She's getting quite a collection of international accessories!

jellybean has arrived!!

Stay tuned to their blog for more details. They'll update it when they get a chance...

a tale of two baby showers

Once upon a time, two kind ladies named Suzie and Tonya wanted to throw a joint baby shower for two very pregnant friends, Andrea and Emily. One said pregnant lady, Andrea, ended up needing overnight monitoring in the local hospital. So what were a group of fellowship-loving ladies to do?

Well, have two baby showers, of course!

Our heroine, bedecked in pink to represent the anxiously awaited arrival of her daughter, Hazel, went to the baby shower as planned. She was a little sad to not be able to share this honor with Andrea, but the large amounts of food made up for it. It was a brunch theme, and after all, breakfast is her favorite meal.
The guests all graciously prayed for Emily and Hazel, and then said a word of advice for the mother-to-be.
They laughed, joked, and talked with each other until Suzie brought out some toilet paper. The guests wondered why would toilet paper be at a baby shower? Suzie quickly explained that everyone was to guess how much toilet paper it would take to wrap around the pregnant belly. The toilet paper was Indian, so each square was a slightly different length. Our heroine was about 10 squares around, and Lydia guessed the closest with 11 squares. Everyone else over-guessed, much to the amusement of Hazel's mother.Gifts were passed around, and our heroine was overwhelmed by her friends' generosity. Everything to prepare for a bouncing baby girl was provided, and the mother-to-be felt the true meaning of what it meant to be in the Creator's family.Then delicious cake made by Tonya was passed around, and everyone was full of sugar. None was more delighted than our heroine. A very unique gift was created on the spot for Hazel, which will be posted later. And then as some people left for their homes, others boarded a vehicle to take the baby shower on the road! The less round ladies boarded a lot more gracefully than our heroine.

After sneaking gifts up to Andrea's room, 5 ladies, one man, and a little girl celebrated the up-coming arrival of Jellybean in what was surely a hospital rule-breaking baby shower. Some cake and tasty scones made by Tiff were brought for Andrea to enjoy later, and the toilet paper was pulled out one more time.

Although our heroine came close, it was actually the father-to-be, Adam, who knew the exact amount of toilet paper needed to circle his wife's belly.

Gifts were opened, and Jellybean's creative gift was worked on as well.
At 36 and 34.5 weeks, the mothers-to-be took another belly picture, and everyone enjoyed the impromptu hospital baby shower. More prayers were said, this time for Andrea and Jellybean, and smiles were on the faces of all in that hospital room. No one can know for sure, but legend holds that even Jellybean and Hazel were smiling that night. The end.

maternity sari

Yesterday was a wedding! So I got to wear a sari while 35 weeks pregnant! I was nervous about my belly showing, but the sari that Jaya bought for me is actually made to be worn Gujrati style, which covers the belly. Not only am I big, but the material is a thicker silk that doesn't really hang, so I look like I'm wearing a tent. But that's okay. I still got to play dress up!


Jaya tying my sari.



The finished product. The weird flare up on the side is supposed to be there, although I think it looks strange. I think if the material was georgette, it wouldn't have done that.

Side view. I love the pallu from this view!

James and I at the wedding. Look how dusty it is now days!

With some friends - aren't they beautiful? Their saris are tied the North Indian way. I realized last night I still have not bought my own sari yet. I can't wait to pick out my own! This country is so fun.

With the bride and groom!

More pictures (not of us, as usual) are on the other blog.

35 week ultrasound and appointment

We went yesterday for what may be our last ultrasound! That's fun to think of. I jump at any chance I have to see her, but she's so big now that we can't tell her face from her abdomen anymore. Everything looks great - she's very healthy, and the fluid level has gone down tremendously!

I get 3 different e-newsletters every new week of development. I always look forward to Tuesdays when I get my new fun facts about Hazel and the pregnancy. One of them said this today:

"Your baby weighs about 5.5 pounds..."

