Happy New Year!

Looks like Baby will be arriving in 2007! Whew!

In other news, we now have a car seat and stroller! The first car seat we had to return because it turned out to be a 2006, but we now have the 2007. We also bought the matching stroller.

Car Seat and Stroller

We've made a bunch of calls and discovered the 2007 Peg Perego car seats and strollers are now in stock (or on the way). We believe those are the last major purchases we need to make for now.

Last Dr Appointment of 2006

Today we had our last OB appointment of 2006. It was very uneventful. Dr. Llewellyn didn't even do a dilation check because there wasn't a medical reason. Our next appoinment (if necessary) is January 4th.

Merry Christmas

With the baby's due so close to Christmas, we stayed home. Eirin, Daniel, Lucia and Pop came to celebrate with us. Lauren and Adam were also here from London!

Happy Hanukkah!

Today we visited the hospital and signed the consent forms for an epidural. Jessica is hoping not to have one, but if one is needed, she won't have to take extra time filling out forms during labor . Our next visit will be to bring the baby into the world!

The nursery is also shaping up. I moved the furniture around several times and I think we've settled on the setup. We put stuff in drawers and put bedding on the crib. Only the bedding has been washed though. Everything is still wrapped and boxed up. Soon we'll be unwrapping and running the washing machine and dishwasher a lot!

Cribs

Yesterday the crib and dresser were delivered. The baby's room is still a mess and we're trying to figure out where everything is going, but we were able to put the bedding on the crib, pad on the changing table, and lamp on the dresser. Opened at least a few cubic feet of space in the closet!

I'd also like to thank Dave and Brett for helping us move furniture around this past weekend. It was a big help. Also a thank you to Dave for assisting is putting together the swing (2nd time is a charm!)

Tuesday was also our last baby class. Mostly a recap with some brief breathing at the end. We're hoping to meet with the anesthesiologist by the end of the week and after that, the next trip to the hospital will be the main event!

All we need now is a car seat and a stroller!

One Class to go

We had our 4th class last night and we learned about c-sections and counter pressure. The Monday OB appointment also went well. From now on they are checking for dilation and it looks like the baby is holding off.

We've also heard the superstition about babies being born on a full moon. We have noted that the 5th was a full moon, with the next full moon coming January 2!

One Month to Go

Today we visited the hosiptal and saw the birthing floor. The private rooms themselves are very large, with a TV and DVD player. There is a rocking chair for Mom and a little foldout sofa for Dad. We even took a look at the room service menu.

Of course, there's also a lot of medical equipment, monitors, spotlights on the ceiling, as well as an infant warmer. You definitely know you're in a hospital.

The family waiting area has a TV, couches, and chairs. I'm planning on putting together an information sheet with hotels, phone numbers, restaurants... so you know where to go get us food :-p , and anything else we can think of.

Bassinet

I picked up the bassinet from Babies R Us (Thanks Lucia and Rob!) and we spent last night putting it together. It wasn't too bad at all. The only problem we had was a defective battery case where the battery was not making contact with a metal piece, but a pair of needlenose pliers helped fix it and get the lights and sound working.

Tonight we have our 2nd class at the hospital! Supposedly we'll be sitting on our pillows and learning how to be calm and do breathing.

Childbirth Classes and Pediatrician Appointments

Less than 8 weeks to go!

Tonight starts the 5 week Child Birth class series! It will also be our first trip to the hospital and we are quite excited. Jessica will learn how to breathe, I'll learn how to watch her breathe , and we'll get to talk with other pregnant couples.

Tonight we also meet with a pediatrician and we have a meeting scheduled with another pediatrician Thursday. We're hoping we like at least one of them!

Surprise Sonogram

We had another doctor's appointment this morning and the doctor surprised us by doing a brief sonogram! You never know on any given appointment what will happen.

