Dax's Journal

Dreams

Baby Center says that our little one weighs about two pounds and could be up to 15 inches long already. His eyes open and close and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and may be sucking his thumb.

It also says that some experts believe that babies begin to dream by the 28th week. How they know this is a huge mystery to me. And what would an unborn baby dream about, anyway? I'm not just saying this in passing. I really want to know. I've whiled away quite a bit of time wondering about it.

Speaking of dreams, mine have gotten extraordinarily vivid. I love going to sleep at night because I can't wait to see what sort of bizarre storylines my pregnant brain will come up with. I can tell you that this is one of the things about pregnancy that I will miss.

Baby Center also points out that my uterus is now up near my rib cage. Because of this, I may now find yourself short of breath. This is true. I noticed it while walking with Cat. This "out of breath" is entirely different from asthma "out of breath". I just hope to never combine the two.

They also say that starting now, and continuing through the last three months of pregnancy, I may be plagued by leg cramps, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and an itchy abdomen. The third trimester sounds like oodles of fun! Is this nature's way of preparing you for labor and birth...making you so miserable that you actually welcome the worst pain of your life just to end the suffering? ;)

Next week, I start keeping track of the baby's movement. In preparation, I've been trying to identify his "busy times". I've not yet caught on to his schedule but I've got another week to figure it out.

Last week, I had my glucose screening. This is a standard screening they do to identify women who may have developed gestational diabetes. Up until now, I've been a model student, passing all my tests with flying colors. Not this one. I failed the screening. This doesn't mean that I have gestational diabetes. Only about 1/3 of women who fail the screening end up diagnosed with GD. Between 2% and 7% of expectant mom's develop it which makes it "one of the most common health problems during pregnancy" (again, according to Baby Center).

Because I failed the screening, I now have to go through a lengthier test. This one involves fasting for a short time prior to the test, drinking the yucky glucose drink, and having my blood drawn four more times. Fortunately, they aren't going to make me do this in the lab. I actually get to do it at the doctor's office. At least I won't need to worry about any twitchy phlebotomists this time.

26 Weeks (and then some)

I'm a bit late in posting for week 26. Time is flying by.

So, Baby Center has this to say about week 26:

"Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in his ears are developing, which means his response to sounds is growing more consistent. His lungs are developing now, too, as he continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when he's born and takes that first breath of air."

It also says that, around this time, my blood pressure may be going up. It was supposed to be at a low from 22 to 24 weeks. So far, it hasn't changed.

I had an appointment today and everything is going great. My blood pressure is good, I was told that I'm doing very well with my weight gain (not often you hear THAT statement), and the baby is right on track for growth. I didn't realize this, but I was told that I'm now in my third trimester.

I had to have blood drawn today to check for anemia and gestational diabetes. When I got to the lab, the woman who was going to take my blood had a serious twitch. Not to discriminate against the twitchy, but is "phlebotomist" really the best career choice if your hands shake uncontrollably? When I asked if I could have my blood drawn in the back (it the comfy reclining chair) she said, "What are you, a fainter or something?" I refrained from replying with, "What are you, a heroin addict or something?" because my parents taught me manners.

I did get to go to the back which meant that I didn't have to have Twitchy take my blood. Unfortunately, I got stuck with "Slacker" who informed me that she was feeling too lazy to find a vein and that she was just going to use the back of my hand. To top off my excellent experience, I proved Twitchy right and fainted.

Tonight we went to a carseat safety class. It was very informative but I could have done without the video from 1979 showing eerily lifelike child crash test dummies whose crash test mommies failed to properly restrain them. As part of the class, we got a car seat. I promise you, you have never seen two people more excited and happy about a car seat as we were. It is so obvious that this is our first kid.

In other news...Johannah sent me a big box of clothes for the baby and a little carrier. We also got an adorable outfit for the baby from Melany and Chris and a fat gift certificate from them and from Janet and Erik and their spouses. We painted the nursery and Cat put together the crib. AND my parents are going to be visiting us in June.

Like I said, time is flying by.

Barbers and Interpretations

My dad cut hair for the community. He was the guy you went to when you needed a haircut. That's what I remember when I was 4 or 5 years old.
As time passed, my dad stopped cutting everyone's hair because a lot of his friends were pretty much dying, to put it bluntly.

Anyways, my dad cut my hair for the first time back then. I remember crying. At least I think I remember crying, my mom said that I cried. Apparently, I thought it was a very bad hair cut.

I don't know if it was the process of getting the haircut, or the actual haircut style that made me cry. But for the sake of this entry, let's say it was because of the style. Currently, I have to get a haircut about once a month because my hair grows out real fast. And the tradition of bad hair cuts follows me everywhere.

