This is it!

Thought I'd update one last time before Evan gets here! It's about 6:35am on April 7th. Linda got checked into the hospital last night to prep for induction today. She had to have Cervidil administered twice last night...and the Pitocin drip was started early this morning. So Evan should be here sometime today!

Last night was a rat race for me. I was scheduled to work til 8:00pm last night, but was trying to leave early. Working for an airline, things can happen at the drop of a hat...and my job relies on Mother Natures temperament. And she was being a nasty bitch yesterday. In my 12 years of working for an airline, I can say that whenever a thunderstorm hits, for some reason it truly form right over the airport, or the storm front makes a beeline right to the airport...therefore making my job a nightmare and reeks havoc on on-time departure and arrivals. I love thunderstorms...just not when I'm at work. We probably got the worst thunderstorm so far for the season last night... At the airport, it looked like we were going through a car wash. I thought for sure there was no way I was gonna get outta there. I had wanted to get to the hospital and be with Linda and help her get settled. (Believe it or not, in all her 30+ years of life, she's never once stayed overnight in a hospital.) We had planes that were diverting to Tulsa and Omaha because they couldn't land in Kansas City. A few flights cancelled because of the weather...one of my flights to Dallas did and I had to rebook 80 passengers to Dallas. All day yesterday, several of my coworkers asked what the hell I was still doing at work. My boss finally got the schedule and staffing rearranged to let me go...and I got to leave work about 45 minutes early last night!

Our doctor recommended that I try and get some rest too and told me to go back home tonight and sleep in my own bed...plus our condo is only about 5 blocks from the hospital. I tried to get some rest...but with no luck. Even though our house isn't that big...we have a California King size bed...but it was just empty here. Probably also because our dog, Truman wasn't here either. Since I was gonna be gone all day today...Truman would have been here all by himself... So Linda's sister, Noreen, is our designated dog sitter...and she has temporary custody of him til Thursday.

It doesn't look like Linda got much rest either... She updated her facebook about 5:00 this morning with, "(Linda) understands why my friend April called this "the room of suffering." The medicine to help me sleep doesn't work. There is a woman down the hall that decided pain meds weren't for her, and I just had to pee in a bed pan with terrible results. In two hours they start the pitocin." I'm gonna hit Panera this morning and sneak in some bagels for her to grab a bit to eat...

Stay tuned... We're gonna have a baby sometime today!!

April 7th

Tomorrow is April 7th... Lots of things happened on April 7th in years past... Among them:

• 1521 - Ferdinand Magellan arrives in Cebu in the Philippines.
• 1770 - English poet William Wordsworth is born.
• 1776 - The U.S. Navy captures the first British warship, the Edward, in the Revolutionary War.
• 1805 - Lewis & Clark depart Fort Mandan.
• 1805 - Composer Ludwig van Beethoven's Third Symphony premieres in Vienna, Austria.
• 1862 - The Civil War's Battle of Shiloh concludes.
• 1897 - Journalist Walter Winchell is born.
• 1915 - Jazz singer Billie Holiday is born.
• 1933 - Prohibition is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight.
• 1939 - Film director Francis Ford Coppola is born.
• 1945 - The Japanese battleship, Yamato, is sunk by Allied forces during World War II.
• 1947 - Auto pioneer Henry Ford dies.
• 1949 - The musical South Pacific debuts on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre.
• 1954 - Martial artist, actor and director Jackie Chan is born.
• 1965 - Actor Russell Crowe is born.
• 1970 - John Wayne wins Best Actor at the Oscars.
• 1975 - Football players, twins Ronde & Tiki Barber are born.
• 1994 - The Rwandan Genocide sparks the civil war in Rwanda.
• 2001 - The Mars Odyssey is launched.

...but one of the most important events to happen to mine & Linda's life happens on April 7th. Evan will be born! I'm starting to feel ill-prepared with the realization that I'm officially gonna be a dad sometime tomorrow. I'm very excited to meet my son...but my stomach does flip-flops when I start to think about it. Maybe Linda & I should have taken that birthing & parenting class we decided not to take. So many questions run through my head. Will I be a good father? How will I know what to do? Is Evan really a good name for him? How will I know when it's time to feed him? How do I change a diaper? Will I be a blubbering mess in the delivery room? Will my emotions get the best of me?

But yesterday, our doctor didn't see any further progression into active labor for Linda. She's exactly in the same spot as she was over 3 weeks ago. Since we are now past the due date, and God only knows how long she would have to go before active labor starts, our doctor discussed induction. While I'm not exactly sold on the thought of induction, I know that Linda is miserable and it was disappointing when our due date came and went and Evan wasn't here yet. From what I've read, induction is hard on the body...and might be hard on the baby. But I have to trust our doctor and modern medicine. But any faithful reader of this blog knows that I worry to no end. I just wish that Evan would have come on his own and wasn't being 'forcibly removed'. Regardless, I'm happy to meet my son and can't wait!

