Other Firsts I Forgot to Mention...

December 30, 2008--Caroline's first experience with a babysitter

We have been very lucky that though neither set of grandparents lives locally in Richmond, both have made lots of visits to see their angel. And while in town hanging with C-line, they've given Corey and me the opportunity to go out and maintain some sort of social life. But the charity won't go on forever, we realized, so we began our search for a babysitter.

We decided to go with an agency recommended to us by friends that recently had twins. WeeCare pre-screens all their "childcare technicians" and all are required to have some basic medical knowledge including infant CPR and first aid, in addition to strong references and several years of experience. Especially with C-line's heart issue, we thought it a prudent choice for these months when she's so young. With all the paperwork and interviews complete, we hired Miss Tina to come and care for our baby so we could have a bowling night out with friends.

A word of advice for all of you new parents or parents-to-be who will eventually be ready to leave your precious bundles with a stranger: Make sure whatever you are doing that night involves some sort of activity. Bowling was the perfect choice because I was forced to release the cell phone from my hand at least 10 times during the evening.

I was a nervous mess all night but I couldn't help it. As soon as Miss Tina came in, C-line put on her best "princess pout" and just started crying. It was awful to watch. I melt when she puts on that pout. Her beautiful bottom lip sticks way out and those eyes just scream, "I'm really mad at you, Mommy, how could you?!?" Oh, the guilt!

I tried to stick around for a good half an hour once Tina got there to see if Caroline would calm down and understand that everything was going to be okay, but the crying and pouting would not stop. Corey, thank goodness, grabbed my arm and just said, "We're going." If he hadn't, I don't think I would have left.

We came back about 4 hrs later to hear from Tina that it was a little rough but that Caroline finally stopped crying when she fed her. (Note to self: child will accept food bribes in the future.) Other than that, Tina just held her and rocked her until she fell asleep.

It was a hard thing leaving my sweet baby so upset, but the time had to come sooner or later. Now, I am pleased to report that C-line didn't cry or pout one bit when I left her at the gym's childcare center last week. Nor did she put up any fuss when Miss Jessica came to watch her last Thursday. Hopefully, I won't have to see that pout again until the teen years!

you can kinda see the Princess Pout in this picture with Gramps...

January 9, 2009-- Caroline's first "poop-up-the-back"

When Caroline arrived, many veteran parents took great interest in telling me what I could expect in the world of dirty diapers. Green poop, yellow-seedy poop, poop that smelled sweet, poop that didn't. And as a fan of potty humor, none of this grossed me out. In fact, I asked for more. People love talking about poop, and with a little probing I learned which kid in the neighborhood was known for reaching in their diapers and smearing the poop on the wall, and that when kids are toddlers, they will deny having pooped despite the smell coming from their bottoms and refuse to be changed. While these poop stories were about older kids, I was warned that even though Caroline was just a couple months old, girlfriend was still capable of performing pooping feats of strength, the most common being the ol' classic "poop-up-the-back."

Caroline has managed more than a few stinkers in her short time on this earth but never had I seen a poop up the back. She had pooped up the front, so high that I found poop in her belly button once, but that was about as crazy a diaper dilemma I'd experienced until this January day.

Of course I had Caroline dressed in a new outfit, one given to her by my friend, Laura, that I had been dying for her to wear. Finally, Caroline fit into the adorable striped, knit pants and onesie combo from Talbots kids when she took it upon herself to achieve this pooping milestone. And when I say "pooping-up-the-back," I do not mean just above the rim of the diaper but all the way up to the shoulder blades! It was incredible! It defied gravity! As you can imagine, it took about 30 wipes to clean plus a bath. Wow!

Lucky for you, I didn't take a picture.

I'm Back, Baby!

I haven't logged on and blogged in what feels like ages. Many of my faithful readers have been a little disappointed with me and are always asking when I'm going to quit being lazy and get back on the horse. Well... I believe the time has come.

I won't be blogging in the same way, but I intend to use this blog simply as a journal so that I can remember stuff. That whole concept of "pregnancy brain" stays with you even after baby arrives (that, as well as the need to pee often). And I never got one of those baby books to record all of Caroline's milestones, so I thought I would resurrect the blog and use this in its place.

Caroline is now 4 1/2 months old and so much happens every single day that I just don't want to forget all the little funny things she does and how rapidly she changes. So without further ado....

Here's what Caroline has been up to the past 4 1/2 months:

Three days old and not exactly being the sweetheart her onesie claims she is.