When we first moved to West Sac, I found a barber shop that was pretty laid back. The majority of the barbers were hispanic, and I consider that a plus. Not that I have anything against the caucasian barber, it's just that, based on experience, they have a tough time cutting my Pacific Islander hair because of it's unruly nature. And even though we've moved to Elk Grove, which is about 20-25 minutes away from West Sac, I still go to this same barbershop for my monthly haircut.

The funny thing is, although I go to the same barber shop, I don't necessarily stick with the same barber. I'd say about 6 different guys have cut my hair there, but each one has cut my hair at least 3 times each. I tried sticking to the same guy, but sometimes he had the day off when I showed up. Not that it would help. Each time a barber asks me how I would like my haircut, my response is: "Use a number one on the sides, blend it in real close, short enough on top so it doesn't stick up." And each time it gets cut, it's different. Even if the guy has already cut my hair 5 times. According to Michelle's reaction when I get home from the barber, I think 9 out of every 10 haircuts are bad.

On Monday, I showed up at the house with my brand new haircut. Michelle said "it's a mohawk." I don't think it's a mohawk, but some people may interpret it as such.

I mentioned something about how when Embry grows up, I'll be taking him to the barber. And then I mentioned how Embry will be showing up with "bad" haircuts as I do.

That's when Michelle took the initiative of cutting Embry's hair on her own when he gets older. I can't say just yet if it will be worth the $12 we'll save for each haircut, but I can't wait for Embry's reaction after that first haircut. I think he's gonna cry his little head off...

Neurocysticercosis and Walkers

The prospect of taking care of Embry reminded me of a conversation I had
with my neighbor several years ago about taking care of parents. It first
came about after he had asked me if I was ever planning on having kids. He
said that it would be nice to have kids, that way I could have someone take
care of me when I got older.

As I was growing up, I was thinking that I wouldn’t even begin to start
taking care of my parents until I was in my 40’s or 50’s. That all changed
in 1992 after my mom was diagnosed with Neurocysticercosis. Cysticercosis is
basically a parasitic disease that can be dormant for years before it starts
to cause problems. After researching this disease, I surmised that my mom
got it after eating undercooked pork when she was living in the Philippines.
I’d venture to say that it was dormant for a good 35 plus years before
the symptoms started showing.

In my mom’s case, the cysticercosis affected her brain where it eventually
led to hydrocephalus (swelling of the brain). As a result, Mom gradually
lost control of her motor functions and had, to put it simply, a stroke. The
doctors helped my mom by placing a shunt inside her head so that it would
drain the fluid from the cysts, into a pipe, and into the abdomen area. It
sounded simple enough, but apparently my mom’s system kept rejecting the
shunt. She had to go through 6 or 7 (I lost count after 3) major brain
surgeries before the right configuration was found. Finally, after 4 months
in the hospital, she was able to go home. Thus began the “taking care of the
parent(s)”. I had put my life on hold; I quit my job and school to take care
of mom. She got back up to speed pretty quickly and was able to walk around
with a cane. 6 months later, she had a relapse, and had to go back for
surgery again.

This time, the shunt the doctors put in, worked (and has for the past 11 years). But mom never completely got her motor functions back and to this day uses a walker.

My dad was around to help with my mother until 2000, when he passed away. By then I was out of the house and the onus of taking care of my mom was pretty much placed on my sister since she lived closer to Hollister. My sister is a
saint and I don’t even know how I can even start to repay her for all of the
years she’s had to deal with my mom.

It’s because of this that I’m different from most other guys. Most guys just
have a mom/wife to deal with; with me, it’s a mom/wife/sister scenario.

My neighbor said it all occurs in phases. First you take of your babies and
then you take care of your parents. I wish it were as simple as that.

Bikes and Doctors

So for the past few months, I've been going mountain biking with the guys as much as I can. It was Michelle's idea. The logic was, once Embry is born, there would be less time to do anymore bike riding, so I had better enjoy it while I can. But after visiting my doctor a couple of weeks ago, we now think otherwise.

My current doctor is cool. He actually talks to people. He's not one of those fast-food doctors that I had grown accustomed to. We were talking about my mountain biking when the subject of pending Embry came up, so I started to lament the fact that my bike-riding regime would decline. Being that my doctor is a road biker, he knew where I was coming from. (He's also had three kids, the youngest being three.) He suggested coming up with a plan, where each spouse picks one or two days of the week as their "Personal Day." When he had his first baby, his wife picked Thursdays and some other day to go out with the girls , and he picked Mondays and Wednesdays to go road biking with the guys. It worked out fine for them, so why wouldn't it work for Michelle and I? He also threw out the name of a place where we could pick up a nice used jogging stroller.