Linda will spend tonight in the hospital to prep for induction. She will go in this evening...and they will start some procedures... Then early tomorrow morning, they should start a Pitocin drip through her IV. From what I've read, labor could be a matter of hours to an all day event but Evan more than likely will be here sometime tomorrow. The doctor suggested that I go home and sleep in my own bed...because this is the last night I will probably be able to get a full night's rest for the next few years. But with all the thoughts flooding my mind, I probably won't be able to sleep. I am planning on being back to the hospital early in the morning...maybe around 7:00ish.

When we got home from the doctors office and we called our families... I called my dad and he excitedly answered the phone with, "Is Nugget on his way?!?!?" So funny...I hated to disappoint him. I told dad that it could be an all day event, but I know he'll be there early in the morning...maybe earlier than me!

Eviction Notice

To: Evan William

Dear Evan, this is to officially serve notice that your 40-week lease on my uterus has expired. Please vacate the premise immediately. Failure to do so will result in your forcible removal by way of a miracle drug known as pitocin on Wednesday.

We have a much more suitable and spacious place for you to stay. You even have a dog (and a psycho cat, but you don't have to worry about the cat) who will be your best buddy. His name is Truman, but you can call him Bubba or Bo-bo.

There is still time for you to let us do this "the easy way." Love, Mom.

T plus one day

The countdown is over. Our due date has come and gone and still nothing. Nada. No baby. No signs that he is going to be making an appearance any time soon. Nothing.

I took Truman down to the Plaza yesterday afternoon to walk around. My contractions started and were enough to freeze me in my tracks. So, I thought it best to head on home and start watching the clock. I get home and they stop.

We have a doctor's appointment later today. I'm sure she is going to tell us that nothing has changed. AND, since we didn't schedule the induction last week when we were there (she said she might schedule it for this Wednesday, the 7th), we are probably going to have to wait an entire week longer.

Meanwhile, this child is not getting any smaller. The longer we wait, the harder this is going to be. My nephew who was born about 3 weeks ago, weighed in at 8 pounds week. He weighed 8 pounds on his original due date. They say babies can put on a half to a full pound every week at this point. This is not going to be fun.

Today's the Day...

...that we've been counting down to since August 3, 2009. Today is the day that we've been telling everyone is our due date...but we have no baby (yet) to prove it. I know it's all estimated, but I really thought Evan would be here by now. I thought that magically he would be here by today. But nope, he's not. Frustration. And that's me being frustrated. I can't begin to understand the frustration Linda feels. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. Hopefully they have some good news for us... Fingers crossed.

Yesterday, we celebrated Easter early with the two sides of my family... My dad and his fiancé hosted their Easter dinner... When my dad invited us, he told us he completely understood if Linda wanted to stay home and not get out and about. But Linda really had her heart set on eating some Easter ham...so we ventured over to my future-step-mom's (and future grandma to Evan). Her family is quite large, with lots of kids (her grandkids)...so they hosted an Easter egg hunt throughout her house, backyard and front yard. It was fun...and something I'm looking forward to for Evan to participate in.

After dad & Shirley's, we headed over to my biological family's Easter at my aunt Ginger's house. Another aunt and uncle of mine, Deb & Ed, and my cousins, Ben & Susie and their kids Max and Frank had come up from Oklahoma for an Easter weekend. It was great to see them all...and I hadn't seen Ben, Susie, Max and Frank since last Easter! It was fun...had a Mexican Lasagna for dinner! (Very good by the way!) The family tradition of dyeing and decorating Easter eggs took place too...and yet another tradition I'm excited for Evan to experience. Evan's future aunts, Shannon & Whitney are very creative. Instead of just dyeing eggs the standard pastel colors like I did when I was a kid...they go crazy and get all creative with decorating the eggs. I can't wait for Evan to do this with them!

These two families are eagerly awaiting Evan's impending arrival...and I've promised to call both sides, plus Linda's side, no matter what time of the day or night when Evan finally decides to grace us with his presence... Evan is already loved so much by these three families...why doesn't he wanna come out yet?!?

Now that we've hit the 40th week...Evan should weigh about 7½ lbs., which would be about the same as a small pumpkin, and would be about 20 inches in length. Evan's fingernails, toenails and hair all continue to keep growing...and even his lungs still continue to mature. Any day now would be nice. It's funny, pretty much all the pregnancy websites I get these informative bits of facts from have stopped giving me them. In fact, they've rolled over to the "newborn" phase, since Evan should be here now!

