Countdown

Baby 3's cute little face

I had my 32 week baby appointment this week. I didn't think much of it. After the very monitored pregnancy with Bugs, Quinn's pregnancy was delightfully boring. This one has proven the same, so I had no reason to think any differently. Until the doctor measured me. Frowned. Measured again. Checked my chart. Measured again. And asked one more time if I was feeling a good amount of fetal movement (I most definitely am). Apparently I had only grown about 1 cm in four weeks ... and they expect you to grow around 4. I had been measuring small anyway, so I was now about five weeks off where she would expect me to be. She looked at me (I've obviously pregnant!), felt around, and determined that she wasn't "too concerned" because things seemed in line. But she wanted me to have an ultrasound, just to make sure baby was growing as it should.

Because I'm high strung, I took the first available appointment the next day. I usually wait a couple days to snag an 8:00 am appt, but not this time. Ironically, baby is actually measuring a day or two ahead of where we should be and is closing in on 5 lbs (!). So yeah, I just "hide" babies. I don't know where - and don't feel like anything is hidden. But there you go. I measured small with 8.5 lb Quinn too.

The ultrasound tech was awesome and showed a few 3D views as well. She told us about a study she read where you can predict which parent the baby will look like by looking at the ear on the ultrasound. In completely annoying news, the baby's ear looks EXACTLY like Mike's. So he's going for the three-peat on genetic domination. (The fact that the girls had a blast helping me clean out the pantry today shows that at least I get in the mix a bit on personality.)

At the moment, baby is set to be delivered on June 12. So less than 7 weeks away! The countdown is on.

Confessions of the "Fat" Lady

Pregnancy pay off

I'm not going to lie. I don't really enjoy being pregnant. Believe me, I realize our actions of the past five years do not support this fact, but we always said that we were going to pack them in and then be done. Check!

I shouldn't complain - overall, I've had very easy pregnancies. Even with Fiona, all the extra monitoring was for her and not me. This time has been especially uneventful. Mostly because there are two small people in this house who really don't care that I'm growing another. They have needs, stories to tell, and hugs to dole out. The end result is so worth it. Just look at those cute blondes! We both can't believe the baby is due so soon and can't wait for the baby to get here. Lots to do and dream about in the next few weeks. [Mike is reading the baby name book as I type this]

But seriously, why do people (strangers!) think that my belly is community property when I'm growing a person? Fact: it's not. And the running commentary gets old. I heard both of these today at work. No joke!

• Wow! You must be ready to go any day now. No, no, I'm not. I have two months left. But thanks for making me feel like more of a hippo by pointing out the fact that I'm quite pregnant.
• Wow! You are so tiny. You hardly look pregnant. While a very nice thought, I do hope that I don't usually look like I am 31 weeks pregnant. 

Clearly, you can't win with me. I get it. This is probably why I don't post any belly pictures. There's no safe commentary. You've been warned (said with a healthy dose of humor. I haven't lost that).

How I "Nest"

Playing on the "swingset"
[subtitled: the lumber is here!]

Mike claims it is the impending arrival of Mini V3. He’s probably right - in part. But I really do get the itch each spring to shake out every corner of our house, remove the dirt and dust that accumulated during the winter lockdown, and declutter our lives (or at least pack ALL the winter gear away!). His house projects list sitting on the counter says that he also gets the “spring into action” itch. (Did you see what I did there? Pregnancy takes away none of my sharp wit)

We have our standard “big house project” in the works. Everyone does a major house project during pregnancy – right? With Fiona, Mike (and his dad) ripped up the entryway and replaced the banister. With Quinn, Mike (and his dad) built the shed. For V3, Mike (and his dad … and my dad) are planning to build a swingset in the backyard! The blondes are beyond excited. The lumber has been delivered, the piece parts are in the garage. We just need the ground to thaw … and time to work.