Speaking of planning, Michelle and I talked to our neighbor, Kenny, who has two little boys. Michelle was interested in having Embry be on a sleep schedule since she would have to be going back to work after a few months. Kenny mentioned that he had his youngest on a sleep schedule by his third month. The key was to stick to the plan: same time, everyday, no matter what. His little baby now sleeps consistently from 8:30 pm to 5:30 am. Kenny also suggested that the bed area and nap area be two distinctly different places.

It’s nice to see that there’s this theme. A couple people at Michelle’s work have mentioned The Plan. A few people at my work have asked about The Plan. It’s a good thing I have Michelle as the long-term planner, since I tend to be the spontaneous one. I know that things can and will happen that will affect our days ahead, but as long as we have something in place to cover us and we have something to fall back on, it’ll make bringing up Embry easier to handle.

25 Weeks

According to Baby Center, our little one is about 13.5 inches and about a pound and a half by now. I read somewhere (I can't remember where) that we can start trying to interact with our little one this week. Supposedly, if I poke back when he kicks me, he may respond to that. He may also turn his head to follow a light if we shine one on my belly.

We painted the nursery this weekend. Actually, Cat is still in there finishing up as I type this. Once we get it all put together, we'll post some pictures. I'm really happy with how it looks.

Last week I hired the consultant who will backfill for me when I'm out. He starts tomorrow. We wanted him to start early so we can be sure he is up to speed on everything before I go. I'm hoping to work up until at least two weeks before the baby is due, but I want all my transition work to be done before then because it is hard to tell when I'll have to go out. We can also use the extra help now because we are trying to finish up a HUGE project by July. That poor guy has no idea what he is in for!

Mother's Day

I was definitely not expecting to get anything for Mother's Day. So when Cat came home from Hollister and told me I was wanted in the living room, I was quite surprised to see the gift bag sitting on the coffee table.

But there it was. And do you know how I reacted? I cried. Right away. I was just so touched that he got me a Mother's Day gift. Then I cried harder when I read the card. And harder, still, when I opened the gift.

Did you know I cry a lot now that I'm pregnant? I mean, a lot more than normal (which was already a bit much).

So here is my "Very First Ever Mother's Day" gift. It's called "Guardian Angel".

24 Weeks

24 weeks? My how the time is flying by. It seems like I was just celebrating being at the halfway point only a few days ago.

Now that everyone knows the baby is a boy, the gifts are flooding in. My mom has already sent some clothes and a bunch of things we registered for. (Thanks mom!) We bought a crib and picked out the paint for the nursery.

The baby is getting bigger and bigger. I can feel him moving a lot. Cat still can't feel it on the outside but hopefully he will be able to soon.

We've been playing music for him and Cat has been reading to him. The reading is an added benefit for me because I, too, enjoy a bedtime story.

I made a big decision last week regarding my little parakeet that we've had since we moved to West Sacramento. He was getting so neglected and I knew it would only be worse for him when the baby comes. So I asked my friend Cassandra if her kids could adopt him. She said yes and they picked him up today. I was very sad to see him go but he and the kids seemed very happy together. I'm sure they will take excellent care of him and give him all the attention and love that he needs. And I'll be able to visit him whenever I like.

Still...it is very quiet here without him. Fortunately, it won't be long before the house if filled with baby noises. :)

23 Weeks

Our baby now likely weighs a bit more than a pound and is about 14 inches from head to toe. His hearing is well established and he should be able to hear my voice, my heartbeat, and my rumbly tummy.

I read today that the unborn prefer classical music. This is sort of amusing to me? How do they know what the unborn prefer? For example, the other day a Beastie Boy song came on the radio and the baby started kicking. Does this mean he likes the Beastie Boys or hates them? Let's hope it means he hates them.

Speaking of kicking....those movements are all becoming more and more pronounced every day. I wish I had a porthole in my belly so I could see what the heck he's doing in there.

Cat just came into the room with some classical music so we can test out the theory that "the unborn prefer classical". I'm going to kick up my feet now and listen to "Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition". I'll let you know if our son seems to like it more than the Beastie Boys.

Registry

We've registered at a few places. To look at our lists, you can put in either a name or my Comcast e-mail address.

Target

Babies R Us

One Step Ahead

I'm amazed at how much stuff a baby needs. Thank goodness most stores provide you with a list of recommendations because we would have been lost without that.

Who am I kidding? We were still lost.