The baby is looking good and after we asked to check the sex again, we are even more confident we're having a girl That was relieving to hear since we have so much pink stuff! We also found out that the baby is head down with her butt pressing outwards, so that is what we feel when touching Jessica's stomach.

Weekend Update

Called the furniture store and the crib is being delivered to the store this week! Yay! No word on the dresser yet, but it's not on back order. When both pieces arrive they will be delivered. After hearing that, we spent much of Sunday moving bookcases and furniture around the house in anticipation and to satiate Jessica's "nesting" urges.

We also went back to Disney World's Magic Kingdom for the day. On our last trip, we got Jessica an "assistance" pass that let's her bypass the long lines. It's basically a Fast Pass for everything so we decided to put it to good use again. Most rides it allowed us to enter the Fast Pass line, or for most rides without Fast Pass, we entered through the wheelchair entrance. That was great for Jessica because even for rides where we had to wait, we could often wait while sitting.

We also visited Disney's Marketplace and bought the baby some cute Disney outfits and a couple of rattles. Apparently I'm a sucker for Winnie the Pooh stuff.

Baby Shower!

Jessica's Baby Shower was a big success! A big THANK YOU to Eirin for putting it together! We also want to thank Rob and Lucia for hosting.

And thanks to all those who attended. It was great to see so many people who care about Jessica and it meant a lot to both of us.

I'll get some photos up asap!

Baby's Heartbeat

Happy Halloween!

This past weekend, I heard the baby's heartbeat just by putting my ear to Jessica's belly. It was pretty neat and sounded like a rapid clicking, much softer, but more rapid, than Jessica's pulse.

We also put the baby to work at another theme park, Epcot this time, where we were able to bypass lines for Soaring and the new (pretty lame) Nemo ride in "The Seas" ("The Living Seas" is out). The pass we got is good through January, though our season passes expire at the start of December.

On the negative side, Innoventions now has a Segway exhibit that lets everyone ride one... that is unless you are pregnant

Doctor's Appointment

Had another doctor's appointment and it went fine. This one was with Dr. Marks, the only male doctor in the practice, who is an interesting character with an offbeat sense of humor.

It's interesting how much responsibility the patient has, particularly since doctor's typically think most patients are ignorant fools. Since Jessica's bloodwork continually comes back showing low iron, the office calls and tells her to take iron supplements.... then the doctors tell her not to. Since she has anemia, a low count is normal for her. When we asked Dr. Marks (again) since the office called (again), he initally reviewed the charts and told her to take iron every other day since her iron was down from the initial screening. Jessica caught that the count he mentioned was very high and challenged that she has never had a count that high and it turned out he was looking at my chart! So no more iron.

For the actual delivery, we have the responsibility of making a list of things to present to the hospital when we arrive. Basically we have to tell the hospital staff a bunch of things because they won't have the time or inclination to get the information from charts or our doctors.

Baby pluses and minuses

We went to Busch Garden's Howl-O-Scream this weekend, and because of the baby, we were able to get a pass that allowed our entire party to bypass the lines and go to the VIP line. It was VERY cool, because the lines were ridiculous, 2 hours long for most things at one point during the evening. Even for the roller coasters, which Jessica did NOT go on, the rest of us were able to bypass the line while Jessica got some rest.

Kudos to Busch Gardens because Jessica would not have been able to make it through one of those 2 hour lines! The baby has been sitting in such a way that the side of one of her legs is numb and frequently sends shooting pains down her leg.

Baby Furniture!

We ordered a crib and dresser for the baby's room. We're told it should arrive in early December. Let's hope it's not on back order!

This is the crib. It's shown here in matte white, but we got it in "Moonlight", which is a distressed off-white.



The dresser we ordered is the one in the middle, but without the hutch. We're putting the changing table thing on top of it.

Had another Dr.'s appointment Wednesday morning. It was very long! It didn't help that the appointment was scheduled for 9:45am, but the office did not open until 10am. And that was after they originally told us to show up early at 9:30!