Pins & Needles

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten phone calls, texts, emails and Facebook wall postings from friends and family patiently waiting any news on Evan's arrival. Not only are Linda and I...and the rest of our families...eagerly waiting for him, but the entire realm of our Facebooks are too! Funny what social media has done to communications and spreading news like this. One of Linda's friends from when she lived in Washington D.C. requested me as a friend on Facebook yesterday...(I don't believe I've met her before?)...because she wanted another outlet for baby updates. But any friend of Linda's, is a friend of mine!

These messages all started when one set of Evan's grandparents had to leave town unexpectedly a few weeks ago when Linda was about 37 weeks along. Tim sent an email asking me to pass along to Linda that they were on pins and needles for Evan...and if at all possible to make sure he stayed put until they got back into town a few days later. I was almost certain though that Evan would have come then. But nope.

My dad has called and kept tabs on us. He usually turns his cell phone off by 8:00 or 9:00 at night, but told me that he leaves it on 24/7 now.

On my Facebook wall, several friends have posted "baby checks" in anticipation. One friend wrote the other day; "No posts from Brian or Linda in more than 7hrs...do we have news?" I hate to disappoint. Another former coworker of mine wrote yesterday, "Okay...I'm not even super close to you guys and I'm obsessed with when your baby is going to get here! COME ON!!". It really is heartwarming that so many care! And the big thunderstorm that came through yesterday didn't amount to much and the sun came out later yesterday afternoon. The barometric pressure change didn't affect Linda or Evan at all in the slightest.

Tomorrow's Easter...but also the due date. Will the Easter bunny coax Evan out? We'll see... Linda is getting desperate now...she's beginning to think castor oil is her only way out! I warned her though; castor oil creates a very messy and gross delivery room...if you catch my drift.

He Won't Be Counted

This morning, I finally completed the 2010 U.S. Census as "required by law". We had gotten a 2nd notice about it and they re-mailed us a census form the other day. I had been prolonging filling it out in hopes that I could include Evan on it. I'm a dork. I'm even more of a genealogist and family tree enthusiast and was hoping that I could add this info into my database with Evan included. But nope. That little booger is staying put. Now he won't be included in the U.S. Census until he's almost 10 years old!

Spring has finally sprung in Kansas City. And what that means is some awesome thunderstorms! Thunderstorms -- the huge supercell, electricity charged, massive thunder boomers are one of the many reasons why I love spring and summer. In fact, as I type this blog entry we just had the first thunderstorm of the year. It is pitch black out, the wind has really picked up, it smells like rain and the thunder is rolling! One of my coworker's wife wrote on my facebook wall a few days ago regarding another popular myth:

Brian, I'm going to put in my prediction for when Linda goes into Labor. According to the Weather Channel Friday we are to have thunderstorms in the PM...SO, I predict she will go into labor sometime Friday or early Saturday morning. The night after Brendan (their first-born son) was born there was a huge thunderstorm and a ton of women were admitted & in labor. The Dr told me it was more than likely because of the barometric pressure changes...so will see!! Good luck Linda!!! Can't wait to see that beautiful baby boy. :P

Just now she just wrote:

Okay...I just know Linda's going to go in labor today!! Listen to that thunder & the storm front moving in...better be ready!! :D

I hope she's right! I told this to Linda. She's discouraged that Evan will ever come out and that he is permanently lodged in her for eternity.

Another False Alarm...

As I wrote yesterday, we thought Evan was ready to come on out and meet us...but alas, he hasn't budged.

Linda called our OB yesterday morning to see if they could fit us in earlier, since we genuinely thought she was in labor. She had had a regular doctor's appointment schedule for the afternoon, but due to my work schedule I was gonna have to miss it, the only one I would've missed during the entire pregnancy. But luckily, they fit us in earlier, so I was able to go with her! Dr. Schieber performed a labor check...and nothing. No progression toward active labor. Still the same that we've been for the past two weeks. No change. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Frustration sets in. If I'm this frustrated, I can only imagine how Linda must really feel. I do know...I can tell how frustrated she is...but I think I'd be afraid to know the true scope of her irritation. Dr. Schieber said...exact quote, "These early stages of labor are the suffering before the suffering." Poor Linda. Linda's only been able to get a few hours of uninterupted sleep sporadically over the course of any given night. So she wrote out prescription for Vistaril to help Linda get a more than just a few hours of sleep here and there. She advised her to take off work... She said that going into active labor with no sleep or rest is not a fun thing. I don't imagine it is.

