Seeing the Doc

As mentioned in yesterday's post, today was the 16-week appointment day. Actually, we were supposed to go last Thursday, but some of Dr. B's scheduling challenges created a need to reschedule. So today it was. Heck, we're halfway through week 17 by now, but that just means we don't have to wait so long for the next one.

First and foremost, a due date!! On the first visit (8 weeks), Dr. B told us that our 2nd appointment would be a better indication of due date, we'd hear the heartbeat, etc. So then at that appointment, we got all up in a tizzy because we heard the heartbeat, and then she started telling us about an upcoming test that could be done (more on that in a minute), and we left outta there without "officially" obtaining one. So this time, when the nurse asked, "What's your due date?" we were quick to point out that we sure did wish we had one. So she got out her handy-dandy, calculator chart and arrived at December 10.

There is a blood test that's known as the "triple screen," that can be done in the 15-18 week window. The sole purpose of the test is to determine if the baby is at risk for some health issues, namely spina bifida and Down's syndrome. It's generally recommended if there are significant risk factors (which there aren't), and there's about a 15% chance that a "Yes" result really is a "No." So given those two facts, we decided against it. Dr. Bannister thought that our decision was probably best.

Aside from that, today's appointment did little else. The doctor did perform the first of the monthly measurements of the belly--in her words, "It's definitely grown!" She was very pleased with Leah's progress so far with regards to weight gain, blood pressure, etc. So right now we're on the doc's good side, and that's a good thing.

Coming up in a little over three weeks.......the ultrasound! Hopefully we'll have a cooperative infant who will reveal his or her identity!

Getting Closer

Not really much been going on these days in the baby department, but I think things are gonna quickly change in several areas.

* Leah's finally decided that her handful of maternity clothes aren't cutting it, and that we're actually gonna have to invest in some more. She's got several tops, and a couple of "outfits", but she doesn't really have those versatile pieces that than go with just about anything. You know, the khaki pants, the long black skirt, etc. There's been several occasions where she's come home and said, "I'm gonna have to buy a ___." The problem that we've found is that there really isn't a reasonably priced place to get maternity stuff. That is, at the likes of Wal-Mart and Target, the "maternity section" is about 2 or 3 racks of stuff (mostly shirts and tops), and specialty places like Motherhood Maternity seem like they're a bit high. I guess we might have to bite the bullet and face the music (oooh, 2 cliches in one sentence!). Adding to the dilemma is BancorpSouth's draconian dress policy. Namely, nothing sleeveless is allowed. Now, while I'll concede that guys don't need to be wearing khakis and a sleevless button-down, many cute, summer women's tops--maternity or not--are simply sleeveless. Nope, can't wear them. So that's a challenge.

* Our next doctor's appointment is tomorrow, and I'm sure there won't be much to report. However, we've already set our next appointment, which will be the day of our ultrasound. For obvious reasons, we're excited about that, but it certainly adds to the practicality of shopping and such. So many of the upholstery patterns of strollers, carriers, carseats, and the like seem to 'lean' toward being masculine or feminine. Now, I realize that our moms (and thousands and thousands of moms before them) had to deal with not knowing the baby's sex until it was born, but alas, I was born in an age of budding technology. So sue me.

* Leah and I went ahead and started a registry at Babies R Us. For reasons documented above, we held off on some gender-specific choices, but we had already decided on stuff like bottles, diaper pail selection (although Diaper Genie is probably the leader, there are other competitors, namely the Diaper Champ), baby monitor, etc. It was almost closing time, and Leah was wiped out because of the long day she had had, so we left it a abit unfinished and will come back to it later. But stay tuned for a link.

