The Reason I Don't Sleep!

The first week bringing Jaiden home from the hospital was like a blur ... J was off that week so we were able to do shifts. J took the early shift until around 3am and then I was up with him until he fell back asleep around 5-6am. J was really amazing that week, I was able to recover from my c-section and J took care of everything. That week we also celebrated Thanksgiving so we had constant visitors and almost 18 family members celebrating at our house. I was exhausted and in constant pain so I really enjoyed the 5-6 hours of sleep I was getting every night. I was blissfully unaware that it was shortly going to end when J went back to work.

The second week was when reality set in! I was going to need to figure out how to get him to sleep at night so that I could get some sleep as well. The beginning of the week we were basically up all night, because all he wanted was to be held! He did not like his pack and play, his crib or his snuggle nest. He only liked MY ARMS!! Don't get me wrong, I could hold him all day but at 3am when your exhausted and keep dozing off, the best place for him is not in my arms.

By the end of the week I knew exactly how to get him to sleep and get him back to sleep after his 3am feeding. I do the following -- change his dirty diaper, feed him, check his diaper again, swaddle him, give him one last chance to eat then rock him for about 8-10mintues until I see that he is asleep enough to be put down in his snuggle nest. I then jump into bed and cross my fingers that I do not hear constant crying coming from his crib. Nine out of ten times I am able to go to sleep for about an hour and a half before I have to do it all over again!

I love spending my days with him and I consider myself blessed that I am able to do that. I know that eventually I am going to have to go back to work and I am going to miss the days of lounging together. J and I could not ask for anything more than a happy and healthy child... the rest of it we will figure out along the way!




Love,
Dada & Mama J

Jaiden Alexander's Birth

Jaiden Alexander Williams was born at 3:52pm on November 20th, 2009 weighing 7 pounds and 2 ounces and 20 inches in length. Sounds like a heavyweight champ!

I don't even know how to express the happiness and excitement that Baby J has brought into my heart. I am almost overwhelmed. He is the coolest baby ever. Everything little thing he does just makes me smile. He is very very responsive already and reacts to everything.

The actual process at Virtua in Voorhees, NJ was pretty simple and pretty quick. Jess said the worst part was getting the IV put in. We got to the hospital around 1:25pm after taking a few last pictures together so that we would have a last record of how big Jess was. They moved us right into a prep room (we had already done all the preregistration stuff) where they had "Welcome Jessica" on the TV screen. Before we could blink we had nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists and everyone you could think of coming into the room, welcoming us, and getting Jess ready for the main event. It only took about 2 hours before Jess was taken into the operating room and prepped for surgery. Everyone was very friendly and told us exactly what we needed to do and what to expect. They told me to wait outside while they got everything ready. I was basically shaking with excitement in my scrubs and mask. Soon enough Dr. Colella came by to wash his hands and get ready. He went into the room and they brought me in about 5 minutes later. They had me sit down behind the curtain next to Jess' head. I talked to Jess and held her hand. She said, "I don't even think they started yet." This was pretty funny because Baby J was just about ready to come out by this time! Before I knew it, the anesthesiologist signaled for me to stand up and I grabbed my camera to prepare for Baby J's first moment in the world. It was tough to get a good shot because the curtain was hanging taller than I and there were doctor's and nurses' hands everywhere. I managed to get one good shot of them lifting him out.

Next they brought him over to the table with the heat lamp. He didn't even make a sound. Jess and I thought there might be something wrong because he wasn't crying yet but the nurses just needed to suction his airways. He began to cry. What a wonderful sound! Next they cleaned him off, put his hat on, stamped his little feet, and bundled him up. They brought him over to Jess while she was still in surgery so that she could get a moment to see him. The anesthesiologist was so awesome. He offered to take a few pictures with all of us right there.

Then they brought Baby J to the nursery where we were met by many loving family members. We snapped a few more shots and then he went in to get weighed, measured, and bathed. I was the only one allowed in the room since Jess was still getting stitched up and resting in the recovery room. The nurse was very friendly and we chatted about Baby J's first minutes. After he was all cleaned up I went to see Jess in the recovery room.