That’s a glimpse at Mike’s list. But it still doesn’t clean the nooks of the inside. So this week, we've been tackling the kitchen. One small step at a time. On Tuesday, Mike pulled out the fridge and oven for me. Let’s be honest – even at “not pregnant,” I wouldn’t be pulling those out on my own. Unfortunately at 30+ weeks pregnant, the belly basketball made bending over to vacuum back there a bit difficult. So while it was “my” project, Mike did the majority of the work. He’s a good sport. And the nasty balls of fur, dust, and charred french fries (ew!) behind the oven would convince even the strongest doubter that this was a worthwhile endeavor. I also tackled the spice cupboard and found THREE jars of celery seed. Celery seed! What family possibly needs three jars of celery seed!?!? It could have at least been something useful like cinnamon.

We’re chipping away, making lists, and finding space for another family member. The house that seemed so huge when we bought it has shrunk 7½ years later! But we still love it – and enjoy working every year to make it our own. Our family continues to evolve in many ways. My goal in the next few weeks is to see if we can shape that evolution with a few more storage bins … and a few less fur balls in the corner!

PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNTIE EMMY!

Lonely?

Bestest buddies

I called my sister last night. At 6:45. On a night when she knew Mike was at hockey (because she was going to go to his game … until it got hella cold!). So I forgive her for answering the phone with a confused “Hello?” (which really meant “are you going to the ER? Or is the house on fire?”). Because I don’t normally call at 6:45 when home “by myself” with the kids. Because they’re needy.

Except they weren't last night. I got them cleaned up from dinner, set them down, and off they trotted to their room to play. So I cleaned up dinner. I peeked my head in and Fiona told me they were fine. I swept the kitchen. The dining room. The hallway. I peeked in again. Still fine. I started a load of laundry. Asked them if they wanted me to play. “No mama, we’re good.” So I went into the living room, picked up a few toys, listened to the shrieking laughter down the hall, and called my sister. “I’m lonely,” I told her. Isn’t that irony? I wish for personal space all the time, and then when I have it, I don’t know what to do with it. Because I know the second I start something I want to do, they’ll need me. Some guy named Murphy made a Law that says that.

Luckily, Mike and I anticipated the pending moments of loneliness, did a quick family headcount, and determined that there was indeed room for one more. In June, we will round out the family with one more [likely blond(e)] head. We are just over 20 weeks along and had our big ultrasound today. Baby is delightfully and beautifully healthy. Brain, heart, SPINE, organs – all where they should be, looking how they should look. Since this will be the last Mini Vanneste (at least the last one that I will grow), we decided to go for the three-peat. To its adoring public, Mini V3 will be gender neutral until birth – just like its sisters. Baby weighed in at 12 oz, which I thought was our smallest baby yet, but research (looked back at the blog) shows that Quinn was 10 oz at her 20 week peek. Fiona was a solid pound. So we are right on track with where our babies usually line up.

Debuting today, on its cousin Anna’s 25th birthday (happy bday, Belles!), is Mini V3.

You can see a hand by its face and the other hand below it

3D image of a hand and the two feet (with ankles crossed)

A "Minor" Speed Bump

Well, the new normal was just too boring apparently. Who wants to settle into a nice routine with two kids when we can have drama?!?! Hint: we actually don't like drama ... boring works really well for us! So you can imagine how the events of the last few days have rocked our little world.

Disclaimer: Lots of gross medical details to follow. Don't read if you have a queasy stomach!

On Wednesday, I started not feeling great and felt a lot of pressure in my abdomen. I thought it was gas pain, so I asked Mike to get me some pills at the pharmacy. That seemed to help throughout the day, although I thought it was weird that my blood flow was increasing a little again. But I figured I would just slow down a little bit (and I did, I swear).

Thursday was mostly better - still weird pressure in my abdomen. We went for a walk after dinner around the neighborhood and by the time we got home, I was in a lot of pain. I pulled it together enough to get Fiona to bed. Then I headed downstairs to join Mike (who was in the middle of one of his fantasy football drafts). I started to feed Quinn and suddenly felt blood gushing out. I handed Q to Mike and went to the bathroom to check. Mike got worried when he saw a big line of blood on the couch where I had been sitting (thank goodness we scotchguarded!).

