I got so excited. E. could be here sooon! I double checked my labor bag. I updated my birth plan. I had a few more contractions in the middle of the night, and Sunday morning….. nothing. No contractions. I had three possible contractions of the course of Sunday. E. wiggled around, he kicked and punched, but no regular contractions. Gah!

His due date is still 11/15, based on the doctor’s estimate date of my last period. If you calculate the due date from the date of conception (which I absolutely know), his due date is 11/13. Because I have gestational diabetes, there was the possibility of being induced at 40 weeks. However, since my blood sugar has been stable and there are no signs of fetal distress, the OB is willing to wait until 41 weeks for induction. He wants to induce before Thanksgiving (and honestly, I’d like to see E. born before turkey day as well).

In case you’re curious, here’s the stuff in my labor bag:
- grandpa slippers: I couldn’t find girly slippers which were comfortable, so I picked up a pair of red and black plaid grandpa slippers. They are super comfortable and not too warm.
- stretchy skirt: I don’t want to labor while wearing pants, nor do I want to labor without any bottom coverage, or in a hospital gown. It’s a nice option because it’s easy to put on and take off.
- sports bra and bathing suit top: I want to be able to labor in the shower, and I wanted to wear something supportive and easy to change into and out of.
- two muumuu, 100% cotton nightgowns: Okay, these are hideous nightgowns, *but* they button down the front which means easy access for nursing, and they are not hospital gowns. I think I’ll be more comfortable and sleep better in my clothes which smell like my detergent.
- socks: to keep my feet warm
- old ratty underpants: Ok, my doula and I disagree on this one. She loves the disposable mesh underpants the hospital provides for post-delivery. I’ve been saving up my ratty underpants while I’ve been pregnant to treat them like disposable underpants for post-delivery. Not only will I feel more comfortable, but I free up some space in my underpants drawer, and once I’ve recovered, I get to treat myself to a shopping trip for new underpants!
- going-home outfit for me: Remember you’ll be about the same size you were when you were 4 – 6 months pregnant and you’ll be recovering, so pack something comfortable. I’ve packed a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt.
- going-home outfit for baby: I packed a sleeper, a hat, and a swaddling blanket.
- ipod with speakers (and extra batteries): I created a low intensity playlist and a high-intensity playlist for labor.
- kneeling pads: I picked up two foam gardener’s kneeling pads. The midwife told me these are really helpful for your knees when you labor in the shower.
- protein bars and hard candies: You never know how long you will be laboring in the hospital, and if your midwife/OB will let you eat during labor, it’s a good idea to bring some provisions to keep your energy up.
- nursing bra: If you’re breastfeeding, you may want to pick up a soft cup/stretchy nursing bra for post-delivery support. I have the Medela Comfort Nursing Bra and the Medela Seamless Softcup Nursing Bra. I’ve been wearing the Comfort Nursing Bra lately because my regular underwire bra is becoming uncomfortable.
- birth plan and phone list: I printed out multiple copies of my birth plan in case there is a nurse shift change.

I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit, but I didn’t feel like going out and about to a Halloween event. Instead, I painted my baby belly up like a pumpkin.

Cute, no?

I just had my first noticeable set of uncomfortable to painful Braxton Hicks contractions. Wow, they freaked me out.

Thankfully, getting out of the car, walking around, and having something to drink made a difference.

While I was waiting, I talked with another woman who was there for her 1 hour glucose screening test. She already had one 1 hour glucose screening test and scored a 142, but her doctor was a bit nonchalant about it. He just wanted her to do it over instead of having the 3 hour glucose tolerance test to see if her result was drastically different. Apparently, her result was slightly elevated with her last pregnancy, and it didn’t lead to gestational diabetes, so her doctor isn’t as concerned. Bah.

Don’t my arms look pretty?

It actually looks worse in person, all purple and blue; I look like a junkie. The lab techs wanted to alternate arms to reduce bruising. Unfortunately, on the 3rd draw, the tech sort of missed the vein and had to move the needle around bit to get a good flow.

“Mama Grizzlies” are supposed to be common sense conservative women who want to get things done for our country. They are motivated to act because they are concerned about their children’s future. I think it’s bit manipulative…. what if I’m a common sense woman who’s not conservative, what if I’m a common sense conservative woman who doesn’t agree with Palin’s agenda, does that mean that I don’t want to get things done for our country?
More importantly, does it mean that I’m not concerned about my child’s future?

I faced the same concern when I was voting against Prop 8 here in California. People would say, “What about the children?!? Don’t you know that they are going to teach about same-sex marriage in public schools?”
Well, one: I was never taught about heterosexual marriage in school, so I don’t expect my child to be taught about same-sex marriage in school, with the exception of maybe the issue coming up in a Civics or American Politics class.
And, two: I am thinking about “the children.” If E. falls in love with a guy, and they are in a happy and healthy long-term relationship, why wouldn’t I want to see E. and his partner get married and raise children? I want my son to be happy. I want him to be fulfilled.