Anyhow, the reason for the lengthly appointment was to run a glucose test. Jessica had to drink a very sugary orange drink, wait for an hour, and then get blood drawn.

The doctor listened to the baby's heart and also measured Jessica's belly.

Happy October

Our doctor's appointment on Wednesday was the shortest appointment ever. They finally opened the Westchase office, so we walked there, went to the appointment, and walked home in less than an hour. It was much better than our previous appointments. Dr. said that no news is good news! She encouraged us to pre-register at the hospital online, so we did and we started filling out the birth certificate. A representative from the hospital will come to the room after the baby is born to complete the form and get our signatures. This is getting very offical!

Yesterday we went to Orlando to check out some more baby furniture stores, which we didn't find anything. We went to Gap Maternity, which I was able to find a few things to wear! (Thank you to Jackie and Ira for the Gap gift certificate for my birthday!) We also finished the night at Disney World. I don't think the baby liked a few of the rides! Ugh!

Today, we are resting and doing things around the house.

Only 3 more months and counting down...

Next Appointment on the 27th

We were happy to hear from the doctor's office that our next appointment will be at their new Westchase office, which is finally opening! Better late than never.

This weekend, we bought a diaper changing topper along with a pad and purple cover. The topper is very nice and extends out so that the baby can be changed with her feet facing out instead of from the side. It attaches to the dresser with brackets in the back. The plan is to match the dresser to the topper, which is a distressed white.

Sierra is also doing her part in preparing for the baby, as she spent Sunday morning at PetSmart getting a very close shave and a bath. We're hoping that will keep her shedding down, since it was out of control. If it works out, she'll be getting another shave in late December. The groomers also told us about a pet nail grinder/buffing tool that makes dog nails softer and not sharp, so we'll be looking into getting one of those too.

Jessica's Birthday

We've been reading more to the baby, who has now heard a couple more Dr. Seuss books and Make Way For Ducklings. The books say the baby is able to recognize voices now, so hopefully she's listening!

Jessica's birthday is the 21st, so wish her a Happy Birthday!

The next baby appointment is on the 27th and we have child birth classes scheduled starting November 14!

We haven't bought any furniture yet, but hopefully we'll get it done this weekend.

Baby Stuff

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Loewy, the baby now has bedding, more clothes, blankets, towels, toys, books, and bibs. They really helped us get started on the huge list of things that the baby needs. We are still searching for furniture. We spent yesterday and today looking for a crib and dresser (that we will also use as the changing table). Then we have to decide how and when to set up the nursery.

Brad read the baby her first book, Go dog go, that his parents gave her. It was very sweet.

August 28th Dr. Appointment

Doctor's appointment was uneventful, even though we were there 90 minutes or so. Everything is still looking good . We got phone numbers from the office for pediatricians as well as the hospital so we can schedule lamaze classes as well as a hospital tour and a talk on a epidural.

Speaking of epidurals, Jessica is currently planning on not having one. She's mostly concerned about not being able to move during labor, as well as paralysis dangers and just wanting to experience labor in its entirety.

I think it might be a good topic to throw out for thoughts and comments. What are your thoughts on epidurals?

It's a.......

GIRL!

We think . The ultrasound went well, baby looks healthy, brain, heart (4 chambers), spinal cord looked good. 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 kidneys. They did measurements, looked at a lot of stuff and everything looks normal.

The baby was moving around a lot and was not being cooperative with getting a shot between the legs, but from a bottom angle, the tech thought it is a girl so we're going forward with that assumption.

Here's a video of the baby and it's heart beating!

Baby's Right Hand

Baby is looking up

Mom to be

Here's a photo of the glowing mother to be, right before the sonogram!

The smiles on the way out were even bigger!

Ultrasound is 1 Week Away!

We're very excited about next week's ultrasound, particularly since the baby has been kicking Jessica pretty frequently. I have a much harder time feeling it than she does (being on the outside), but I've been able to feel the baby a couple times when Jessica is holding very still.