Jess was still pretty numb and couldn't move her legs. I told her all about Baby J since she only got to see him for a few seconds. We were there for about a half an hour before they brought us to our room. We didn't end up in a private room the first night because they said they delivered about 20 babies that day. Packed house!! As soon as all the family saw the baby getting wheeled into the room they all followed and we had a large visiting time for a good hour. The whole time Baby J barely even cried. He is such a trooper. He was not afraid of all the new people and new world and he opened up his bright blue eyes to see.

Later when Jess and I were alone with him we held him, played with him, and Jess gave him his first feeding. It was the most fantastic day of my life. Everything went so smoothly. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

TOMORROW is Baby J's BIRTHDAY!

Hi Family and Friends,

This has been a crazy week and such a week of birthdays!! My best friend's from WD, Katie and Kelly celebrated there birthday on the 18th. Then today, November 19th, is my father's birthday. And tomorrow is our SON, Baby J's, BIRTHDAY!!

I cannot believe that this time has gone by so quickly and tomorrow Baby J will be born. I have been on a roller coaster of emotions this past week with trying to get everything accomplished and feel "ready" to have this baby boy on Friday. I am so excited that this time tomorrow we will be able to hold our son. We will get to see what he looks like -- my prediction is that he will have all dark features, darker skin and hair ... but I am praying for blue eyes like mine!! I am also very anxious about the surgery and the recovery, but I know that I have to be strong for the both of us. J has been amazing this whole time -- working like a mad man, helping with all things baby and putting up with my crazy pregnancy hormones that kicked in these past few weeks. He stays so calm when I become anxious about the surgery, recovery and new baby. He is going to be an exceptional father :)

I know that you were all hoping that J would be blogging tomorrow from the hospital but I assure you I will not be letting that happen. I will post pictures on here hopefully sometime over the weekend from the hospital. And I will send out a picture and reveal his name tomorrow night as well once I am out of the recovery room :)

I wanted to thank every single one of you for the well wishes that you have given to us. Baby J is already surrounded by people that love and care about him!! We are so lucky to have great friends and family that are so supportive.

Please say a little prayer tonight for a safe surgery and a healthy baby boy!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Single Digits with PICS!

After I got back from my spa night I had J take some pictures of me because the only time I want pictures taken of me now is when I at least feel pretty! So this is what I look like at 38 almost 39 weeks pregnant!! Not much to say other than I look and feel BIG!! Excited that we are down to single digits now :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

10 Day Countdown!

I know that I can speak for J when I say that we can't believe we are going to head into the single digit countdown. We are both so excited that next week we get to meet our little man! Sorry for there not being as many updates -- there is just not much to report. I go to the doctor's every Thursday and they always say "Everything looks great," "Not too much longer," "Hope you're not too uncomfortable." So nothing blog worthy, but sometimes no news is good news! I have been both busy and bored as I spend my days working on a new project or complaining to J that there is nothing to do. But I am still walking about 2 miles a day and shopping and cooking and cleaning...I certainly have not slowed down -- maybe in how fast I can waddle, but not in what I can accomplish in the course of the day!! I am excited for tomorrow because I have turned it into a spa day -- I am going to get a manicure, massage and my hair done! All of which I have been putting off until the last possible minute so that I can feel and look as good as possible while I enjoy my three day hospital stay. I am very excited so once I am home from spa day I will have J do a 38 week photo shoot and let you all see how BIG I am! I promise pictures for later on in the week and until then continue to just google "cow" for a picture of how BIG I am.


Love,
Dada & Mama J

Halloween & Room Progress

Halloween costumes!

Since it was one of J's favorite holidays we decided to dress up even though we were just going to be handing out candy to trick or treaters. After going to many a Halloween stores I gave up and realized that there is not going to be anything that a 9month pregnant woman can wear. J actually suggested a just buy plus size!!! So he found a 'bun maker' costume and we decided to go from there...

On Friday, I spent the afternoon with the oversize box that the crib came in and a box cutter! I constructed an 'oven' and even made it so that the oven was able to open. It was painted and accessorized so it would look like my stomach was inside of the oven.