Two weeks old. I loved that she always slept with her little hand to her cheek. Doesn't do that anymore. And man, do I look tired. All of you who told me I looked great are such liars!

Three weeks old. Professional shot by Mel of Worthington Photography.

About 6 weeks old. Now we're starting to have some fun... at least in the fashion department. Thank you Ryan and Jeremy!

Baby's first Halloween. BOO!

This is a couple weeks after Halloween. Caroline is wearing silly cow pjs that were loaned to her from her friend Sydney (check out Laura's blog for more on Syd.)

Mid-November in Duck, NC with friends Claire Kapinos and Brayden VandeSand. Her first trip across state lines!


First headband. Even at 4 1/2 months, sistah still doesn't have enough hair for a bow. But headbands, we love!


After postnatal yoga sporting her funny "I Stroll New York" onesie. Thank you Miss Noa!

Playing with Gramps the day before Thanksgiving.


More Thanksgiving pics


Playing with Gramps on his visit to Richmond.

Caroline letting us know she no longer needs her sleep-positioner.

Wearing ridiculous tights for her first Christmas.


Caroline's first trip to Charlottesville, posing on the steps of the Rotunda with Mimi and Poppi. Will our little girl be a 'hoo???


Pictures from earlier this week!



December 12, 2009-- Caroline rolls over!

We were at the cardiologist for Caroline's check-up and as we were getting her undressed, she rolled over (tummy to back) for the first time! Corey and I were both shocked. We'd been seeing her twist and contort herself for weeks, getting almost over but never quite making it to her back. And then, like it was no biggie, she rolled right over... twice!

January 21, 2009--Caroline laughs... unprompted!

Caroline has been smiling and laughing for some time, yet we always have to do silly things to get her to do it. Today, though, she found something funny, all on her own, and let loose that adorable chuckle that is just music to my ears.

Caroline was sitting in her Bumbo seat in her room while I was cleaning up her toys and getting her room ready for bedtime when Luci the dog entered. Luci is not really allowed in Caroline's room, nor is she allowed to lick or get too close to Caroline-- sorry, but I'm a little neurotic when it comes to contact with the dog. But Luci wormed her way in and right in front of Caroline, proceeded to do her "doggie breakdancing" routine where she wiggles and rolls all over the place, belly up, I think in an effort to scratch her back, but who really knows. Caroline found this absolutely hysterical! Girl could not stop laughing. Even I was in hysterics just watching the whole scene unfold. Hopefully, Luci will have an itchy back again real soon.

January 22, 2009--Being a Mom Rocks!

Caroline, my sweet Caroline! Also known as The Bird, Chicken, Boo, Chicken-boo, Chicky-Booby, Boobs, Buddha, Bubba, Bubba-cakes, C-line. We're probably going to have some issues with this child recognizing her name. She'll likely respond to Buddha before Caroline. Just the beginning of my screwing her up...

At 4 and 1/2 months, I can say without a doubt that I am truly in love with Caroline. I love spending my days just watching Caroline grow and discover the world. Everyday, it seems, Caroline notices something new and reaches that perfect little hand towards it--the phone, the fake plant on our console table, my blue spatula. It's all so cool. Wonder what it will be today??

I love being a mom. In fact, I think I scare Corey a little when I tell him that I want lots of kids. What exactly do you mean by "lots?" he always asks me. "Two, three... MORE than three???"

And I'm pretty surprised. Babies were never my thing. I never wanted to hold someone's baby or made a fuss over a baby. They were just bald blobs that did nothing but made unwanted noise and bad smells. But now that I have a baby of my own, my whole world has changed.

Example...I went to get my nails done today and this woman had her infant with her, who happened to be fussing as soon as I walked in. Mind you, a year ago, I would have been pissed that someone had the nerve to take their crying brat into a place whose sole purpose is for pampering, tranquility, relaxation and beautification. How on earth can I enjoy my mani with all that racket?!

But today, I ignored the little Asian woman who was desperate for me to "pick my color" so she could get on with the long line of customers, and instead went over to the new mom and asked if there was anything I could do. I wasn't in a rush and I wouldn't have minded holding and rocking her little boy if it meant she could actually enjoy her foot massage, I told her. She shook her head and gave me the look I know all too well. The look that says, "Oh, no. He's just a little fussy. It's totally normal. And I have it all together. This is no big deal." Despite the brush off, you could tell she was beginning to get a little embarrassed at the increasingly loud cries. So, I stuck my head in the infant carrier and made goofy faces, danced a little and cooed at him for a few minutes, and he settled right down. When I stood up, she thanked me and I just winked.