Jessica is also feeling better, though she got sunburned over the weekend. She's going through lots of aloe and cocoa butter!

After the ultrasound, then we'll really have to get serious about picking out a name!

WE FELT THE BABY MOVE!!

Amongst not feeling well, Monday, I felt the baby move. It was very strange, but SO incredible at the same time. I wasn't sure what I was feeling but, that night when we were going to sleep Brad was able to feel the movement as well.

Work has been crazy right now, but it is kinda cool to have my baby with me during the long days. At least I have some sort of home when I am in hour 12.

Feeling Better

Jessica is starting to feel better now that the medicine is kicking in, but she's been working crazy long hours (coming home after 9 pm). Hopefully work will settle down soon!

We're excitied about our next ultrasound and we've decided we will find out the sex of the baby if we are asked. We figure it'll be a surprise whenever it happens!

Another MD Appt

I had to go back to the doctor's office today for some minor irritants and learned that the test for Down Syndrome came back normal. Both of us are very pleased with that outcome. We will follow up with a Level 2 ultrasound, that will do additional measurements of the baby to verify no other abnormalities but no amino needed. (We will also find out the sex of the baby at this appointment.) I also received a list of our next appointments up until delivery day. We have two more months of having monthly appointments, then we move to biweekly appointments, and in December we go every week. Hopefully the Westchase office will be opened for the August appointment.

Thank You!

As threatened , we went shopping for maternity clothes and Jessica found a bunch of stuff at the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. Apparently the mall contains the only Gap and Macy's that carries maternity clothes. As a bonus, we discovered this weekend is also tax free!

Thanks to Dave for the stylin' Martha's Vineyard Black Dog baby shirt and thanks to Barbara for the pregnancy and baby books!

Jessica has been reading all morning!

Doctor's Appointment

The doctor's appointment was uneventful this month, except for the fruit loop doctor himself. He checked the heart beat of the baby, told me that the baby was growing well. He was a litte concerned that I haven't gain that much weight, but I was able to convince him that I can't help not gaining weight when I eat all day. All of my life I have never had a doctor worried that I wasn't gaining enough weight. Ironic, huh?

He took me off iron pills (thank goodness)! Brad's test results came back normal, no Tay sacks (sp?), anemia's, or anything else we should be worried about. I had my blood drawn for the down syndrome test, I should find out the results within a week or so.

Our next appointment is Aug 21 and our Level 2 ultrasound is scheduled for the 22nd. We should find out then what sex of the baby is! This will be very exciting! We also should have an updated picture of the baby.

Baby Register

Today we registered at Babies R Us http://www.toysrus.com/registry/index.jsp for all kinds of baby stuff. We might change some of the stuff as we shop around, but for the most part these are the things that we are going to need for the baby. It was a long 3 hours picking out all of the stuff. I believe the registry is under Loewy and Tampa FL. Since we don't know the sex yet, we didn't register for any clothes or personal stuff. The store suggests that you register for clothes closer to the shower or due date to make sure they are still available.

My next doctor's appointment is on Thursday. This will be I hope my first and only appointment that Brad (aka. Baby Daddy) won't be with me. :( I like sharing every part of this pregnancy with him.

Last Day at East Pasco

Today was my last day at my job, I am now moving on to the Computer Department to help train and implement a new computer system. I start in my new position on Monday.

The baby is causing me some dizziness today. I became dizzy last night when I would turn over and this morning when I was trying to put on my shoes. I called the doctor, just to make sure that everything was okay. The nurse said that it was a common symptom of the second trimester. I think what happened is that I did Yoga for Pregnancy yesterday which left the baby in a position that is pressing on one of my nerves. My next doctor's appointment is Thursday, so if it continues I will discuss it with the doc myself.