My 'Bun in the Oven' costume! Timer: 20 Days (As of Halloween!!)

On another note, I have been spending a lot of time getting the babies room organized so that way it is done just in case my water breaks before November 20th. I am posting a picture of the furniture and the beginning of the organizing process! I will post more pictures later this week once I feel more accomplished!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

22 DAY Countdown!

Well it looks like it is up to me to update you all on what is happening since J is too busy! We have had a lot happen in the past few weeks ... let's talk about a few things.

His room -- is almost done!! We have had some serious furniture issues to deal with in the past few weeks but I am happy to report that we now have a furnished babies room. A piece of advice to all you future Mom's to Be -- DON'T BUY FROM BABIES R US. Buy furniture from an actual furniture store that will come and deliver the furniture to the actual room and assemble it for you. We ended up with 400 lbs. of damaged furniture that sat in our living room for over two weeks until UPS Freight got around to coming and picking it up.

His arrival -- will most likely not be a surprise!! I will not be yelling to J from the bathroom as my water breaks "I think it's time!" After weekly U/S's to check the babies position he is still breech and because of that I will need to have a c-section. There is such little room in there for him to flip that the doctors are not willing to try a version (manually turning the baby from the outside of my stomach.)

So here are three possibilities that could happen:

1. My water breaks before my scheduled c-section and he picks the day that he comes into the world.
2. Anytime leading up to my scheduled c-section he decides he wants to flip and than we will be playing the waiting game until my water breaks on its own.
3. I go in for my scheduled c-section on: NOVEMBER 20, 2009 AT 3:30 PM!!!!

I would love to go through childbirth the natural way but in the end it comes down to his health and safety. So as long as he is born healthy (and FAT) I will be happy!!

We have weekly doctor's appointments every Thursday (only 3 left) and each week I have a new set of questions about c-sections so I can mentally prepare myself for this. But my doctor's think that I am doing great -- my weight is good, my blood pressure is good as well as the babies heart rate.

My last piece of news is that Baby J now weighs 6 pounds and 4 ounces (the tech said give or take a pound!!) That is excellent news because in three weeks he has gained over a pound so I expect in another three weeks him to be another pound or so!

I will post pictures of the furniture and room later this weekend once I make more progress!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

New Jersey Baby Shower

Myself and Katie before we opened presents!

This past Sunday I had another Baby Shower (of which I knew about) hosted by my mother's friend -- Mrs. Spence. It was definitely a joint effort because Mo and Laura did so much to help. Our friends Jamie and Rachel from Mahwah came down on Saturday night because on Sunday the "boys" were going to the Eagles game! They managed to get 2nd row seats on the 50 yard line which in their mind was better than any baby shower!

The Godfather and J at the Eagles game -- while the girls were at the Baby Shower!!

It was a great afternoon with great family and friends. All of my moms friends are great cooks so we had everything from two types of strata and ham just to name a few. I honestly spent so much time mingling that I barely remember all the food that was there. When it came time for dessert there was everything from cake to cupcakes, rice pudding and pumpkin rolls.

The bottle shaped cake that Laura made!

The cute cupcakes that Laura also made -- they have little pacifiers in there mouths!

My mom told me that I would not have to wear one of those ridiculous bow hats but when we opened presents Rachel insisted that she make one for me!! This is a picture of myself and my Granny Elaine posing with my beautifully constructed bow hat! By the end of the day I was exhausted ... way too exhausted to set up a present arrangement like we had done before.

But this was the aftermath...not that it begins to describe the amount of baby stuff that we have!

In other Baby J related news, we have our weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow and I will let you know how that goes. Last Saturday we had a tour of Virtua Hospital in which I was hoping that one of the 30 ladies on the tour would have gone into labor -- but that did not happen!! This upcoming Saturday we have an all day Childbirth class (taking one is easier for both of us than taking one twice a week at night -- who has time for that.) I will let you all know that actually needs to be talked about for 7 hours (at least they serve lunch!)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Baby J's Room

Today Baby J's room was finished ... being carpeted and painted. My dad spent last night putting a final coat of paint under the green chair rail. The furniture is being delivered today and tomorrow. I would recommend Babies - R - Us to anyone because there 7-14 day shipping was more like 1-2 days with a holiday thrown in there (Columbus Day.) Now if only they put the furniture together I would really sing their praises!