HELLO!?! Was that really me?? My mom... now that's something she would have done. Maybe I am just turning into Lois. But no, really, when I stop and think about it, it's something any mom would do. The world is just different now.

Like any new job, it takes a while to get the hang of things, to get into a routine and to feel like you know what you're doing. Same goes for mommyhood. I used to dread the morning feedings, but now I so look forward to being the first person Caroline sees in the morning. Poop doesn't faze me anymore either, and sistah has some blow-outs. Now I find myself cheering when she does a "good poopy!"

So yes, I am severely deranged but I love this child more than I thought I could love anything. It's unexplainable. Just wonderful.

I realized I completely reverted back to the old me. I ignored what I just said about how I was going to use this new phase of my blog, and instead, unleashed my inner-monologue yet again. I'll do my best to keep things rather short and sweet and all about Caroline in the future. But hopefully, you all enjoyed the recap on everything. I look forward to updating you on our next adventure! Ciao for now!

Meet the New Boss...

Well, it's been 1 month exactly since Miss Caroline Moore Benjamin was brought into the world, and what a month it's been!

Let me start from the beginning.

How it all went down:

So much for thinking I was going to be induced! Ha!

It was Friday, August 29th and I was having lunch with my gal pals and fellow belly buddies, Amy and Kat. A fish taco and a trip to Cold Stone for ice cream must have been the perfect recipe for going into labor because as soon as I got home, I started to feel some mild but real contractions. They continued that night and got a little more intense. The next morning I woke up with continued contractions but they still didn't meet the 5-1-1 rule.

The 5-1-1 rule is: call your doctor and get to the hospital when your contractions are coming every 5 minutes, lasting for a minute, and this has been going on for an hour. Mine were more like 10 minutes apart and lasting not even a minute.

So, I told Corey I wanted to try and go for a walk as a nice distraction. We leashed up Luci dog and hit the pavement. By the end of our 3-mile loop, it was obvious that this was the real thing-- the contractions were coming closer together and with more pain. We dashed home and took quick showers and headed over to St. Mary's Hospital.

Unfortunately, my beloved Dr. Rinehardt was not the OB on call that weekend. Instead, I was greeted by Dr. Wilbanks who determined that though my contractions still weren't meeting the 5-1-1 rule, my water had broken. Imagine that. I had no idea. No gush of water, no trickle either. Oh well. I was immediately hooked up to an IV, put into a hospital gown and we began the wait for dilation.

What a wait it was.

We were admitted around 10am dilated 1cm and it wasn't until about 8pm that I was ready to start pushing. The nurses prepared the room, Wilbanks got into scrubs and gloves, and after about 15min of pushing, our little princess arrived!

(In case anyone was wondering, yes, I had an epidural and it was HEAVEN! Didn't feel a thing!)

The First Month

Everyone says that being a mother is the toughest job there is, and now I am beginning to understand what they mean. It's amazing how much you can love this little baby who does nothing but eat, sleep and poop. Nursing every 2hrs, no sleep, tons of diaper changes, rocking and soothing... you give, give, give. But it's all worth it when you smell the sweet smell of baby, or catch a fleeting smile. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but this has been the most emotionally and physically draining month in my life, yet at the same time, one of the best months of my life.

My Angels

Both my mom, Lois, and my mother-in-law, Nancy, came to help out during this first month, and I really don't think I could have managed without them. Not only did they take care of everything domestic while I was busy with Baby C-line, but they also served as my personal shoppers, took care of poor Luci who I have seriously neglected, and gave me much needed daily pep talks of encouragement. I can't express how wonderful they were and how thankful I am for all they did.

I should also mention how much I appreciate all the gifts, cards, phone calls, emails, text messages, meals, and visits by our other family members, friends, and neighbors. Corey and I both feel so lucky to have such wonderful support, and it's certainly made the transition into parenthood a lot easier knowing so many people are thinking of us and willing to help with anything we need.

The Hiccup

Baby Girl is perfect in every way, except for this little, nagging hole in her heart. She was diagnosed in the hospital with a ventricular septal defect (VSD), which, as I understand it, is actually pretty common. It means that there is a little hole in her heart that is preventing blood flow in the proper direction. The impact is that her heart is having to work much harder than normal to do its job.