We went clothes shopping last weekend and I became very discouraged. I have not found enough clothes that I can wear right now so people are already getting sick of seeing the same outfits. The capri's that I just bought at JcPenny's are already ripping. UGH! I'll have to drag Brad back out to the stores this weekend. Payback for leaving the girls behind when he goes on his business trip for the entire week next week. Sierra is already getting very upset! Hahaha.

Baby Names

We're still trying to decide if we want to learn the sex of the baby.

Our next ultrasound is scheduled for August 22, so I think we have at least until then to decide.

Picking a name for the baby is tough work! Here's the current short list. It's short because we have not yet invested in a baby name book, not because all other names have been eliminated. So please send us ideas (though we do reserve the right to use or not use them)

Boy Names:
Jaden
Jayden
Albert (as a middle name)
Hampton
Henry

Girl Names:
Madeline (Mad-el-lyn)
Madeline (Mad-el-line) ... not sure how we'd pronounce it
Rachel (1st or middle name)

Week 14

We are finally settled back at home after taking a tour of Florida. We have decided that the interstate systems of Florida are very boring! Hehehe! We had a fabulous time a the beach (Thank you Grandmama and Granddaddy!), and Grandpa's memorial service really honored him and his life.

I seem to be feeling better no real sickness for a couple of days now. YAY!! That was getting rough. I officially don't fit into any of my clothes! Eirin and I did a quick shopping spree of maternity clothes this weekend and I found some cute pants.

Thank you to all of you that bought the baby it's first clothes. I have some really cute little outfits now. Mom bought us a really soft blanket and an adorable towel with a hood. Eirin added to the baby's library.

Uncle Jeff did a thing with a needle and thread, which indicated that we are going to have a boy. I think I have to agree, but we should be finding out soon. Our next Doctor's appointment is coming up in the next few weeks.

2nd Doctor's Appt

Sorry, no new pictures this time around. Something about the insurance won't pay for a new picture everytime.

Basically, Brad had his blood taken (twice) and they listened to the baby's heart rate. She said that everything looked great. We are scheduled for our next appointment on July 27th at 3:30pm with Dr. Jeffrey Marks at the new Westchase location (within walking distance from the house).

Next Appointment

Our next appointment is coming up this week on Thursday! We'll be bringing the digital camera to this one, so hopefully the doctor will let us use it and we'll have all new pictures of Baby X!! The book says Baby X is the size of a lemon now.

This Saturday we'll be doing some real maternity clothes shopping on the way to the beach!

Books for Baby

We were talking this weekend about books we loved when we were little and we're coming up with a list of books we want for the baby. Jessica's favorite baby book was Clifford the Big Red Dog and I remember Mr. Pine's Purple House and Curious George, and we both loved Dr. Seuss.

We're interested in hearing from you:

1. Baby books you love. Classics and newer ones for those in touch with what is popular now.
2. For parents, which of our old baby books are in storage? Time to break into the garages and attics!

We'll also be going through what we have (we have some Madeline books and a couple others) and we'll post that too.

Sad News

Today, my Grandfather, Albert Josef Lombardo passed away in his sleep after battling a slow decline for several years. He was 1 month shy of turning 95.

He will be missed!

Father's Day

My first Father's Day gift! A big thank you to Mom and Dad Loewy for the wonderful picture frame! Next year it will be Father's Day with a baby!

Thanks Lucia

Thanks Lucia for the new maternity clothes! These are my first new clothes that don't dig into my stomach. Plus, I have room to grow into them. I have been dreading getting maternity clothes because they look so uncomfortable with the big bands, but these are really comfortable. The two pants fit great, the shirt is a little big now, but will be nice in a couple of months!

Thanks for thinking of me and my growing stomach.

Lots of love

Week 11 Update

Popi called today to check on the preggers mom! Lucia called the other day as she had found the cutest little girl outfit and wondered if she should buy it! Haha!

I am having a rough couple of days. I have had several trips to the bathroom today and am still really tired. Also, my new job descriptions at work have added to my difficult week, along with Brad being in Dallas. Sierra just doesn't provide enough support when you are feeling bad. I can't wait for the 1st trimester to be over! I think we have about two more weeks.