Ha! Try 6 lbs, 12 oz. Yes, 6 lbs 12 oz already, if the scan was accurate. Oh.my.goodness. Please Lord let her come early. Actually, like I've been saying, they are always amazed at my large baby. Once again, the technician asked me, "Is there any chance you are diabetic?" Because of her size, the machine estimates her due date to be November 18! I would be completely happy with that, but I've been warned by my mother-in-law that that probably won't happen. She had big babies, and they didn't come early. I jokingly told a single friend of mine last week that when she meets a potential spouse, an important question to ask is, "How much did you weigh at birth?" (obviously this is a joke! I love my husband and have never regretted marrying him, even if he does give me big babies :)

So the rest of the newsletter said this: "...and will continue to gain about half a pound per week until you deliver. [that puts her at 9lbs4oz for those who were curious] She stretches out to 20.25 inches as it approaches full term. Stem cells in the bone marrow continue to produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to maintain a healthy immune system, but there is not really any development remaining for arms, legs, brain or organs. Your baby will simply continue to grow in size as it readies for its big debut."

So Hazel's pretty much fully developed! How fun is that? Hurry up and get here, girl!

For any mommy readers out there, were the ultrasound weight estimates right or wrong for you?

boy or girl?

Next week, we will find out if Hazel's cousin on the way is a boy or a girl. Finally, I was emailed a picture of what Aunt Christi looks like! She is beautiful, glowing, and a lot smaller when she's not carrying multiples! :) Everyone has a theory of what gender a baby is by how the pregnant lady looks. So for the fun of it, even if you don't know Christi or my brother, what do you think they're having - a boy or girl?

Is it a boy or girl?
	Boy
	Girl
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still off limits?

Last week was my birthday! My last birthday before Hazel (and hopefully subsequent children) arrives. When James and I got married, I made a goal in my head that I'd like to have our first child when I was 27, and look, it's actually gonna happen. I definitely didn't think of that when we got pregnant - at that time, it was more of the "we really want a baby" itch.

So I talked to Dr. Kapur last Monday about my diet. She asked me, "Emily, why have you lost weight?" I thought, Finally, she's going to allow me to eat my comfort foods again! I replied, "Remember how you put me on that diet...?" She made sure I was getting enough protein and carbs (which I am), and then said, "Fine, continue with your ban on sweets and fatty foods." Darn! I did warn her, however, that I was planning on eating chocolate on my birthday, to which she replied, "By all means, binge on your birthday." I knew there was a reason she was highly recommended by other Americans! I have to confess, I took her words a little too literally - I even cheated here and there all week before my birthday. I had a chocolate chip cookie on Sunday, I had three gigantic spoonfuls of this awesome chocolate fudgey ice cream, and I had pizza oozing with cheese. Then on my birthday, look at this list of off-limit food I ate:

• a coffee shop muffin
• a rasgullah (basically a ball of sugar)
• some fried mozzarella cheese sticks from Bennigan's
• a slice of chocolate mousse cake from my neighbor
• a slice of black forest cake from Jaya
• spring rolls and sweet and sour pork
• a big ol' chocolate ice cream dessert concoction

All in one day! And then for the rest of the weekend I snuck bites here and there of the rest of the black forest cake. I couldn't help myself, it was staring right at me every time I walked into the kitchen. On Monday morning, I timidly approached the scale at the gym, and you can imagine my surprise that after all that junk food, I had only gained 150 grams (1/3 lb). At this point in the game, I should be gaining roughly a pound a week.

So my question now is, is all that chocolate still off limits? I'm so tempted to say no way! At least I only have 6 more weeks-ish left. It could be that Hazel gained a lot of her weight early on and is now slowing down. Remember, she is a heavy baby, if the scans are accurate. Or it could be that God is giving my prayers the green light - I've been asking Him that if it's healthy and in His will, that Hazel would slow down in growth to the average size, and have even asked Him if her head could be a certain size, and also her weight. You may not agree with the idea of such specific prayers or think I'm putting God in a box. But my belief is, ultimately He's gonna do what He wants, and already knows my desires anyway, so why not voice them?

On the left is a picture of James and me outside the restaurant on my Day of Gorging. At present broadcast, there have been no explanations regarding the football player stance said pregnant lady is taking.

Here are my 34 week pics. Can you believe my due date is 6 weeks away?! I sure can't.

the grandmas can't resist

Once again, more packages! One from my mom ("Mimi") and one from James' mom, who hasn't decided yet what her name will be.
Isn't the red cute? This is what James' mom sent. I can't wait to dress Hazel in this for Christmas! I just love that little red jacket.


And this is from Mimi. Some more much needed practical items, like a thermometer and nasal suction thingy. And I don't think my mom ever saw a baby girl outfit she could say no to.

Much thanks to the grandmas!!

