Dixon Baby Newsletter Vol. 12 (2/26/2004)

Name suggestions...

Ms. Jeane:
  Cassidy

Our friends Misty and Jenn will be hosting a shower for
Wee One!  We are very excited.  Watch your mailboxes for 
your invitation.  Thanks again, You Guys! 

The invites will include a "book" of 
things we would like for baby.  Don't be frightened!  I
have to apologize if it is overwhelming.  I am known for
my list making, and this baby shopping thing was just up
my alley.  I may have gotten carried away.  :)
 
Also, the ladies, with Joseph's help, are going to try 
to make the shower "male" friendly.  
I've only heard rumors, but there is something about a 
LAN party or maybe the Dixon Theatre will be open that day.  
My dad has offered to provide entertainment for the more 
mature male audience.  :)  

We toured the Birth Center the other day.  It is very nice.
All the rooms are homey, and everything is set up to do
everything in your private room.  Only c-sections are done
outside the room.  Our guide showed us where the 
resuscitation equipment for baby was and then showed us where
the resuscitation equipment for me was.  Joseph asked, "So,
where do you keep MY resuscitation equipment?"  :)  

They try to make the rooms very nice.  You have a fridge,
coffee maker, and microwave.  There is parque flooring,
a jacuzzi tub, and and a roll-out bed for Daddy Joseph.
When I asked to see the nursery, our guide said there was
no nursery.  The babies room with their mom.  We were very
happy to hear that.  That was going to be one of the things
we were going to request.

They also have spot lights in the ceiling that point at the
bed.  The guide had a magic wand that she could point to
any place on the bed and the spot lights would focus there.
I guess the lights are to draw attention to the main event
in case people start to loose interest.

Our company has its annual meeting/retreat planned for the
first of April.  We are contemplating going.  I talked it
over with the doctor.  He said if everything continues to
go as well as it has, then he would leave it up to us.  It
is close to a 300 mile trip one way in a car.  The main
concerns are developing a blood clot from sitting so long 
or baby deciding to come out early.  The doctor said my
bladder probably wouldn't allow me to set up a blood clot.
He is right about that.  If stopping to go to the bathroom
every 15 minutes reduces your risk of bloodclots, I am 
at the lowest risk possible.  

I've identified several hospitals close to the hotel.  There
is a well renowned Level III neonatal unit 60 miles away with
helicopter transport less than a mile from the hotel.  But,
there is still alot of ground to cover between our house
and the hotel and back.  If we do decide to go, I'll be taking
a copy of our medical records to have on hand, just in case.

Right now, Joseph and I are thinking that we are just going
to wait until that day to decide if we are going to go.  If
I am in hibernation phase, it won't be very fun to go.  But,
if I am spunky, it would be a nice mini-vacation.

I got my first Rhogam shot at our last doctor's visit.  Ouch!
Now I am carrying a patient ID card that says I'm A- and have
recieved my first Rhogam shot.  This card is supposed to come
in handy if I am in a wreck or something.  

I asked my doctor about several mysterious pains I've been 
having.  His response was, "You're pregnant."  Joseph had 
already diagnosed my pains as symptoms of the same thing.  :)
So, I have two opinions with the same diagnosis.  It must
be so!

The doctor has started me on iron supplements.  He told me
that all women at this stage of pregnancy develop anemia. It
is just a matter of how anemic they get.  So, to counteract
that, he recommends iron supplements.  They are gigantic
horse pills, but I am taking them with a smile.  :)

The doctor says everything is going just fine.  All my
readings (blood pressure, etc.) are normal.  I have yet to
experience any swelling.  I did take off my wedding band 
early in the pregnancy in anticipation of swelling.  I put
it on the chain I always wear.  The other day I tried it on
and it fit fine.  But, I still have almost 3 months to go.  

I haven't been gaining the average pound per week.  I think 
I've been doing about half that.  But, the doctor says the
baby is growing fine.  My slow weight gain isn't a reflection
of how I have been eating.  I am eating ALOT...even for me!
Joseph has actually been frightened at the dinner table 
watching me reach for another biscuit.  Luckily,
Joseph didn't eat lunch with me today.  I had 5 helpings of
mustard greens and cornbread.  I didn't even feel full.  But,
I thought the real estate in the tummy area must be pretty
populated after 5 plates of food, so I took a rest from 
eating.

My checkup frequency will now be every 2 weeks instead of 4.
Then, it will go to once a week.  Time is going by so fast!

Wee One has been sticking its parts towards the outside of 
my tummy.  We cannot distinguish exactly what parts it is
putting out there, but we can feel them there.  I think we
may have felt a head or tushy one day.  It is very hard to
tell.  We don't want to poke at Wee One too much!  But, we 
are confident that once Wee One arrives, we'll be able to
tell the head from the tushy. :)

I want to quote something I read about what baby is capable of:
"If you shine a light on a your belly, your baby may move his 
head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving 
glow."  Isn't that cool?!  Although, we haven't tried to 
shine baby.  We don't know when Wee One is sleeping, and who
likes having a light shined in their eyes when they are trying
to take a nap?

What else can baby do or show you?
- eyebrows and eyelashes
- weighs about 3 lbs.
- listening to what we're saying and the surrounding sounds

So, as you can see, we are all three very busy.  :)  Hope 
everyone is well out there!

Kay