As I sat on our toilet with blood coming out (nursing Quinn - it's amazing what you will do as a mom), Mike called our neighbor (THANK YOU, MARY) to come stay with the girls. (and Brad to finish drafting his football team) So off we went to the ER. Long story and lots of tests and unpleasant examinations later, I was diagnosed with postpartum hemorrhage (duh!) and admitted. Mike went home to stay with the girls and I hung out overnight. We also discovered with this little experiment that Quinn takes a bottle like a champ (thank goodness). And I'm so glad I had stocked up the freezer with some breast milk (although not quite enough).

Friday morning saw Quinn heading back to our neighbors, Fiona going to day care, and Mike back here. The OB said that my uterus wasn't contracting like it should and was actually still filling with blood like it thought I was pregnant. So they wanted to do a D&C procedure to clean it out. We planned to do that at noon - with the hope to be home later that afternoon. Alas, everything to this point was the easy part. After the surgery (which they thought went well), I couldn't stop bleeding and I spiked a fever. By last night, I needed a blood transfusion. Thankfully, all the meds to slow the bleeding finally kicked in! So then, it was just the fever. They suspect somewhere in all this, my uterus also got an infection (why not!), so they started antibiotics last night.

Mike came and stayed with me last night while my mom tackled both girls on her own (THANK YOU, MOM!). I woke up this morning fever free, hungry, and anxious to go home. The OB, while happy to see that I looked like a human again - although a fairly pasty one (I may need to spray tan to cover up this anemia) - decided to err on the conservative side and keep me all day and one more night. He said nothing that had happened to me was normal and they just wanted to make sure I don't come back. I sure don't want to come back either, so here I sit. Since I'm feeling better, I'm totally bored in the hospital. But am grateful to feel well enough to be bored. I am feeling a bit sorry for myself as it is the big day care carnival this afternoon and I am missing it. But Fiona, Mike, Grandma, and Quinn are there and having a blast.

Mike and Quinn are going to come spend the night with me tonight. That way the little bug and Grandma can get some sleep too! And then hopefully home tomorrow with no more drama as we settle into our new family  routine. Mommy's new family rule: no more hospitals for a LONG time!

Final note: If I hear that this happens because I am a redhead (and they are bleeders) one more time, I will show them why redheads are also known for their tempers.

The New Addition

Again ... NOT the baby (who, by the way, is happily camping out in utero). As the outside toys overtook our garage this summer, Mike finally convinced me that yes, we do, in fact, need a shed. So after A LOT of research, he decided that he was going to build it. He spent time with his graph paper plotting it out and got his dad to come down about three weeks ago for construction weekend 1.0. They got everything done except the door, soffits/fascia, and siding.

So dad came down again this last weekend and they did the soffits/fascia and sided three/fourths of the shed. The front siding will wait until the custom door is here. But Mike tells me it's a one-day project. The boys do great work and Mike is quite pleased with his shed. Now to just get the stuff out of the garage and into it ...

Here is the progression of the shed's arrival. I'll post a final picture when the door is in and the siding work is done!

Mike starts the neighborhood gossip with the materials delivery

 The workers and their cute assistant

Ready for siding

We had our 40 week appointment this morning. This kid is officially fully baked and NOT interested in moving out. We looked sufficiently pathetic when she told us there has been no progress since last week. So we are scheduled for a C-section on Wednesday morning. While not our preferred birth plan, as was the case with Fiona, it just doesn't look like this baby is going to come out on its own power. So stay tuned. Baby Vanneste 2.0 should be here in just a couple days!

Running in Place

We just finished enjoying one of our final weekends together as a threesome (plus puppy). While we eagerly await the newest Vanneste, we also wanted to embrace the time we have together now. On Saturday, we headed downtown to check out the town festival. What fun! It was so kid-friendly, not too crowded, AND not too hot. We ran into many friends from daycare and Fiona had a great time seeing the gang. She and her friend B even participated in the "Toddler Trot" race together. Fiona won her heat ... and hasn't stopped running since.