33 week goofing off

Back in July, I took a picture with some preggo friends. This is the picture - we were 18 weeks, 20 weeks, 16 weeks, and 26 weeks. Well, the girl on the far right has already had her baby girl! I'm jealous! :) The rest of us are waddling through our last few weeks. We met up last night and took some more pictures. We have definitely grown!

Andrea is 31.5 weeks, Kari is 35 weeks, and I'm 33 weeks.


That jumping picture cracks me up, especially the big thud after we landed. Andrea took us to find exercise balls at a local market, and we definitely got some amused and amazed stares. Most Indian women hide their pregnant bellies with scarves and loose clothing, so seeing three very pregnant foreign ladies walking around together was quite the sight! I saw an Indian woman who was pregnant too, and I smiled and nodded at her like we were in some sort of sisterhood. She looked at me strangely. Andrea joked that maybe she wasn't pregnant, and it was like I was saying to her, "Hey, we're fat too!" :)

taking a nap?

Hazel likes to camp out on the right side of my belly. I imagine this cute little baby all curled up in one corner. She's getting big enough now that when she does this I can see a huge difference when I look down. Here's a pic of my view of her right side curling up:

hazel's genes

I've always been fascinated with genetics, and James and I have quite a mixture of genes. I'm definitely no scientist, but I do remember from the chapter on genetics in biology that there's a little graph with quarters/percentages on what our offspring will look like. (Does that make you proud, Bobbie? :) Now I know James' dark hair and brown eyes are dominant, and my light hair and green eyes are recessive. But if you look at the alleles (is that the right word?) that we both contributed, she could really look any number of ways. I would have either contributed a green or blue eye color, James a brown or a green; I definitely only contributed a blonde/red color for hair, while James could have contributed either a brown or a red; and I contributed freckles and light skin while James either contributed darkish skin or light skin. It's fun to think of all the possibilities! Especially when we all know of exceptions to the dominant/recessive rule. For example, James' dad is dark with dark hair and eyes, and his mom has red hair and green eyes. Textbook genetics say all of the children would have dark hair and eyes. (right?) But only James had dark hair, his brother is a blend, and his sister has dark blonde hair and blue-green eyes. So really, anything is possible! And that's not even getting into whether or not she'll have curly or straight hair, be short or tall, have large or small eyes, etc.

I think it would be interesting if we had 3 kids, and each child looked completely different from each other, coloring-wise.

another parcel!

We got more stuff for Hazel in the mail today...can you stand it? This time from the wonderful family of my brother - mainly Christi, of course. She sent more onesies and sleeper sets than I could count (although one certain Sam Houston State onesie may 'somehow' accidentally disappear :). Hazel will have no problem staying warm in our cold house this winter. Christi also sent a bunch of bibs, socks, pacifiers, a cap, and some bows. And then for the much needed functional items, she sent several bottles and milk freezer bags! Wow, Hazel is one blessed baby. Thanks Aunt Christi, Uncle Andy, and cousins Boston & Livvie!

out and about at 32 weeks

I had to explain this to James yesterday, so I'll say it here too - for those of you who don't know, pregnancy weeks/months are determined by when you start the week/month, not when you complete it. So even though my due date is 50 something days away, I am 8 months pregnant. YEA!!

This week, I went for coffee with some good friends. It's nice to be able to drink a little more coffee again.

Also, we went out to eat with Adam and Andrea, and Aaron and Melanie. Melanie just had a son almost two months ago. We had dinner with them in Thailand while we were there and she was still pregnant. Now they have come to our city, and Andrea and I were able to look longingly at their baby and wish ours were already here. :)

peanut butter and pickle sandwiches!

Yep, the craving was peanut butter and pickles. Definitely not as fascinating as Andrea's craving for cricket burritos, but still a slightly strange combination, don't you think? Although in all fairness, my freshman year in college, my roommates and I decided to see if everything tastes good with peanut butter - oreos, cheetos, and yes, we even tried pickles. Let me tell you, everything really truly tastes good with peanut butter, so I don't know if this is such a weird craving when it's oh so delicious.

64% of y'all think Hazel looks more like me than James, but that's pretty close with only 11 votes, so I guess I should have given the option of 'she is a good mix of us both'. My personal opinion in the silly speculation is that she has my face shape, nose, and eyes, and James' mouth.

poll happy

I realized I have baby pics of James and me on the computer, so even though I said I wouldn't put this picture of Hazel on the internet, here it is. This was her picture at 24 weeks. Since I just discovered the fun poll thing, I ask, who does she look like? :)

Who does Hazel look like?
	James
	Emily
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