There are three wooden shelves above the border that are going to match the furniture.

As you can see the room is tan with a green chair rail and very cute team safari border!

I am going to post more room pictures when the furniture is in the room and we have begun to organize it a little more. But my father has done an amazing job and spent countless hours on this room!! It looks amazing and I cannot wait to show it off once it is complete!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

32 Week Ultrasound

32 week profile...even though it is very blurry!

This must be zoomed out times 50,000 because it looks like what a 10week old U/S should look like...I still think he is raising the roof!

Yesterday we had our 32 week U/S so our new doctor could have measurements and we could tell if the baby was still breech. I was very excited to go and get to see him on the screen and hear his heartbeat! Once we got there they asked J to wait in the waiting room and they would call him back at the end. This was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, as if he didn't have the right to be back there. It is not like it was a top secret confidential meeting, it was an U/S of our baby. She assured me she would get him when she was done measurements.

When she was taking measurements she had the screen turned away from me the entire time. Again, like there was something top secret that I was not allowed to see. Eventually she was done with measurements and gave me a printout (which was so blurry I thought the bottom picture was of a chipmunk!) When she called J back that was also the first time she had let me see the screen as well. In about 20 seconds she showed us the baby on the screen quickly pointing out -- head, arms, heart, spine, feet. All in a matter of milliseconds. If I had not chimed in with questions we wouldn't have known anything. Such as -- the baby is still breech with his feet almost in my cervix (good or bad, I do not know she would not tell me.) Also, that I am measuring just shy of 33 weeks and that he is already 4 pounds 8 ounces!!

I suppose we will have all our questions answered next week at our weekly appointment but it was just frustrating how heartless and cold the U/S technician was. If it was not one mile away and one of the few places that accepts our insurance I would switch!

But I am thrilled that Baby J is doing well and getting so big (even though you can't tell by the looks of the U/S picture.) We are probably going to have to do another U/S in two weeks just because the baby is breech and at that point we might have to schedule a C-Section just to be on the safe side. But I will update you all next week after our doctor's appointment.

We have a busy weekend ahead -- tomorrow we have a tour of the Labor and Delivery Unit at Virtua Vorhees Hosptital and Sunday is a NJ friends and family baby shower that my mom and Mrs. Spence are throwing for me. Our two friends from North Jersey are coming down -- Rachel and Jamie (Baby J's Godfather!) J and Jamie will go to the Eagles game while the girls 'gooo' and 'gaa' over adorable baby bibs and clothes all afternoon!

I will update on Monday with pics of the babies room :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Surprise Baby Shower!

I am truly blessed with some of the best friends and sister that anyone could ask for (that includes both MD & NJ!!) This past weekend I went down to visit my sister in MD with nothing planned for the day other than brunch with Julie, Mandy & J. A month ago Jul gave us a specific day to come and visit and I might have been a bit suspicious then I was thrown off from that point on!

We went out to breakfast at Baltimore's only diner (which I LOVE) and had to leave by 12:30 because Mandy had to get back to NJ to be a date for a friend's wedding later that night. She wanted me to come inside so I could see the dress for her wedding this upcoming weekend. Seeing as she always has a wedding I did not question it and went inside!

Doors open....SURPRISE!!

All of my college friends were standing there. Everything was perfect -- there was great food (even homemade Thanksgiving stuffing, complements of Brenna) and a beautiful cake that Lindsey had made!! Baby J got so many beautiful and useful things that he will need and what baby doesn't need a par of "creepers."

I do not think that all of us have been together in years, so that was better than any present or lion cake!

The beautiful cake that Lindsey handmade for BabyJ (Brenna told Lindsey the theme and that it must have an animal playing sports and Lindsey sure did listen!)