We started watching baby shows on TV, this is a good look at what it might look like when we bring the baby home. It seems that a lot of women have trouble with breastfeeding. I think we will ask the Doc about classes we can take before the baby comes.

Here is Baby X!!

As you can see, we are not having twins. Whew!

Dr. Llewellyn did the ultrasound and printed out several photos. We got to take home these two. The quality on the monitor was better, but this is what we have. You can make out the head and legs.

We saw the baby's heart beating very rapidly and the baby moved its arms and legs a couple times. It's still incredibly small!

Jessica had blood drawn so they can run all kinds of tests, and based on the results of that, they'll know what they need to test me for.

We also asked questions about diet and excercise. Sushi is out (awwww), but exercise is just fine. The doctor said that the first trimester is the hardest and it's normal to be incredibly tired. She compared it to taking 50 benadryls and two Tylenol PM's! We'll have to take her word on that.

Our next appointment is June 29th.

Target Baby!

Today we visited Target to check out baby things. We stood in the baby aisle looking puzzled and confused trying to figure out the uses of a "slow flow" vs. a "fast flow" bottle.



We also pondered some of the great questions of life, such as "Huggies, Pampers, or Luvs?", and if a pack of phase one diapers contains 52, approximately how long will that last, since it's not on the package?

And there are things called "Entertainers"


I'm not sure what this thing does or where the baby fits in it (on it? near it?), but it sure is colorful!

First Dr's Appointment is this Wednesday

We are eagerly awaiting our first doctor's appointment. This week, I (Brad) stopped by the doctor's office to pick up forms. They asked if I wanted vitamins. Jessica is already taking some I said, but sure, I'll take whatever you want to give me.

Well, I walked out with a 10 lb. bag filled with vitamin samples, all sorts of magazines, forms to fill out, and lots of different offers from companies that store cord blood! It's been a lot of reading material.

Jessica has been suffering from morning sickness pretty frequently. They should really call it "anytime sickness"! We think (hope) it's getting a little better. The books say it should be going away soon. Also, we read that morning sickness may be a sign of a girl baby.... well we won't find that out for sure for a while!

Name that Baby

Anyone got baby names?

We don't know the sex of the baby so we've been thinking of names for boys and girls. The only thing we know for sure is that this is that naming the baby is going to take a long time!

According to the social security administration, here were the most popular names for 2005.

GIRLS
Emily
Emma
Madison
Abigail
Olivia
Isabella
Hannah
Samantha
Ava
Ashley

BOYS
Jacob
Michael
Joshua
Matthew
Ethan
Andrew
Daniel
Anthony
Christopher
Joseph


The baby name voyager is a fun resource to use. Type in a name and it'll show you the popularity of the name over the last 100 years. Check it out at:

http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html

Thank you for the Mother's Day Wishes!

Just want to send out a big

THANK YOU!!!♥

for the cards and gifts! They are very much appreciated and we're happy you're as excited as we are!

It has been almost two weeks since our last entry. I am now about 7 weeks into our pregnancy and I am feeling pretty tired and VERY nauseous! According to the books, the baby has grown into an embryo and is about the size of a raspberry. The heart has started beating on it's own and is now dividing into the different chambers. We will continue to add little exciting developments! Two weeks until our first doctor's appointment.

We are both very delighted with the anticipation of our growing family.

We're Going to Have a BABY!!

Jessica is pregnant and we're going to have a baby!
According to calculations, Jessica is in her 5th week of pregnancy (as its counted), but only being pregnant ~3 weeks.

The tentative due date is January 4th, but our first doctor's appointment is May 31st so we'll know more then. The first sonogram will also be done during that appointment.

Until then, we've visited the library and have been reading up. Jessica is experiencing her first weekend without caffiene and we're going to be buying special vitamins for her to take.