She loves the Olympics ... especially the swimming. So we figured when that was over, her interest would wane. Who knew that track & field is the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!?!? She LOVES the track events and runs laps around the house while watching the races. We relish every pitter patter on the floor and think of the days during my pregnancy when we worried that she wouldn't even walk! The only drawback is that every one of Fiona's "races" ends with her purposefully crashing into something ... the slider, the couch, Yogi, my legs, Mike's legs .... toddler track is a dangerous sport!

The other kid seems perfectly content in utero. We are 39 weeks today and while we are probably the least prepared people you will ever meet for welcoming a baby, we are ready for me to be done being pregnant. My appointment today showed the slightest progress in this baby moving out and we're thrilled. Progress is progress. Think baby thoughts for us ... although maybe we'll wait until after our neighborhood party tomorrow night. Fiona is quite jazzed for it and I wouldn't want to upset her party plans!

Pre-Baby Chaos

Well, it's official. The pre-baby chaos has started. It makes us more than a bit fearful for the inevitable post-baby chaos. But we'll take one day at a time from here on out and hopefully we'll all truck through.

Last weekend officially turned on Mike. I felt so bad for him as the hits just kept coming. But as the week has gone along, he seems to be climbing back on top.

• It was 90-100 degrees all weekend. While not a personal slap against Mike, the boy does not do well with heat. I know it is officially summer every year when Mike begins to say daily, "That's it. We're moving to Duluth." To add insult, the AC went out on Sunday. It was 82 degrees in Fiona's room when I put her to bed that night. But the guy came out first thing Monday and we've been cool ever since.
• Something died in our storage room - or the vicinity of our storage room. My super pregnancy sniffer spotted it first, but by Saturday morning, Mike could smell it too. He spent the entire weekend tearing the room apart, looking in everything, looking down vents, hunting in insulation. To find ... NOTHING. It is/was driving him crazy. Internet research basically said that at this point, if you can't find it, wait the smell out. So Glade air fresheners are on the shopping list. 
• Speaking of internet, the internet has been going out from 9 am to 7 pm for a week. So he also got to fight with our provider over that.
• Mike's dad is coming down this weekend to help him build a very needed shed. The forecast is for mid-90s and hot. I told him that Fiona and I will keep the lemonade coming!

I am busy at home, just being the wife and mom. But work is my chaos right now. I have a very long list of projects to complete before my leave, but I keep getting scheduled in all day meetings. It's very hard to work on the list when you aren't at your desk! This baby better not come early or I am in big trouble. And in Baby 2 news, my appointment on Monday showed a baby who is head down (woo hoo). And I'm not dilated at all (here we go again ...).

Fiona is still working the big girl bed transition. We had two great naps in the bed last weekend. Although she fell out on Sunday at the end of her nap. When I went in to "rescue" her, she told me "I bonk my body" but "I'm okay." She cracks me up. We are still not quite ready to commit to the overnight there yet. But she seems to be feeling more at ease with the bed. Which is great.

Finally, we are terribly sad that Mike lost his Grandpa B last week. While we knew it was coming, we are very sad to lose this wonderful man. One of my favorite memories of Grandpa is arguing with him over Justin Morneau (the year he won the AL MVP). Grandpa was convinced that he was a crab because "he never smiled" and I debated that he was "Canadian." Mike sat there laughing for the entire game and later told me that grandpa liked that he had found a girl with a "bit of a backbone." Well, Grandpa, we gave you a great-granddaughter with a bit of one as well!

"Great" Grandpa and a very little Fiona

Thoughts on Pregnancy Round 2

In our experience, second pregnancy is the way to go! With a toddler in the house, it is simply flying by. She doesn't care that Mommy is pregnant and has her own agenda for each night. I miss the feelings of being totally in tune with the baby like I had with Fiona, but I love the low stress and quick timeline. We're 34 weeks along on Monday, so it's starting to get close.