Regular visits with her cardiologist and pediatrician reveal there are 3 ways that this little issue can be solved:

1. The hole closes on its own. As Caroline grows, the muscle tissue in her heart will grow and hopefully fuse together.
2. Caroline has a minor cath procedure to put a patch on the hole.

3. Surgery to put a patch on hole.

The biggest thing we need to be concerned about is Caroline's weight gain. Hopefully, we can get her to grow and either this hole will close on its own, or at least she'll be big enough that we can avoid surgery. We've been trying a number of different feeding regimens to try and get the little bird to beef up, and I'm happy to say that after yesterday's weigh-in, she gained 5 oz in 2 days and tipped the scales at 8lbs!

Potty News

Caroline has managed to pee on Daddy twice now, and poop on me once. Fun, fun!

A Baby by September 5th!

I went in for my 39 week appointment yesterday. Since this was potentially my last appointment, I decided to do a little something special for Doc and his nursing staff to say thank you for taking such good care of me throughout this entire pregnancy. And what says thank you like breakfast?!

When the nurse retrieved me from the waiting room and saw that I was holding 2 big bags from Panera, she nearly did a cartwheel.

"That's for us??"

"Yes, it's the least I can do to say thank you for all you and your colleagues have done for me. I have genuinely looked forward to each of my visits here, and I just wanted to thank you guys for making this such a great experience. So please, eat up!"

You would have thought I'd written each of the nurses a blank check or something, they were so appreciative. It made me feel good that such a small gesture meant so much. Nurse even said I'd lost 1 lb from my last weigh-in. Wow, I thought, I should've brought in food earlier-- probably wouldn't have gained more than 10lbs had I known. Ha!

So enough of the sucking up...

My vitals were all good and the nurse said Baby Girl's heartbeat was pumping right along, nice and strong.

Then Doc came in sporting a little color, but not what I would have expected after a week at the beach. He told me that though they had wonderful weather in Duck, he's a lot more careful with sun exposure now that he's getting on in years. As a kid, he said it was like a race to see who could get burned first. Anyway, he said he ate lots of great food and had a really relaxing time. And he said, "See, I told you this baby wouldn't come while I was away!"

We talked about my appointment last week and I caught him up on my latest-- feeling good overall, a little more tired, swelling only on the really hot days, a random contraction here and there but nothing major, no bleeding.

Since there were no big changes, he went ahead and did the internal exam, which revealed that I am still not dilated or effaced at all. Doc said this is normal. Some people walk around 3cm dilated so he knows that their bodies are starting to prepare for the labor process. Other people, like me, don't dilate or anything until their water breaks and then their cervix does all the work at that time.

To be on the safe side, Doc wanted to go ahead and put a date on the calendar for an induction, just in case I come back next week for my check up and still nothing. That way, we've got a spot at the hospital and we don't have to go for more than a week past my due date to get this baby delivered.

I heard from his nurse this morning that I'm scheduled to go into the hospital at 4pm on September 4th, at which time they will apply a gel with prostaglandins to my cervix. Prostaglandins, from what she and Doc said, contain hormones to get my cervix to "ripen" or dilate. If that's not enough to start my labor, then on the morning of September 5th, Doc will manually break my water and give me a drug called Pitocin that is supposed to bring on contractions. If after all that and labor still isn't progressing at a proper rate, then we talk C-section.

I'm still hoping Baby Girl comes on her own, but it's nice to know we have a plan B if she decides she wants to keep hiding out.

The news that I'm going to be a mom by September 5th has started to sink in and I'm getting really excited to finally meet this little person we've created!

Week 38 Recap

Highlights from my 38th week of pregnancy:

1. Picked up the recliner/rocker/swivel chair for the nursery!

Finally, my furniture is starting to arrive and I can finally begin to put the room together. This chair is SO comfy I could even sleep in it! I tried to pick a really good one since I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time there.

2. Peed in my pants.

One of the joys of pregnancy is that as the baby gets bigger and starts descending, there's increased pressure on the bladder. This, coupled with the fact that it's pretty easy to give me a case of the giggles, and I'm destined to wet my pants just about every time I laugh now.

Monday's incident was full-blown peeing in my pants. Not just a little trickle, not just having to cross your legs do the "pee pee dance." I'm talking full-on bladder release lasting about 7 seconds. The best part was that it happened in my front yard so anyone passing by or peeping out their windows (old man, Art) got quite a show.

It went down like this...

Corey and I had just gotten back from picking up the recliner (see #1) and we were carrying it into the house when he started making jokes:

"You sure you can lift this? I don't want you to poop out the baby."