So I go into work yesterday. It seems like my coworkers are surprised to see me there when I come in. They ask, "No baby yet?!" or "What are you still doing here?!?". It's heartwarming that they are concerned for Linda, Evan and me. But to answer that question over and over and over again everyday, it gets a little tiresome...especially when we've been ready for several weeks for Evan to get here. It seems we can't really make any plans either. It seems we have this disclaimer hanging over our heads..."volatile contents under pressure; may explode at any time". Easter is this weekend...and Evan's original due date... Different family members are hosting different Easter dinners...I dunno if we can or can't make it to these...or if Linda will even feel like getting out and about. Our plans are just up-in-the-air at the moment.

Linda has been begging me for months to shave off my beard. I finally did yesterday in preparation for Evan...thinking he was on his way. I don't wanna give him any scratchy kisses. But I look funny now. I've had this beard now since last summer... When I was at work yesterday, one of my coworkers took notice of my clean shaven face... She said she couldn't get over how different I looked. I asked her if it was an improvement. She thought for a second and said, "Well, I think it (the beard) is a better look for you." Hmmm. All the validation I need to start growing it back. Linda hasn't ever been a fan of my beard though. But for her and Evan I might keep the clean shaven look for awhile at least.

C'mon now, Evan, this just isn't funny anymore! We are ready for you!!

A Fake-Out...Perhaps?

Dammit. I think Evan just gave us the realest fake-out yet! (Is realest a word?)

Last night when Linda got home from work, she was craving chili cheese fries from Fred P. Otts. Since I really didn't have anything planned for dinner, nor did I feel like cooking anything...I didn't refuse...even though all Fred P. Otts serves is greasy bar food. On the way there, Linda told me that she had been having more contractions all day...and they really seemed different from the others she had had before. I began to think that maybe the full moon theory really was working!

After her chili cheese fry fix and my greasy blackened burger...we decided to grab some dessert at the Cheesecake Factory next door. Plus someone wrote on Linda's facebook wall that cheesecake might induce labor. Worth a shot, right? And hell, it's cheesecake...not castor oil. We then went for a walk around a block of the Plaza before Linda felt too tired to go any further. All during this time, Linda noticed stronger and more frequent contractions...

We got home. The contractions seemed to be coming in regular intervals...and the intensity seemed to be picking up. Linda went to lay down and we started keeping an eye on the clock. At first they were about 12 minutes apart...this was at about 10:30pm. I came to bed at about midnight and Linda was still awake... By this point the contractions seemed to be about 10 minutes apart. Linda and I were able to catch some sleep.

She then woke up at about 3:00am, and just was not comfortable... In her tossing and turning and general uncomfortableness...that woke me up with concerns about her, and waiting for the word that we needed to go to the hospital. The contractions were at this point about 8 minutes apart. I began thinking that maybe this was really it! Linda decided to get up and draw a warm bath, hoping that would help soothe the back pain. She then came back to bed and fell asleep. We slept til about 8:00am. She's had contractions since, but they aren't as intense.

She has taken the day off work to monitor... She said she feels like she's been hit by a Mac truck though. She has another scheduled doctors appointment later this afternoon... She's gonna call and see if she can be fit in earlier...to see if she's progressed further into active labor. This will be the only doctors appointment I miss because I have to work this afternoon. It really bums me out that I can't make it to this one. Hopefully they'll have good news for us. But as it sits right now...the contractions have subsided and it appears no baby...yet. Grrrrrr...

Keep your fingers crossed! We want Evan here now!!!! Stay tuned!

Waddling the time away

As I head into the 10th month of pregnancy, I'm finding myself more and more frustrated about the lack of progress in moving Evan out of me and into his completely re-done bedroom. I'm pretty proud of the job Brian and I (but mostly Brian) did on this room. It's probably the nicest room in our condo. It's definitely the most thoroughly thought out room. It would be nice to start getting some use out of it.

The other night I woke up because it felt like the lower half of my rib cage was about to explode. HE'S MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! I spent the remainder of the night sitting straight up and trying to push him out of my ribs.

On my birthday, we spent the better part of the day watching a stopwatch thinking, "Wow, maybe this is it." When we went to the doctor to do a labor check, we found out that contractions don't count unless they have you doubled over in pain. This concerns me because pain is a pretty relative concept. Do the contractions need to compare to cramps, or do they need to be the same intensity as say, dislocating a knee or separating a shoulder?

My mom said she didn't know she was in active labor with my older sister. She said her back was sore. The next morning she had an appointment with the doctor who informed her she was in labor and told her to go to the hospital. She had no idea! With the exception of an extra 3-4 inches in height, I'm pretty much the same body build as my mom. Right down to the horrible uncorrected vision in our left eye and mole on the back of our right calf. So, could this be my experience? Will I know when it is time to go?

I have been doing all that I can to try and help Evan move along. I am walking about as much as I possibly can. Not an easy task when you have about 20 pounds hanging off your front end. As one colleague pointed out, not really so much walking as waddling now.