* Leah attended a baby shower for Kristi yesterday, and I facetioiusly made the comment, "Honey, I wanna have a shower. When are we gonna have a shower?" I know that nobody throws a shower for themself, and I suppose it is a bit early. But I simply made the observation that there seems to be this unwritten rule that you can't have a shower before about 7 months. Why is that? It wouldn't be unheard of for a person to go into labor that early (I was 6 weeks early), so that would mess that itinerary up. Our time will come, I know, but dangit, I'm ready for my child to be center of attention for a couple of hours!! Joe was talking about how many things he had to get out of the box, put together, etc., and I can hardly wait to have that staring at me. We're buying nursery furniture next month, and as I mentioned in a previous post of things I'm looking forward to, putting together that furniture will be fun and an honor, all rolled up into one. I'm sure I'll be telling my son/daughter that I just couldn't figure out one particular bolt, or rail, or goofy set of Japanese instructions. But it will be a job well done, I can promise you that!

Father's Day

Today brings a bit of new meaning to Father's Day. I guess the cynical ones might say, "Your first one isn't until next year," but then again, the fatherhood aspects have already kicked in to some degree from a financial standpoint (it's already costed me money, and it's not even here yet!!).

Anyhow, I did a little Father's Day blog over at our regular blog, the Front Porch (complete with pictures!!). Check it out if you feel so inclined.

Oops, They Did It Again

Quick....Who's the most observant of the loyal Russellbaby.com readers? You might have noticed that the "Next Appointment" date changed from June 23 to June 27. Leah called her doctor's office today to inquire about setting an appointment time for her next one in July (we didn't wanna wait, because we're trying to plan around it). The person said, "Oh, we were in the process of contacting you about your next appointment. Your doctor is taking a vacation, so we need to reschedule." Uhhhhh.....OK. Let's work around this apparent last minute doc demand (I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation) and go with the flow. They wanted to move it to Friday, but being in the banking business, Friday wasn't really a good day for Leah to be out. So Monday it is. We've actually got the July one set already (which is the 20 week appointment, which means.........(drumroll please)........the ultrasound! That's right, hopefully that day will determine pink or blue, golf clubs or dancing shoes, wedding or rehearsal dinner. What is that day, you ask? Well, you'll have to check back!

We had a little bit of a "sickness" episode this week. Leah hasn't had any morning sickness to speak of, so it was kinda weird when Leah called me at work one day from the bank and said, "I got sick this morning." Even though morning sickness usually subsides by the end of the 1st trimester, it does affect some women later in the pregnancy, so I wasn't sure what it meant. I was thinking what a bummer it would be to have to deal with it after things have been so smooth thus far. But in the end, the culprit was apparently a chicken biscuit from Burger King. We have no idea what caused it, but that was the only real difference in her usual morning diet selection. So basically, she just made mental note to avoid it for the remainder of her pregnancy. She felt better as the day went on, and there haven't been any more episodes since.

Updates and Reminders

Just as a reminder if you're used to jumping over here to the blog from the main Russellbaby.com website, you might be out of luck if the webhosting server is down (as it is at this very moment). So anyhoo, just remember "blogspot" if at all possible--as in russellbaby.blogspot.com. There you go.

Still not much going on, but that's a very good thing. Leah hasn't really been sick one time, but we're holding our collective breath since rumor has it that sometimes the morning sickness bug bites later in the pregnancy. But so far, so good.

Leah has been a bit restless at night, which kinda bugs her, and then she's afraid that she's disturbing me. Apparently this really isn't all that uncommon, but can lead to more fatigue during the day and all that. Special pregnancy pillows are on the market that cater to the position that is supposed to be the most comfortable (think body pillow mixed with special contour support). I'm sure we'll get one before it's all over with. I can feel my side of the bed getting smaller and smaller. : )

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are many companies that rent out Doppler equipment for home use. Well, ours arrived this week from the fine folks at Baby Beat. The cool thing about this unit is that it's the only one that has the ability to record the heartbeat "on the fly", which allows you to then transfer it to the computer. So yes, I should soon have a .wav file for any and all to hear--neat stuff!! Check back later for updates, but once we get a good, strong, and consistent heartbeat that worthy of saving, I'm sure I'll pass it along.

We're halfway to our next appointment, which will then be 4 weeks from our ultrasound. I'm just sayin'. We're not excited or anything. : )