"I think I just had a let-down in my pants."

And on he goes making silly comments about all the gross and disgusting things that are going to be happening to my body in just a few days, and I lost it. Literally.

It started out as just a leak, but keep in mind I had 2 hands on a new, 50lb, micro-suede chair and I couldn't exactly drop it and run inside to pee. So, I just let it flow.

Now my friend Alice is threatening to mail me a package of Depends.

3. Banana-cream cheesecake

(Yes, this is a "highlight" to my week. Anything food-related these days is considered an event). Had a nice lunch catching up with my former manager, Kristie, at The Cheesecake Factory. I think we ate pretty healthfully, considering the numerous options on the menu. We both ordered salads and then shared the heavenly banana-cream cheesecake.

Our thinking was Bananas = fruit = Healthy!

4. Appointment with the Nurse Practitioner

You all know that Doc was on vacation so I had to see his nurse practitioner, Marci, for my weekly check up. She wasn't Doc, but she was a great substitute. I loved her. Friendly, warm, and thorough, she spent a lot of time going over my chart with me since I was a new patient to her. And we even did that with my pants still on.

Don't you hate that when doctors want to have a 30min conversation with you while you're half naked? And then they wonder why you might be a little nervous or fidgety? Maybe it's because she's a woman, or it's just her style, but she did the whole consultation/review before the physical examination while I was still fully clothed. She got a gold star for that.

After my vitals were checked and she conducted the internal exam, Marci pronounced me "not going into labor anytime soon." She said I have at least until my due date, and encouraged me to keep up the good work and to live it up these last few weeks. Go out to dinner, take little trips, go to the movies--whatever I can do to keep my mind off waiting for the baby. She made it sound like the chances for going beyond my due date are pretty high. But we'll see what Doc says.

5. Dinner with the Cohen's

Annie and Zac came over on Thursday for a southern-style meal that even Paula Dean would have loved. Well... we probably didn't use enough butter or cream in our recipes, but I still think she would have been impressed.
We had:

Ribs, baked beans, mac n cheese, cornbread muffins, cole slaw, tomato & cheese pie, sauteed spinach and an orange-flavored bundt cake with caramel and chocolate sauce for dessert!

I love that our friends love to eat.

And the BIG EVENT... drumroll please...

We got our CRIB and DRESSER!

We've been waiting for this furniture since the middle of May. It'd been so long, I'd practically forgotten what the heck we even ordered. But it was worth the wait. We love it! Hope you do, too, Baby Girl!

Savoring My Final 2 Weeks

I can't believe when I turned the page on my pregnancy calendar today that it said I have 14 days till my due date.

14 days? How could that be? 14 days!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I woke up in a slightly drunken state and peed on the stick that would reveal my life forever changed, and yet, though I've had 8 1/2 months to get used to the idea that I'm bringing a new life into this world, and a huge belly as proof, it doesn't seem like it's time. It's all come so fast!

In thinking about it, it seems that being pregnant for the first time is kind of like wedding planning. For the better part of a year, you spend most of your waking hours talking about, thinking about and doing things in preparation for this momentous event.

You get all worked up. You plan and plan, reading all the right books, going on special diets, and getting professional council. You even find yourself subscribing to magazines and surfing websites you didn't even know existed before that ring was on your finger or before you had that first ultrasound.

But in the end, you're thrown into action for about 5 or 6 hours (let's hope my labor lasts only as long as my wedding) and it's all over.

I made the mistake of being too stressed during much of my engagement to enjoy it. I loaded myself down with to-do lists, and spent countless hours planning every last detail. And I've found myself, at times, doing the same thing during this pregnancy.

And now that it's all coming to a rapid close in 14 days (14 days!), I decided to put together a little list of advice for all of my belly buddies out there who are stressing themselves out and needlessly worrying about babies, nurseries, registries and so forth.

Moms-to-be, let's not put so much pressure on ourselves and try and do some of these things on my Top 10 List so we can enjoy and relish this special time! You'll see that 9months goes by in a blink of an eye!

So here goes.
Remember, these are just my own opinions. Feel free to agree or disagree as you wish.

1) Bask in the attention.

Some of it may be unwanted and accompanied by a stranger's hand on your belly, but there's just something about seeing a pregnant woman that typically brings about a smile. Maybe it's the hope and excitement of a new little person joining the world, or maybe for some it brings back happy memories of a similar time. Just enjoy being doted upon during your pregnancy. Once baby comes, everyone's attention will be on the little face in the stroller, not Mom.