• Just like with Fiona, I look like I shoved a basketball under my shirt. While I appreciate that I hardly look pregnant from behind, it is hard to navigate the world with a hard ball in your front. Mike was making fun of the recline of the driver's seat in my car and I told him that I would be happy to strap a bowling ball to his gut and see how he liked it ;-)
• My stomach hurts. Not inside (although the organ assault continues) - but the outside. The fact that my shirt touches my skin is painful. So a loving 1-year-old is quite a test of my endurance. But her hugs are so sweet that I work with it.
• I can still wear my wedding ring. Hooray! And I'm still wearing heels. Not super high ... but I'm calling it a victory.
• I really wonder why all maternity clothes have a bow on them. I'm not a present! And bows in the back are just uncomfortable if you have to lean against them all day. Note to maternity designers - lose the bows please!
• Food: I want orange juice again. Not as bad as with Fiona (side note: i HATE orange juice but apparently crave it anyway during pregnancy), but there is still a jug of Tropicana in the fridge. I do not like meat. I eat it to model behavior for the 1-year-old, but I don't like it. I do like pancakes! And ice cream.
• We are even more laid back on actual baby preparations than we were with Fiona. Pray that this baby doesn't come early or we are in big trouble! Still on the list ... move Fiona to a toddler bed, get down and wash the neutral baby clothes, find the bottles ... you know, basically make it look like we are having a baby! 

We are super excited for this little one to join the family! So excited that we should probably start thinking about names too ...

Mama's Day

What a beautiful day outside! And so far, we have had a simply wonderful day as a family too. Fiona surprised me with a small flower pot that she had painted at day care and a beautiful necklace that she also made. Another gift - she has graduated to the table. I can't decide if I'm so proud of her or so sad that she is such a big girl!

Breakfast at the table!!

Mama and Buggy

Mama and both babies (plus the butt of the other kid of the house)

Family Update

Baby Stroller

Hmmm, it's been a while since I've posted an update. Life has been busy around here. My parents came down last weekend and helped us paint the newly-vacated basement bedroom. It turned out perfectly - we (I) made a last minute change on the color and are thrilled with the result. Gma and Gpa did a naptime babysitting session for us on Saturday and we got new carpet picked out ... and set up to be installed on Monday. So the room now has a fresh paint job, new carpet ... and that's all. A crazy work week and the beautiful weather mean that we'll work on it later!

Mike: Softball season has officially begun and the boy is thrilled. Fiona and I went to one of his games last week. He has late games tonight, but that meant he got to hang out with us for part of the evening. He has also started his annual battle against the quack grass in our yard. Right now, it is winning. But I have faith in him.

Sara/Baby 2.0: I've been working long days this week. Every early days. But the fact that my boss is in Manila instead of me inspires me to get my slightly wider bottom out of bed each morning with little complaint! Baby 2 seems to be doing well. Kicking away in there and making its presence known. Both Fiona and Mike have felt it kick, which is really fun. Overall, I've been feeling pretty good. Definitely getting bigger and occasionally dealing with a sore back. I have my gestational diabetes test in 2 weeks. Think good thoughts!

Flamingo glasses

Yogi: The furry guy is LOVING the spring weather. We spend a lot of time outside these days - walking, creating sidewalk art with chalk, swinging, throwing balls, touching trees ... all the basics. 

Fiona: Oh yeah, maybe you want to hear about the Little Bug too! She is battling the eye teeth (still). Three of the four have popped through and the fourth one is right there. I'm also convinced that she has her dad's allergies, which means lots of coughs and sneezes. She is dealing with the mucus fairly well and is always pleased to be outside! We bought her a little baby stroller - apparently the best Target investment EVER! 

Giggling with daddy

I'm looking outside at my beautiful flowering crab - that is almost done blooming. It usually blooms on Mother's Day. We are grateful for every beautiful day and are going to enjoy the sunshine each evening when we all get home. Such wonderful family time together. So that's us in a nutshell!