When I am home, Truman is more or less glued to my side. He's my fierce protector. Brian wrote about giving Evan his "first zerbert" a little more than a week ago. What he didn't say is how Truman LUNGED to get between my belly and Brian after he did that. He didn't attach or snap at Brian, just wanted to create a physical barrier between Brian and my belly. I don't know why, but he is not a fan of people getting zerberts and there will be no zerberts on his watch!

I'm sure he is going to be an excellent protector of Evan, which will be nice when we go for walks. People who don't know bulldogs tend to shy away from Truman. I'm sure the big, slobbery tongue and huge teeth that are sticking out contribute to that. You know me. I don't want a bunch of randoms coming up and touching and cooing over my son. Truman, will help prevent this.



I imagine something similar to Jacque the giant Great Dane that watched over my sister, brother and I, when we were at my grandparents house. NOBODY came near us unless Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa were there and told Jacque it was okay - and even then he would keep an eye on you. And, if we tired the poor dog out, Jacque would just hold us down for a nap as you can see in the picture to the right.

Truman doesn't have the intimidation factor that Jacque had in terms of sheer size, but I think he can hold his own. He definitely has the tough guy look down.

Waiting...still waiting...

Yep. We are still waiting with much anticipation for Evan's arrival. I kinda feel like I'm back in grade school again. The anticipation I feel is like I've been transported back to 1986; 4th grade; Mrs. Cook's classroom; to the egg incubator. I haven't thought about this memory in years! Funny what having a baby does...it drums up some of the most random and oldest memories... Anyway, for some sort of science experiment my school got an egg incubator and maybe a dozen eggs or maybe there was one egg for every child in class? I remember feeling the anticipation and wonder waiting for my egg to hatch. I remember coming into class every morning and going over to watch my egg, wondering when my baby chick would appear. Then I remember the day when the eggs started moving. We all stopped our lessons, and rushed over to the incubator to watch in sheer awe. I remember seeing one egg after another start to jolt and jitter to life. Then, you would see one egg start to crack ever so slightly... Then the whole thing would bust open...and this strange looking creature that didn't really resemble the fuzzy baby chick you expect to see...but instead this slimy-creature-with-matted-feathers-weird-bird-thing emerged... I remember thinking it looked more like a dinosaur, like a pterodactyl rather than a chicken. But I remember being awestruck witnessing this whole thing. What 10 year old wouldn't be? Hell, I bet I'd still be awestruck by that...

I can only imagine how I'll be in the delivery room...when I first see Evan...when I hear his cry for the first time... I can't wait! And I'm filled with that same wonder, excitement and anticipation as I was in the 4th grade. Any day now...

At the last doctors appointment on Friday, it didn't appear that any more progress had been made towards active labor. Our OB said that if Evan isn't here by April 7th...3 days after the due date...then she will begin to think about induction. She said with first-time-moms, induction can be a bit tough...and intense labor can last a few days, rather than a few hours. But this procedure isn't off the table. Our OB just had her son back in December and she said that she knows how it feels to be 41 weeks pregnant...and she won't put Linda through that. I'm hoping that Evan will come anytime now...on his own... Sooner, rather than later...for Linda's sake. Everything is ready for him here. We've pretty much tied up all the loose ends... We just got him a really cool swing on Saturday...which I spent the afternoon putting together.

Here we are, 39 weeks pregnant...only 6 more days til April 4th, which is our original due date. Much to Linda's frustration, Evan doesn't appear like he's in any rush to get here. In fact, she thinks he's trying to move in the opposite direction. Last night she said it felt like he was sitting up in her ribs again...where he spent the better part of the 2nd trimester. All he's doing now in the womb is putting on more weight and gaining another layer of fat, which will help him control his body temperature after birth. He should measure about 20 inches in length, and weighs about 7 lbs., about the size of a mini watermelon. His outer layers of skin are now sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Bye-bye baby countdown

The smart little comments on top were starting to annoy me. I don't have all the symptoms that they were saying, and if I did, I doubt you would want to know about them.

Happy Birthday! (To My Wife)

When Linda took the pregnancy test and it came out positive...and after our initial shock of realizing we both were gonna be responsible for this little life for the rest of ours...we calculated the due date. We realized that Linda could have Evan on her birthday...which is today. Early on Linda claimed that any day was fine with her, except her birthday. She didn't want to experience the pain of labor or share her birthday. Now that that time has come...and she's ready for Evan to dislodge from the womb, she doesn't care anymore and today is fine.

Linda had felt some contractions all day yesterday, and those kept us up for the better part of the night...therefore she took the day off work... But it doesn't appear that they are amounting to much...and Evan is still staying put for the moment.