After the baby shower J is showing off the Jets onesies that Liz got for Baby J. Father/son Jets football days will be here before you know it!!

This has been a busy baby week for us. The babies room will be done TOMORROW (Friday), just in time this weekend. We have had some minor paint issues because the top half of the room is supposed to be a light sand/cream color. Let me tell you, if you have ever tried to pick out a light or neutral color for a room it is harder than you think. Most neutrals/light colors have a hint or green/yellow/pink in them!! Long story short, three time's a charm!! Our third gallon of paint is the one that went onto the wall and it looks beautiful!!

My mom and Mrs. Spence are throwing a NJ baby shower for friends and family who will all be interested in seeing the babies room!! And for those that can't see it yet, I will be posting pictures on Monday for you all to see.

We have an U/S this afternoon at 2pm, which I will be demanding new pictures so expect another post sometime this afternoon. Can't wait to see him on the big screen :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

New Doctor

What week are we up to?? I can never catch up enough before a new week begins. Going by my old doctor I would be at 32 weeks but EVERY EVERY online calculator I check says I am 33 weeks. No one ever said pregnancy was an exact science so I'd say I have about 40-45days left!!

Yesterday we went to our first appointment with our new doctor in Voorhees, NJ. We were used to a one doctor practice and this office has a main waiting room where we check in and then are told whether to go to Waiting Room A-B or Waiting Room C-D. There are over ten doctors and 5-6 nurses/midwife's at this office. We met with one of the nurses and went over tests that needed to happen today and the rest that needed to happen in two weeks. I had blood drawn and then a RHOgam shot (because I have negative blood type -- the shot protects the baby.) We are now scheduled a U/S next Thursday and doctor's appointments every week from there on out! This time I am demanding another printout of pictures from them! I felt a sense of relief when we left -- knowing that they are going to be there for me over the next few months!!

This weekend we are making our last trip to MD before the baby comes to visit my sister and some good friends in Baltimore. I know I keep saying this, but I will post pictures after this weekend!


Love,
Dada & Mama J

The Happiest Baby on the Block Class!

That is what we are going to have!! Especially after we took our first class last night entitled, Happiest Baby on the Block. This is the only actual baby class we signed up for -- the others are childbirth prep, CPR and a hospital tour.

So the philosophy behind this class is based on the actual book 'Happiest Baby on the Block.' Dr. Karp, a pediatrician in Santa Monica, Calif., and assistant professor at the School of Medicine, UCLA, offers a new method to calm and soothe crying infants. While nursing or being held satisfies some babies, others seemingly cry for hours for no reason. These babies suffer from what Karp calls the Fourth Trimester. When you bring your soft, dimpled newborn home from the hospital, you may think your nursery is a peaceful sanctuary.... To him, it's a disorienting world part Las Vegas casino, part dark closet! Karp recommends a series of five steps designed to imitate the uterus. These steps include swaddling, side/stomach position, shhh sounds, swinging and sucking.

During the class we learned the five techniques but the one that was the most over the top was the 'shhh sounds.' Doctor's and nurses all swear that if you have a crying baby and you hold them on their side and you 'shhhhhh' as LOUD as they are crying into there ear that they will be calmed. Imagine how ridiculous that sounds and if you need to see what it actually looks like here is a link to his website.

http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/

On this site is a video that automatically loads and if you watch for about 15 seconds you will see him using the 'shhhh' method. J is the most excited to try this because he has said that he always wants to cry as loud as the baby is crying...well this is his chance!! I guess he will have to tell you in about two months if this actually works.

The instructor brought in baby dolls for us to practice swaddling on. For those who do not know what it is, it's a way to tightly wrap your baby and let me tell you there is an art to it!! I am not going to explain how to swaddle the baby so I have added a picture so you can all get an accurate image of how it is done! When J was done swaddling his baby doll, the instructor walked over to him and exclaimed 'PERFECT!!' To me the baby looked like he was going to be choked by this blanket or thrown as a pass in a football game and not as something that would soothe him.