It's A ...

BABY! A beautiful, healthy baby!

We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning. The morning started off rough as a grizzly bear awoke in the toddler's room at 6:00 am. We left the house thinking "good luck, grandpa!" (Luckily her mood mellowed into the sweet toddler we love throughout the day). It was raining - which meant our drive to the perinatal clinic would take at least twice as long. And a couple semis and a truck/trailer got in-between Mike and me so I got a little mixed up on my way because we went a different way than usual. But we made it to the clinic with a couple minutes to spare.

The day looked up from there. The ultrasound showed a baby with a beautiful, healthy brain and heart, a fully-formed spine (!), and all other organs present and anatomically correct. Wonderful wonderful news! Baby weighs in at approximately 10 oz! (Fiona was a solid pound at our 20 week appointment)

I really wanted the gender to be a surprise with Fiona and Mike wanted to find out. Since he very unselfishly agreed to be surprised with me, I told him that he got to decide for number two. It only seemed fair. He decided that we'll be surprised again. So Baby V 2.0's gender will be unveiled August 13 - or thereabouts.

Also, if ultrasound cooperation is any indication, this one will give its sister a run for her money in stubbornness (say prayers for Mom and Dad!). But we love seeing that personality so early. We did with Fiona and she has been our constant joy since. We expect nothing less with number 2.

We are proud to introduce the beautiful addition to our family:

Things Are Growing Around Here

A pictorial of some of the exciting things that are growing up in our house:

Perhaps we weren't quite ready for the big girl spoon ...

She picked out her "play" outfit herself.
Boots and hat were the hot items!

Playing on the Pooh blanket from Grammy. So fun!

She's a Big Sister! Fiona is 17 months old.
Baby V is 17 weeks along. ;-)
Like I said, things are growing around here!

Baby Carnival Games

Mike had a very successful night. He managed to anger both Baby and me by playing "Whack-a-Mole" with Baby's foot. Baby got so annoyed that it let out quite a kick that had me yelling "OW" and Mike laughing hysterically. He has been banned from playing additional carnival games until Baby comes out and my organs are not the victim of his fun!

Speaking of Baby coming out, we had a good doctor appointment today where basically they told us that Baby and I are so healthy that they don't see any need to rush things. So we will continue to wait. Baby was nice and low when they checked so hopefully something will happen in the next few days. Until then, Yogi is enjoying at least one walk every day.

Childbirth Prep

Mike calls it "nesting." I call it good sense. But whatever it is, we've been busy around the house the last couple weeks doing our final preparation for Baby.

Last weekend, my Mom and Dad came down and we showed them a super fun weekend of washing walls and windows. It's so fun to look outside and not see streaks of dirt! We also pulled out furniture to vacuum behind it. A good "spring" cleaning for the house.

This week, I managed to pull together five pans of food, including two lasangas, for the freezer to give us some dinner options in the coming weeks. Mike has been a staining and varnishing machine as he gets ready for his Dad to come on Saturday to construct the banister. I have a few organizational weekend projects on my list. By the end of the holiday weekend, we hope to feel very ready for Baby's arrival.

Which is good because we are 38 weeks on Sunday and could go at anytime. We had a great doctor appointment today and they are very pleased with how Baby is looking. Our estimated weight is 7 lbs 12 oz. We'll see what the next couple weeks bring - hopefully baby news soon!

Baby V's New "Crib"

Mike and I were home without too many plans this last weekend and finally had several hours to really apply ourselves to preparing the room for Baby. It's not perfect yet, but I have some open spaces to expand as Baby does (and we accummulate more stuff).

Overall, we are very pleased with the room for our sweet one. Here are a few pictures so you can see it - but feel free to come over and see for yourself!

Baby V's crib and Winnie the Pooh bedding

The changing table/dresser area

And the rocking chair/bookcase ... a relaxing spot and perfect to start a love of reading!

What a Night!

My friend Cheryl and I think we should be up for "wife of the year" awards. We gamely (and pregnantly) sat through FOUR softball games last night to watch the S-town end-of-the-year tournament.