2) Eat what you want, when you want.

If you satisfy that craving for chocolate with a trip to ColdStone, that's much better than resisting. My philosophy is that if you resist and try eating other things to relieve your aching sweet tooth, chances are you'll end up still smacking your lips having consumed more calories than if you'd just eaten the freakin' ice cream in the first place.

3) Save money for a post-baby vacay and borrow maternity clothes from friends.

The thought of buying a whole new wardrobe that I'm only going to need for a short period of time isn't so fun. I'd much rather spend that money on a vacation or something fun post-baby. My advice is to accept clothes from willing friends of all sizes. Don't underestimate the power of elastic--you'll likely find a couple pieces in anyone's maternity wardrobe that will fit during some stage of your pregnancy. Plus, husbands like it when you put on a "new" outfit and it didn't cost a penny! Only rule here is that you must loan out your maternity clothes to pregnant friends when you're back in your skinny jeans. Pay it forward.

4) Double your expected waiting time for all orders--manage your expectations.

Maybe it's just my bad luck but I would double whatever estimated delivery time any company gives you for furniture, pack n plays, whatever. Better to set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised when all your gear arrives before you're even in your 3rd trimester. You don't need the added stress of worrying who will when the race--baby or crib.

5) Don't listen to that crazy lady in the grocery store.

This kind of goes with #1. Everyone who has had a baby suddenly feels like they can come up to you and share their own stories of labor, childbirth and becoming a parent. (And I do realize I may be accused of this myself since I'm writing this list of advice). But I'm talking about the people who tell you about the random, 1-in-a-million situations that freak you out.
Like yesterday, this woman held me hostage in the produce aisle telling me about her son who was born with some terrible disease where he aged rapidly, and when he died at 6months, he was really the equivalent of a 72-year old man.
No one wants to hear that, least of all someone who is about to give birth! These people aren't intentionally trying to psych you out, they just don't know how to shut up. So, ignore them and their stories. Concentrate on what your doctor tells you. That's all that matters.

6) Milk it.

Something I realize I did not do enough of now that it's coming to a close. This is a chance for you to get your husbands to pitch in some extra effort whether it be simply carrying the laundry basket upstairs, giving you a back rub or unloading and putting away the groceries. Go ahead and ask for help or for a little extra TLC. Hopefully, by routinely taking on these new duties, the husbands just might get accustomed to doing them even after baby.

7) Have sex... a lot

I know you're tired, you feel fat and you've spent a good part of the day throwing up or suffering from terrible heartburn. But it's important to turn on the red light special for you and your baby daddy every now and again. Especially towards the end cuz Doc puts you on lockdown for at least 6 weeks after baby. Plus, from what I hear, having a newborn doesn't exactly do anything for your mojo. So, get it while you can.

8) It's okay to take naps

I think my nickname during this last month should be "Nap-a-saurus Rex." At first, I felt guilty taking a break in my day to sleep, but then I reminded myself that my body has been busy making a whole other person! It's not easy making livers and spleens all day long! It's okay to be tired.

9) Pamper yourself

Now's the time to truly take care of you. You're taking the vitamins, you're eating extra fiber and you've given up alcohol. So complete the package and get a weekly pedi or a mani, and try a prenatal yoga class. It will make you feel better about your expanding self and could lead to more of #7. And more of #7 means more of #6.

10) Be alone.

Once this baby is on the scene, that's it. From what I'm told, showering isn't even done alone--you've got the bouncy seat in the bathroom with you so you can keep one eye on junior while trying not to blind yourself with shampoo. So take the time now to read an Us Weekly at a coffee shop alone, or go for a walk, even without the dog.

You should all know that I am taking my own advice to heart. During these last 14 days, I've committed to having dessert every night, I've made lunch dates with several girlfriends and have an appointment for one last prenatal massage. Those of you who have more than 14 days, make them count! Enjoy your bump!

West Coast Family Expansion!

It's official!!

My sister-in-law Sara and brother Cosmo are expecting a little one in February 2009!

Their doctor appointments have been very positive so far, and the ultrasounds show a cute little critter developing nicely with a very high heartbeat in the 170s. Early guess by the parents-to-be is that it's a GIRL! Baby B can't wait to meet her California cousin!

All the best to Sara and Cos for a healthy, happy pregnancy!

Check out news on Baby Dags at http://andiamamaternitygirl.blogspot.com/