Since Linda is sneaky...and well, pretty much the accountant of the family and watches the bank account like a hawk, I did all my birthday shopping for her yesterday. She's been known to scrutinize my Starbucks purchases within the same afternoon that I buy the latté in question. Add that with what Linda mentioned early on in this blog of our inability to keep things a surprise...therefore we always do our birthday and Christmas shopping for each other at the last minute. For example, when the iPhone debuted back in 2007, Linda bought this for me for a birthday present...in August...my birthday is in December. I got my birthday present 4 months early that year. So, as you can see, we have problems keeping things a surprise...

Anyhow, last night when Linda came home from work...she asked me what I had done with my day...besides my dentist appointment. I told her that I had gotten her her birthday presents. Plural...presentsssss. My mistake...and she picked up on it. "PresentSSS?", she inquired. Ooops. So, she got her gifts a day early. I had gotten her what she had been hinting around for the past few months...a remote car starter... And the sentimental side of me thought of an engraved locket to keep a picture of Evan and her (or all of us as she said) together...etched with "Always in my heart" on the back... Then to top things off, I had called to get flowers delivered to her work...and arranged for a bouquet of her favorites...daisies to be delivered today.

This morning, I peeled my eyes open and looked at the clock...it was 7:30am....and I noticed Linda was still in bed. She's usually walking out the door about that time. So, she explained that she had felt contractions last night too and to be safe wanted to stay close to home and monitor...(but again, it doesn't look like they are amounting to anything...still somewhat sporadic.) So, I had to call the florist to get them to change the address to deliver here. Linda now wants to take a walk around the neighborhood with Truman to see if that will help coax Evan along...so now that last birthday surprise is no longer a surprise either. She knows now that we need to stay near home til they deliver the flowers. Oh well!

We still have about 12 more hours left in today, maybe a walk will help Evan get here today?

All Systems Go

We are less than 2 weeks from our due date now! A year ago this time, I wouldn't have had any idea what this year would have brought. Linda & I were enjoying our life; making plans for the summer with concerts, two vacations and the four different weddings of some close friends. Two years ago today, Linda & I were relaxing on a sandy beach on St. Croix, in the Caribbean, to celebrate Linda's 30th birthday...again, with no idea that we would be expecting our first child in the here and now. In comparison, our St. Croix vacation doesn't feel like it was that long ago. Yet these last nine months have felt like an eternity, especially for Linda... And now we have to hurry up and wait. Linda's hospital bag is packed. The car seat bases are installed in both my car and hers. We have all the necessities. Evan's room is ready. His clothes are washed and ready. Diapers have been bought. Everything is "All Systems Go"...we just have to play this waiting game...hell, this last nine months haven't been anything else but a waiting game. And that's a game I don't do well with...

We now have started going to our OB every week. Last Friday, it was a quick visit. Everything looked great...Linda was dilated to a one...so there is light at the end of the tunnel! Evan's heart rate was about 135 beats per minute. Hopefully he'll be here sooner than later.

Linda's desperate to try anything to evict Evan from the womb... We've read different wive's tales about how to induce labor... I read somewhere that women claim the salad dressing at Olive Garden, and other salads, has sent them to the delivery room. Last Saturday, Linda dragged me out in the blizzard (yes, Kansas City got MORE snow!) and we ate at Olive Garden just for the salad. But...no luck. Obviously. We then decided to walk about 5 laps around Oak Park Mall, hearing that walking was good to get things moving. But alas, Evan is still in there. Also, Linda's eaten her share of spicy foods...still nothing. Some swear that Castor oil does the trick...however I've read that Castor oil can cause quite a mess in the delivery room...so I don't think Linda will want to try that trick. However, my buddy Chad, said that is what his sister did, and she had her son the next morning. I just think Evan will come when he's ready...and he's just not ready yet...no matter what we do to try and get things rolling.

I did rent two movies from Netflix, thinking they would be fun for us to watch since they had a pregnancy theme..."Look Who's Talking" and "She's Having a Baby". But Linda doesn't want to watch either. When I told her what we had gotten, she replied, "Oh, those are old movies." I rebutted they weren't and had been made in the 1980s. (My opinion of old movies are those made before I was born... Linda & I both were born in the 1970s.) Apparently she refuses to watch movies more than 10 years old. I told her that there were tons of great old (by her terms) movies out there, but she refuses to watch them because they were released prior to 1999. Hmmm...just when I thought I couldn't learn anything else about this woman...I learn something new still, after the 16+ years knowing each other.