The devotion for my child is not something for politicians to twist. To quote Ronnie’s mother from the movie Role Models, “when it comes to my son,
I am a lioness… and that boy is my cub, and if you let anything bad happen to my cub, I will claw your ass up until you shit sideways.”

We even received a Fisher Price Jumperoo and a Diaper Genie Elite. Both of which we didn’t expect but greatly appreciate! We were able to get all of the gifts, except the Jumperoo and the Diaper Genie, into our suitcases and home safe and sound.

I love this picture of my husband with the sock monkey my sister got for E.

This weekend, we moved from our old apartment to a smaller apartment. The new apartment may be smaller, but the floorplan makes more sense *and* it has AC. Since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve been a bazillion degrees. Yes, I know it’s decadent to have AC, but oh, it’s so worth it right now.

On a not-so-positive note, I scored a 139 on my glucose screening test which means I have to go in for a three hour glucose tolerance test. It’s borderline-high. I don’t want to have gestational diabetes. That’s something I don’t want to deal with. Of course, I have no idea when I’m going to be able to schedule that test. Perhaps I’ll do it next Saturday if I can find a lab open for the three-hour test.

We want to expose E. to all different kinds of music to see what excites and soothes him. I’m not one of those structured moms who schedules exposures based on genre, time period, or potential high school performance. I originally looked at the Nuvo Ritmo Pregnancy Sound System and the Belly Buds, but eventually decided against them because we weren’t planning on extended periods of exposure. Honestly, babies in utero don’t need to be under a constant musical assault. They need their sleep too.

What we decided to do was establish an evening ritual of my husband reading the What to Expect When You’re Expecting iPhone app daily update while I lie in bed and then play one or two songs from YouTube off of the iPhone. We would put the iPhone on the same spot on my belly, and I could feel E. “slime down” (it’s the phrase I use for his ninja-sneaking) to be near the phone when the music was playing. Some nights he would kick around the phone and sort of bubble right underneath it. (Bubbling is not quite kicking, not quite punching. It’s definitely a set of little movements near the surface though.)

Why do we think he likes it? Well, I can feel him move towards the source of the music. We know that he historically hates intrusive electronic things; for example, he moves away from the fetal doppler. (It is a little funny to feel him dart away from the doppler and watch the midwife try to chase him to get a solid reading.)

What kind of music is his favorite? After a lot of trial and error, he consistently likes ragtime music, specifically Scott Joplin. He tends to be most active and huddled under the phone for piano pieces. He does not like more chaotic pieces like “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin. (E. drew back away from the phone and away from the surface for that one.)

We decided to go one step further from hunting down music on YouTube. We created a station with the Pandora iPhone app based on “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin. It now serves up music along a similar vein every night for us.

Perhaps you’re asking, aren’t you worried about radiation exposure… we aren’t. It’s 2 – 5 minutes of direct belly exposure every night. He probably gets more radiation exposure from me sitting in front of my laptop at home or the computer systems at work. We’re hoping this early exposure and activity will translate to more activity during tummy time once he’s born. We intend to play his Scott Joplin Pandora station then too.

So, why don’t I use his name here on the blog? Well, a two main reasons (mind you, they aren’t great reasons): One, I don’t want people taking his name for their baby. I like the reason why we named him. I think parents should strive to be creative in naming their children and come up with a reason or meaning in their child’s name. When I say creative, I don’t mean naming your child Banjo or Wingspan though. Have *some* self-control, people.
Two, the internet is a creepy place. I know I’m opening myself up to the world by having a blog, but I don’t need the baby to be overexposed and even more vulnerable to the world. You guys get to know him as E., or “the baby.”

butt crack

AWESOME.

Forget commenting on other pregnancy blogs, just blog about disgusting things, and they will come.

Forget product reviews, book reviews, and giveaways. The people want the dirty details of life. Well, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.

I have to say the best selection for cheap, casual clothing while I’ve been pregnant is Old Navy. The various XXL cotton shirts are been perfect. They stay soft, they stretch, and they are long enough to cover my belly without feeling like a tent. AND THEY AREN’T MATERNITY WEAR!! Woo-hoo! They will still look decent as I transition back into my regular wardrobe.

Some Old Navy stores have maternity sections as well. Unfortunately, my local Old Navy doesn’t have a maternity section, but any maternity clothes which get returned to it end up on the clearance rack. I just picked up a pair of low rise maternity jeans for $1.97. I don’t like low rise pants because I’m paranoid of having a fierce plumber’s crack. However, these fit better than the Liz Lange jeans I picked up at Target. These pants are a touch tight in the thighs, but nothing a few sets of squats can’t fix.

Not only did I luck out and get a bunch of new t-shirts and my butt-crack pants on sale, I picked up these kyoot items for the baby. I’ve been really restrained on buying clothes and supplies for the baby, but I *had* to buy this stuff because I would kick myself if they were gone once he got here.

I picked up the biplane pajamas in a size 6 – 12 months, the skeleton pajamas in a size 12 – 18 months, and the skull and crossbones beanie is for 0 – 6 months.