Our Last Christmas As Two

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Dan's brother Greg, sister-in-law Bonnie, nephews Greg Jr. and Garrett flew in from California last Friday night. We have not seen them since our wedding, over two years ago, so we  both were very excited to have them here for the holidays. Our Christmas Eve was a full house here in our apartment with not only them, but with Dan's parents, my parents, my brother and his fiance, and my two sisters. I always want something different on Christmas Eve so my mom made lasagna, Dan's mom made salad, and I cooked some garlic bread. It was a good night.

On Christmas, Dan and I went to his parent's house for dinner. Dan received a Honey Baked Ham gift certificate from his job, so that's what we had for dinner. Honey Baked Ham is the best ham out there - soooooo good! We all went to my parent's house later for desert. This is mine and Dan's last Christmas with just the two of us and I think Lily got more gifts than we did. I love that though because any gift we get for her is a gift for us. We are very lucky to have the loving and giving families we have.

This past Tuesday we went to see our midwife, Dale. Everything is still looking really good and Lily is still head down. We now start to see Dale once a week. Ahhhh - Lily's almost here!! As we get closer - only five weeks till Lily's due date - it's seems to be getting harder and harder to do the things I used to be able to do.

• Putting on my socks is a challenge 
• Getting in and out of the car is difficult 
• Not dozing off in the middle of the day is hard
• Taking a shower is tiresome

These are only a few things. As bothersome as some of these things may be, I know it's all for a great cause - the health and well being of Lily. So who cares that I have about forty weeks of uncomfortable moments? At the end I will have a beautiful baby that is a part of me and Dan and that is what makes all of this discomfort worth it.

Yesterday the Gorman clan went into the city to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The train ride in wasn't so bad but the taxi ride to Radio City was not the best for me and my pregnant belly. During the show I didn't feel that great either. I think it was just the loudness of the show. The Rockettes were awesome and I liked the march of the wooden soldiers act the best. Unfortunately Dan and I didn't hang out in the city after the show because I wasn't feeling too well. We found a cab right away, which was unusual since the city was so packed. We made our way to Penn Station and all the way I wanted to scream. The stop and go and bumps were horrible. At one point I was contemplating getting out of the taxi, but walking would've been worse. We finally got to Penn and luckily the train ride home wasn't too bad. Lily was moving around almost the whole ride.

As I hit the 35 week mark today with this pregnancy, I reminisce about all the trials Dan and I were put through to get to this point. It doesn't seem, and I guess it really isn't, too long ago that we had the two miscarriages then all the fertility treatments. We visited our fertility office today to say hello to all the wonderful ladies who showed us so much warmth and compassion every time we stepped through the doors. Unfortunately Dr. Palter is off this entire week but I did leave photos of all the ultrasounds we have had plus two belly shots of me - one at nine weeks and the other at thirty-three weeks. I also brought them a tray of home-made cookies for the Holidays/New Years. Dan and I are very fortunate to have had the experience we did with our fertility treatments. There are some women I know and have spoken to who went to different fertility offices who were not pleased at the way they were treated. Gold Coast IVF with Dr. Palter is one of the best choices we made. Don't ever settle for second best, especially when it is for something as important and personal as your fertility treatments.

It's Not Just About the Breathing

This past Saturday Dan and I went to our Lamaze class at Nassau University Medical Center. We finally met, face to face, the Lamaze instructor, Vanessa, who was in on the surprise of my baby shower. There were two other couples and a girl who thought she didn't have to bring her husband in the class with us. We were there from 9am to 3:30pm learning all we could about what labor and delivery would possibly be like. I used to think of Lamaze as just breathing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the way Vanessa taught the class.

A few things we learned:

• Different positions to help with pain and move labor along
• Dan learned some massage techniques
• What to expect during the three stages of labor - early, active, and advanced
• What to expect after giving birth

Vanessa was very informative and did a lot of role playing, which made the class even that much more enjoyable.

My belly last weekend at Lamaze

A few differences between me and the other women:

• The three other women were 35, 36, and 37 weeks along where I was 33 weeks
• Even though the other women were farther along in their pregnancies, I had the biggest belly
• We were the only ones with a midwife
• We were the only ones who will be having a water birth
• I was the only one who wants to have a natural birth - no meds - no epidural

It's hard to imagine not being aware that you do have choices when it comes to your birth experience. I don't like being told what to do in a normal situation, so I did my research as to what my options are during pregnancy and labor/delivery. There aren't too many woman that I have come across who know that they have so many options. It frustrates me and makes me sad for them. I knew a lot of what was being taught in the Lamaze class, but the other women seemed surprised by some of the things to expect. It's almost as if they aren't involved in their own pregnancies. The only involvement that they have is the fact that they are carrying their baby and everything else is left up to the doctor. I don't get that. It's like a new job - would you start working and not learn about what you are there to do? Or would you become involved in all aspects of the job so you can excel in your field? I like to know what to expect before I go into any situation. I don't like surprises. Even with my Baby Shower, I felt "off" the rest of the day because I wasn't expecting to have "all eyes on me." I have to prepare myself for things like that and I couldn't. Don't get me wrong though - I loved my Baby Shower. I guess when it comes to pregnancy I would expect that all women would want to learn all they can about what they are going through and the different experiences they can have so they can make an informed decision about how their own pregnancy and labor will go. I guess I'm crazy like that.

Some Randomness This Week

33 weeks. Moving right along and everything still checking out as should be expected. At our Midwife appointment on Tuesday, we heard Lily's heart rate fluctuate from high to low. Dale said that's a good sign because Lily is now noticing her surroundings. I've been feeling Lily move like crazy lately. She's still head down, which is great, and it seems that her back is on my left side and her arms and legs are on my right side. That explains all the movement happening on the right. Lily doesn't just kick anymore, now she presses up and moves a limb across my belly. I can't tell what it is - a foot, hand, elbow, knee - but it's the coolest thing ever! At times, I play with her: she'll move across my belly then I'll move my hand across and she'll do it again. It's exciting to be able to interact with her.