Not many changes now in the 38th week of pregnancy. All of Evan's body functions and systems are matured enough for him to make his grand appearance. His lungs are continuing to produce surfactant, which helps prevent the air sacs from sticking together when he begins to breathe air. All he is doing now is putting on more weight. He should weigh about 6.8 lbs., and would be over 19½ inches in length, which is about the same as a leek. The last bits of vernix caseosa and lanugo are shedding off into the amniotic fluid. He has a firm grasp now, which I can't wait for him to grab ahold of my pinky finger... I love when babies do this...one of the best feelings... I don't know why...

Final Countdown - 13 days

Two weeks left. It's funny how you hear about statistics and then you hear all the stories about your friends and family.


For example, our doctor said that water breaking before arrival at the hospital only happens about 10 percent of the time, but about 90 percent of the people I know had their water break before they went to the hospital.


Everyone says that the first one is usually late and might have to be coerced out of the womb by a wonder drug called pitocin. Again, about 90 percent of the people I know had their first one come 2-4 weeks early.


So, will I fall in line with the national statistics, or will I fall in line with my friends and family? I had a spinal tap a few years ago. They said 10 percent of people who have spinal taps will have to have a secondary procedure done to ensure the puncture heals properly. AND, about 10 percent of that 10 percent would have to have the secondary procedure repeated. That was me. One of the 10 percent of the 10 percent.


I've started feeling contractions, but they are irregular and never last long. The first ones came during KU's disappointing loss to UNI on Saturday. I'm sure some of you are shocked I didn't work myself into labor just watching that game. I've had a few today, too.


Maybe Evan will be making his debut soon. Maybe it will take all 13 days and then some. I doubt we will be able to schedule induction on the actual due date of Easter Sunday. Our doctor said April 5 was out as well because that was the national championship game. But, since KU lost, maybe she'd be willing to schedule it then... I'll have to ask on Friday when we go back. I would rather Evan just come on his own, preferrably sooner rather than later.

The 'First' Zerbert

Last night after Linda read my last blog entry about giving Evan his first zerbert (or raspberry), Linda said she needs to brush up on her zerbert skills. She then told me I should practice, too, and suggested I give Evan his first zerbert now. I didn't know if she was serious or not, and laughed it off. We were laying in bed talking...and she kept insisting I give Evan his first zerbert. So I complied and blew a zerbert on her tummy...where Evan's butt would be. As soon as I did, he jumped! I dunno if I woke him up and it scared him? Or if it just freaked him out? I'm sure, as I've mentioned before, he can't understand that there's an outside world that he doesn't know. Another reality he has yet to experience. And his brain is much to young to comprehend it all. I really hope I didn't scare the bejesus out of him. Linda had me do it again...and he squirmed away to the other side of her belly.

Poor Evan. Daddy's sorry. He didn't mean to scare you. (I think Linda's plan all along was for me to scare him so it'll lock her place in as his 'favorite' and he will always be a Momma's Boy...)

We are full term now!

We've got a new addition to our ever-expanding family! Last night, Linda's sister, Bridgett, gave birth to Evan's cousin, Logan! Bridgett beat us to the delivery room...but she did have an earlier due date (only by a few days though). Logan weighed 7 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 20¾ inches long! So we have a new nephew! I'm hoping Logan and Evan will be like brothers since they are so close in age...

With Logan's birth, that just means we are next! And Linda is soooo over this. She wants Evan in this world now! She's claims that she's gotten this burst of energy that pregnant women say they get right before labor begins. We'll see... I think it's just wishful thinking on her part. Evan will come when he's ready... She thinks he's gonna take after me...approach everything cautiously. Whereas, she usually dives head first into everything...I take an analytical approach to most things...

Last Friday we had a doctors appointment and our last ultrasound. I'm gonna try and post below. It was great to see Evan again... We hadn't seen him since his last ultrasound when we found out he was a boy...back on November 20th! Hard to believe it's been that long... But our doctor wanted to check to make sure he was in the head-down position...which he is...so any day now is fine with them. We now start going to our OB every week now until delivery happens.

We have finally gotten most of Evan's room put together and the decorations up... As I mentioned before, the theme was gonna be "Frogs, Snails, Puppy Dog Tails", using Truman as our muse...but as you might see it favors Truman mostly...with a few frog items here and there...but we have no snails! It's hard to find snail stuff! See pictures below...

We are now full term! For those who don't know much about pregnancy...on average, birth happens around the 40th week of pregnancy, however anything from 37 to 42 weeks is considered full term, meaning the baby is finished developing enough to survive outside the womb without medical assistance. Babies born prior to the 37th week mark are considered preemies, and sometimes require some medical supervision... So now that we've hit this mark, I'm less anxious if Linda were to go into labor now. At 37 weeks, Evan's lungs should be fully matured and ready to adjust to life outside the womb. He should weigh about 6⅓ lbs., and measure a bit over 19 inches from head to heal...about the same length as a stalk of Swiss chard. He should be packing on ounce every day now... Evan may have a full head of hair, with locks ½ inch to 1½ inches long! I wonder what color his hair might be? I was blonde when I was a baby...Linda had red hair... Wonder if Evan will have strawberry blonde? He is also getting his first poop ready for that first dirty diaper... He's also brushing up on his skills for the outside world; blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling (which we saw on the ultrasound), and gripping... I can't wait tell he grips ahold of my finger...I love it when babies do that... And I can't wait to give him his first zerbert too!