The boys played so great! The evening transitioned from "we don't care, we're playing for fun" to "we just don't want to lose to this team" to "we could actually win this thing" to "we are too old for this." However, before they got to the "too old" part, they managed to win all four games and are regular season and tournament champions!


Baby was apparently very excited about the evening as well because when Mike finally got home after sharing a couple celebratory beers with the boys, he found me in bed but awake because I was "under attack." The kicking / boxing / rolling marathon finally settled down around 12:15 - thank goodness!

Baby and I managed to get up early this morning to make it to our weekly appointment where we were both rock stars. Baby passed all markers for the week and my blood pressure and weight are where they want them to be. Please keep thinking good thoughts that we pass with flying colors each week!

32 weeks

We had a baby appointment this morning. Everything went well and Baby V passed its biophysical profile and non-stress test. I'm not really sure what all that means, but passing means that I don't go on bedrest or to the hospital - so we like passing! The doctors were happy with what they saw for breathing, muscle tone, heart rate, and all.

We also did get to meet with the neurosurgeon last Friday. He was wonderful! It was a short consultation and we didn't really hear much that we hadn't already known, but it was reassuring to meet with him nonetheless. He made us feel good about Baby's prognosis and recovery.

Here is Baby V's little face (and CHUBBY cheeks) at 32 weeks. Enjoy!

Labor Class Discussions

Mike and I had our "Coping with Labor" class last night. Mike was a trooper ... I was not. Enjoy some snippets from our evening as you imagine how this three hour class went.

Teacher: Let's practice relaxation with this exercise.
Insert soothing music and lady with soothing voice telling us how to breathe.
M: Sar, the lady said to take a deep breath.
S: Her voice makes me want to cram my pillow down her throat. It's not very relaxing.
M: Pretend harder.
Three minutes and lots of "soothing" later, annoying voice says something like "feel yourself leave the world and just focus on your breathing."
S: accidental audible snort of disgust
M: much effort to not burst out laughing

Later in class, we talk about using music during labor to relax:
Teacher: Soothing music, like nature sounds or classical music, is best. Partners, talk to your moms about what kind of music they would like to hear.
M: Do you want nature sounds?
S: No, I want Bon Jovi. Or maybe the Twins game. (and show tunes, but I didn't feel like hurtling that impending torture at Mike - we'll let it be a surprise)

Our final exercise of the night - think of your happy place ...
Teacher: Imagine yourself somewhere happy and calming, like a beach in Mexico. Partners, think of a happy place where you can see Mom relaxing.
S: What place did you think of?
M: The final five (college hockey) tournament when the Gophers beat the Sioux in overtime to win the championship.
S: contented sigh ... That was a happy place.

We clearly need to work on our own style of relaxation because the class left me more stressed than before. At least we now know what does not work for us!

Touring the hospital

We had appointments at Abbott and Children's today. Got to meet with the neonatologist, see the birth center, and see the NICU. We got some good information about what to expect once Baby V arrives.

We had been hearing scary things about "rushed to surgery" and "barely seeing Baby after birth" that don't seem to be quite as true. Assuming everything is good (other than the obvious spine issue), we should get to spend a couple minutes with Baby after birth before it and Mike are off to the NICU. From there, they will do the surgery on the spine within 1-2 days. We will have to do some specialized holding and cuddling to make sure we don't hurt Baby's back, but we will get to hold our sweet one - a very exciting thing!

Baby will be in the NICU between 1-2 weeks, depending on how surgery recovery goes. I know we will all be happy when we get to finally go home.

The one disappointment of the day was that we didn't get to meet with the pediatric neurosurgeon. He was pulled into emergency surgery, so we are rescheduled with him next week. We are anxious to hear what he has to say about all the surgeries that Baby will have to deal with post-birth. Although the thought of labor and/or a C-section is terrifying to me, I think about what our tiny one will be going through and figure that I better be a tough girl or Baby will show me up!