By the end of the class I was rather impressed with everything I was able to learn -- I just hope she wasn't feeding us an hour and a half of BS and this actually comes in handy!! Our next class is in October and it is a tour of the L&D floor at Virtua Hospital -- where we will be delivering him!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

The BIG Move & 30 Weeks!

The move from Hoboken to West Deptford was this past weekend and it did go smoother than I had originally thought. Moving out of any city is difficult for a number of reasons -- spending 40 minutes in traffic to get the UHaul when Point A to Point B is only 2.3 miles, contending with oncoming traffic on every trip to the UHaul, no street parking regulations, accidents that block off the one way street in which your apartment is on making it tricky!! But we had great help from Jamie when it came to moving boxes since I was ONLY in charge of safety and supervision!! :) We made it to WD by 6PM and we were unpacked by 8:30PM and sitting down for dinner at Uno's by 9PM.

This week has been quite busy, since it is my first official week back in WD.

Here was my BabyJ ToDo List:
* Find new doctor, get my old records down to him, convince them I am more important than there other patients so I can get an appt. this week or next.
*Find hospital to deliver at!!
*Schedule classes such as -- CPR, Childbirth Prep, Hospital L&D Tour and some sort of parenting class (since I do not think J has ever held a child!!)
*Fight with insurance company for a number of different reasons!!
*Finish his scrapbook that I am making for him
*Supervise painting/carpet installation for two bedrooms
*START first baby class tomorrow night (Wednesday) :)

With the new doctor I do not have an appt. until next week and they came highly recommended from a friend so I am hoping that I like them. If not, there is not much I can do about it, since I am almost 8 months along -- other than get a new OB/GYN for the next one. HA!

It doesn't seem like a lot but I am new to this whole 'mom' thing so there might be a learning curve. The good news is that I am almost done the entire list...besides fighting with the insurance company, which I am dreading!!

I will start to post pictures of the babies room, a lot should be done by the weekend -- which makes me happy!!

Sorry no pictures this week, but if I just posted one of a cow and stuck my face on it you would see how big I am getting. Promise there will be new pictures sometime this week and expect an update after our first class :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Mini Vaca & 29 Weeks

J & I at Boston Harbor!

Whoops, this post has been finished for about a week, I just never hit publish post!! I should never be given my own column, I am a forgetful blogger!!

This past weekend we decided to take a much needed long weekend getaway to Boston!! My mom and Gerry live up there so it was a great chance to visit them and TRY to have a relaxing weekend. I say TRY because if my mom had her way she would take us on the ultimate walking tour of the city and her pace is anything but slow. We were able to relax a little bit but we did have quite a hectic schedule. We got in late Friday night in the pouring rain so we ate takeout in BED, a bed that is not six inches off the floor!! On Saturday we went to this funky breakfast spot in Cambridge and decided what to do the rest of the day because the weather was less than desirable. We ended up touring the gardens/duck park and walking down Newbury Street. Before heading to Fenway we met up with J's old high school friend Miles who lives in the city. When we got to Fenway it was not raining so we thought the game had already started so we rushed to our seats only to find that there was a rain delay. We got dinner in the stadium and waited for the game to start!! We had amazzzinnggg seats that were right in the middle of home plate and first base -- about five rows back!! The game ended up being called in the sixth inning because of rain, but the Sox won 9-1!! The night ended with a late night trip to the only breakfast establishment open -- IHOP!!

J & I at Fenway Park !

Our amazing seats!

The next day we managed to have a delicious breakfast and head on over to my Uncle Frank's store. We went through a antique fair and farmers market where we snacked on homemade cookies and water ice!! That afternoon we headed back to the hotel to watch some Sunday football and get ready for dinner with J's old friend from HS, Miles. We went to a little pub where we had excellent food (to me nowadays everything tastes excellent.) Our trip ended with a brunch date on Monday with another one of J's college friends, Chad, who lives right outside of Boston.

We were able to squeeze a lot into a mini three day vacation and now I feel like I need a week to recover from this trip. This is probably my last "lazy" week -- I will be up in Hoboken all week with J because we are moving him out of Hoboken next weekend. There will be lots to update next week after the move!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

Doctor's Updates!