New nephew on the way

Looks like my sister beat me to the delivery room! We are expecting the birth of my new nephew to be announced any time now. Good luck, sis!

Dad-In-Training

It's hard for me to fathom that Evan will be here in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. It just doesn't seem possible. I know to Linda, this pregnancy has felt like it's been 9 years long as opposed to the 9 months, but really it's gone by fast to me. We were talking the other night about when she took the pregnancy test...and my reaction. I guess I blocked it out - but she said when I came in from letting Truman out and she met me in the kitchen, telling me she needed to show me something (all of which I remember)... Instead of the "Oh Shit!" exclamation that I thought was my first gut reaction, she said I literally jumped back, grabbed her arm and breathily screamed,"Noooo!", as if someone had jumped out at me and yelled "Boo!" (that part I don't remember). Funny what you do and don't remember. It seems like yesterday, yet it seems like eons ago.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to clean out the interior of my car and get the car seat base installed. I hate to admit, I haven't been the best housekeeper in there. It was rather disgusting, actually. I found stuff in there from my drive back from Las Vegas in September 2007! But, as I said before, and as the Johnson & Johnson commercials have said, "A baby changes everything". I guess that means a cleaner car, house or lifestyle...just a healthier lifestyle in general. I'm happy to say that installing the car seat base was a lot easier than I expected. I just need to take it up to the fire department to make sure I did everything right and it's in there good.

Last night, I met Linda at her office and we went over to Babies R Us to grab somethings we felt we would need if Evan was to make his appearance, using some of the gift cards and money we got at the baby shower... Plus it helped that Babies R Us was having a storewide sale which included Graco items, so we picked up the stroller we were wanting...that matched our car seat. We also picked up another Boppy slipcover, changing pad covers, a Snuzzler - the head and body support for the car seat, his coming home outfit (which I will keep a surprise), and for shits and grins a plush toy frog... I'm happy to say we got outta there spending less that I thought we were! The cash, gift card and sale helped...and the 20% off coupon too! This weekend, we are gonna get the Diaper Genie and bottles and other necessities with the Target gift cards we have. Guess we are gonna have to become bargain shoppers from here on out. When we got home, I was able to get the stroller put together pretty easily... I'm kinda proud of myself...I'm getting handier and handier by the minute. After all, I replaced our kitchen faucet... I'll be ready to assemble Evan's first bicycle in no time! On a side note, Truman is afraid of the stroller... As I was putting it together, each piece I took out to assemble it, I had to let him sniff it. He was very apprehensive about the whole process. He's afraid of everything. Some guard dog he'll make. But we didn't get him for his protectiveness. Even though he looks tough, he's a scaredy-cat!

There's an app for that

I think Brian is getting more nervous and anxious with each passing second. While I'm ready for this child to be born RIGHT NOW, Brian wants him to "stay cooking" for as long as possible.


He's doing everything possible to prepare for go time. In his research, he also managed to find an application in the iPhone Apps Store called "contraction master." It records the frequency and duration of all your contractions so you can figure out when it is time to call the hospital. We've used it a couple of times when my Braxton Hicks contractions seem a little bit more intense than what would be considered Braxton Hicks. It gives us something to focus on when your lying in bed anxiously waiting to see if another one happens. It also helps us stay calm and not rush out the door to the hospital with every little twitch of the belly muscles.


I just think it is funny. There really is an app for just about everything you could ever want or need available on the iPhone.


In other preparation news...


We've read a few "what to pack in your hospital bag" lists. They all said button up nightgowns. I don't own a single night gown. I spent about half a million dollars on t-shirts in college and darn it, they are being put to good use. But, they are not button ups. So we went to Target yesterday to see if we could find a stroller and to get a button up night gown.


OH MY GOODNESS the selection was HORRENDOUS. Everything looked like something I would wear in a nursing home when I'm 90. I was not going to spend $30 on pajamas that are that hideous. Then again, wearing those would almost certainly ensure Evan remains an only child for the foreseeable future... :)


Anyway, we went to Kohl's and found some pajamas that aren't too hideous. More shopping to do later this weekend.

Aside from comfy PJs, any recommendations on what to pack or exclude from the hospital bag?