I've gained 33 pounds so far and have seven weeks to go. I really hope not to gain more than nine more pounds. I average about a pound a week now, so as long as I keep that going, I'll be OK. Not that it has anything to do with my health or Lily's health, it's just my own personal goal. I dread reaching a certain amount on the scale. I won't mention what that amount is, but if you're smart you might figure it out.

At my shower I got the Baby Signs program. It seems pretty cool and I can't wait to try it out. I already know how to sign the alphabet and I know a few words, but this will teach me so much more. I hope Lily will catch on, then when she's older, we can sign to each other when we don't want others to know what we're saying. When I unwrapped the box, my sister Krissy thought the lady on the box was Ellen Degeneres.

Dan and I bought our Christmas Tree Saturday and decorated it on Sunday. I found this really cute ornament of a snowman couple who is expecting. I wrote 2011 on the bottom of it and if we happen to be pregnant on another Christmas, I'll write that year on the bottom as well. Next year's ornament will be for Lily - "My First Christmas."

Baby Shower Surprise

So last week I listed that I was starting lamaze this past Sunday, turned out to be not true. Instead of lamaze, I had my Baby Shower.

This Baby Shower was not supposed to be a surprise. The date was set, or so I thought, for January 8th. I even got one of the invitations from my mom. The shower was set up to be at the Tea Pot in Bellmore and my mom and I were meeting my mother-in-law, Marlyn, there Sunday at 12:30 for a tasting to pick out the menu. After the tasting, Dan and I were going to start our first lamaze class at 2pm. Last Friday I even spoke with the lamaze instructor to confirm, only later to discover that she knew about the surprise, thanks to Dan who had to contact her to get the date changed and inform her to not tell me of the change but to confirm the original date. It was a well laid out plan. I didn't expect a thing.

Because we were "going to lamaze" after the "tasting" I needed to wear comfortable clothes. I had purchased a new pair of work out pants and a matching zip-up hoody the night before. Dan suggested I should wear regular clothes for the "tasting" and then change afterward. Not thinking anything of that comment, I decided to just be comfortable all day and wore the work out clothes.

When I walked in the door it took me a few seconds before realizing what was going on. At first I just thought the place was really busy, then I realized I knew everyone. Having a surprise like this definitely makes you emotional. I couldn't stop crying for a good ten minutes (or at least it seemed that long). How did I not know what was going on? I'm normally so good at figuring things out. I was so dumb to the fact that this was my baby shower that I turned to my mom and as I was crying said to her, "But I have lamaze at 2:00." Duh, no you don't!

So, once we got settled in to all different types of tea and yummy sandwiches, scones, and pastries, it was time to play some games. The first one was "Guess Janet's Belly Size" where yarn was passed around and everyone had to cut the length they thought would fit perfectly around my belly. Needless to say, there were a lot of people who thought I was bigger than a house!

Next up was "Finish the Nursery Rhyme" where everyone had to fill in the blank(s). There was some cheating going on with this one - Aunt Diane! lol.

Lily got a lot of great things. Here are a few things she got:

Sneaker socks and her very first pair of Levi's!

Bath Tub and the Diaper Genie II Elite

Bedding Set and the matching Crib Mobile

The Crib with attached Changing Table and a Britax Car Seat

The Snap-N-Go Stroller and the Graco Quattro Tour Stroller with matching Infant Car Seat

Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions (along w/ these I also got Pink Floyd & The Beatles)

Books (just an FYI: The Very Hungry Caterpillar was one of my favorites when I was little)

A beautiful figurine made by Willow Tree

Lily also got not one, but two clothes lines filled with very cute clothes

There is more but I don't have pictures of everything. Sorry.

Why did anyone ever invent the Ribbon and Bow Hat for showers? It is the most ridiculous thing ever. Thanks to my cousin Annie, my Baby Shower was not spared the humiliation. I tried looking up where the tradition of this began and came up with nothing. Some believe it is made for good luck and started in America. Who knows? All I know is that I made my sister Jackie where the Bow Hat at my Bridal Shower, but could not get out of wearing it here.

All in all it was a great day and a wonderful surprise. Thank you Mom and Marlyn for pulling it off without me knowing!

Heading Down

31 weeks today and Lily is now head down. Dan and I really hope she stays in this position. Our midwife, Dale, says she's only had one mother whose baby, at 37 weeks, decided to turn right side up again making it a breech birth. Fingers crossed that's not the case for us.

Since we know Lily's position, we most likely will not get another ultrasound. We wanted to do just one more for a final picture of Lily inside my belly, but as long as we know she is where she is supposed to be, that's good enough for us.  

At our appointment Dale measure my belly at just under 31 weeks. That was on Tuesday, so Lily is exactly the measurement she should be. Good thing too, 'cause if she was bigger, that might mean she would come a bit earlier than expected and we need to get to at least 37 weeks to have the water birth.

We will now see Dale every two weeks for the next three appointments. It is crazy how time is flying by. December is a busy month for us.

• We start Lamaze on Sunday and go for two sessions (12/4 & 12/11)
• Two Appointments with Dale (first one on 12/13 & second one will be the week between Christmas & New Years)
• My 34th Birthday on the 20th
• Dan's brother Greg, Bonnie, and the boys fly in from California just before Christmas
• Christmas Eve dinner at our place
• Christmas dinner at Dan's parent's house then desert at my parent's house
• Going into the city with Dan's family on the 28th to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
• New Years Eve

Then before we know it, it will be January and I'll have only 34 days to Lily's due date.