This morning we finished what felt like a full week of being at the doctors office! I am happy to report that everything went great. Wednesday I got my monthly ultrasound, which I am always excited about because it is a chance to see my little man! They reassured us for a third time that it was a BOY, as if we didn't get the picture the first two times they pointed it out to us. He is getting bigger and bigger -- the ultrasound technician said I was right around 29 weeks and that he was almost 3 lbs. We left the ultrasound yesterday realizing that if anything was actually wrong we would not have been able to leave, so I was very happy!!

This morning we had two appointments, one with Dr. Weiner and one with Jamie from Lab Corp. Dr. Weiner came in and said that everything was progressing beautifully! I was experiencing no signs of pre-term labor, but just to be on the safe side we did another FFN test (determines if the baby is coming in the next two weeks.) From the ultrasound my cervix is no where near where it should be if I was about to go into labor. For all you med/nursing school kids -- it was at a 3.9 and when you go into labor it is a 0!! So the doctor is not worried, he said once I get to 35 weeks or a 5 lb. baby it would be safe to deliver. MY only concern is that the baby is breech, which would only be a concern if he is still breech at the time of delivery. It that were to happen I would have to have a C-Section (which might have to be scheduled, just to be on the safe side.) However, Baby J is such a mover and a shaker it wouldn't surprise me if he turned on his own in the next ten weeks!!

With Jamie from Lab Corp I had to do my glucose screening test, which consists of drinking a bottle of orange flavored sugar water in under a minute. This was a combination of Red Bull, Orange Fanta and pure sugar!! We had strict instructions not to go anywhere for an hour and after that she would draw my blood. We should get the results of that back sometime next week, just in time for another round of doctor's appointments and shots.

So overall, very good news from a week of doctor's appointments. Because I am going to be over 30weeks I am going to have to go in every two weeks -- so I have another appointment scheduled for September 24th. My next BIG task is to find a NEW doctor in South Jersey as well as a hospital to deliver at. I hate to leave Dr. Weiner, but I do not think I want to drive over two hours while in labor. With my luck J would be delivering on the side of the NJ Turnpike. I have great friends back home that have been helping me locate good doctors and hospitals -- now I just have to pick one of each!!

Keep you all updated, but thought you should hear the good news :)


Love,
Dada & Mama J

28 Weeks

We are cruising along now! Baby J is getting bigger and kicking much stronger. Jess gets pretty tired by the end of the day from all the movement!! It is pretty rare that we get a full night's sleep all the way through because Baby J is up and about so often. Jess says it is her body's way of getting her ready for when Baby J is waking up to eat every few hours. We have two big doctor's appointments this week to do another ultrasound and glucose test.

This weekend we were down in south Jersey for the extended weekend and everything is turned upside down. Jess' dad is tearing up the carpet, painting the walls for our room and Baby J's room, and all the furniture is in the hallway and guest rooms. I can't wait until everything is finished so that we can start decorating and organizing for Baby J!

Yesterday we went to the beach house to see if we could get a good beach day but it was too windy and chilly. Instead we had some great chicken off the grill with corn on the cob and potatoes. Jess' sister's friends were around for the holiday and we visited Jess' grannie too. Today she took us out to breakfast at the fabulous Borgata buffet which is one of Jess' favorite places to eat!

Jess and her grannie.

Me with grannie.

Jess looking pretty :)

Love,
Dada & Mama J

26 Weeks

Before going out in AC on 8/22

Sitting on the beach, getting some sun!

Myself, Mandy & Lea looking very patriotic!

Week 26 was spent saying goodbye to Florida family, cleaning out the babies room (thanks to Kelly who moved ... everything!) and spending time with college friends in Atlantic City. Despite being 26 weeks pregnant I hosted the 2nd Annual W-AC Reunion for all of my friends from Washington College. We spent a lot of time on the beach and they spent a lot of time drinking!! A little storm named Hurricane Bill came up the coast and managed to make things a little difficult for us -- flooding of ALL Beach Bars and creating quite a scene at the beach.

Regardless of Bill we all managed to have a great time and by Sunday no one was ready to go home!! I spent the next few days sleeping...realizing that my staying up until 3-4AM days were OVER for me (until November when Baby J wakes me up at all hours of the night!!)

Will post again in the next day or two...considering I am already in Week 27, just behind on blogging!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

25 Weeks

Down in Diamond Beach, NJ for a girls/husband weekend!

My photo shoot at the beach house in Diamond Beach, NJ.

I am posting early this week so I do not disappoint any of you weekly readers and while I have internet access!! Not too much has happened since I last posted about my doctor's appointment on Thursday. I had been waiting on my FFN test results (the one that I get done every two weeks that tell me whether or not I will be having Baby J in the next two weeks.) I was supposed to get them back on Friday but when I called Friday and talked to the nurse they told me they would only call if the results were POSITIVE. So in my mind, no news is good news!!!

In the next few weeks things back in South Jersey will be in full swing ... getting our room painted and re carpeted, getting Baby J's cleaned out, the TEAM SAFARI border up, room painted and carpeted. I really have to thank my father who is going to work hard in the next two weeks to get all of this done before he goes back to Rutgers Business School. I am excited to post pictures once the rooms are complete!!

The cupcakes we had at Granny Lois's 91st Birthday BBQ tonight. I only hope that Baby J can help celebrate her 92nd Birthday with the family next summer!! She is really an extraordinary woman who is youthful enough to rock the Wii!!

Love,
Dada & Mama J

24 Weeks & Doctor's Appt!!

Very blurry, but you don't need great eyes to see that I have gotten bigger!

This was taken after a very large meal at the Borgata in Atlantic City!

It has been a busy week for J so I am at fault for not posting any sooner. I would have loved to but I have been in Brigantine where my mother refuses to get the internet and you have to pray that the only unsecured network, LINKSYS, is available. If not, then we are internet-less! I have only taken Week 24 pictures on my Blackberry so they might seem a little blurry (and I am sure J will be less than thrilled for me not using one of the two very sophisticated cameras that we have to take the pictures!)

Today we spent part of the afternoon at the OB's Office in Oradell, NJ. It was an important appointment because we began our Fetal Fibronectin (FFN) testing which we have to have done every two weeks. For those who are as clueless as me at first, it is a test that tells you if you are going to deliver in the next two weeks. My doctor is concerned about pre-term labor for a number of reasons, so we have to have this test done every two weeks just to be on the safe side!! We will not get the results of the test back until tomorrow, but Dr. Weiner does not think I have anything to worry about.

Other than the FFN test it was your typical OB appointment -- friendly greeting by every receptionist and nurse in the office...peeing in a cup... seeing how much weight I have gained since the last time (7lbs!)...meeting with the doctor, listing my symptoms and hearing him tell me how great I look despite the fact that I do not glow because the hormones have turned me into a 13yr old hormonal teen with acne!... listening to Baby J's heartbeat, which makes me melt every time I listen to it ... and scheduling the next visit and the hundreds of tests that need to happen!!

This visit we spent more time with the receptionist scheduling the next plethora of tests once we were done with the appointment -- Ultrasound, more blood work, Sugar testing, RhoGAM shot... all mind you have to be scheduled for different days but can not be done until certain tests are done or the tests come back negative!! You can see how that might seem overwhelming...but 20 minutes later we had everything scheduled and we were out the door!!

Next stop immediately following the doctor's visit -- one of NJ's finest diners so I could get what I am always craving, breakfast food!!


Love,
Dada & Mama J

23 Weeks!

23 weeks and still kickin'! Everything is going well and Mama J and I have completed a rough draft of a Babies-R-Us registry. We are kind of using it as a check list of everything we are definitely going to need. Hopefully we can finish it up sometime this week.

Love for Baby J.

I wonder how big Baby J is now!

This week, Mama J got tired of always being in the spotlight so I offered to let her take a few of me. This is her awesome photography skills at work.

Hints of a small bump.

Mostly filled with ice cream.

As long as there are smiles.

Love,
Dada & Mama J