Autumn at Oak Hollow

I had my bi-weekly prenatal checkup today. Apparently I’m measuring 2 weeks ahead and the doctor wants to have another ultrasound done at my next appointment. She just wants to see how big the baby’s getting. I’d be lying if I said that didn’t interest me as well.

I am hoping to see if we can get a definite answer as to whether I’m carrying a boy or a girl. I was told at my ultrasound in July that there’s a 95% chance it’s a girl so we went with that. Unfortunately that still leaves room for error. Nathan’s family is really rooting for a girl. He has three nephews and only one niece. In a way I feel like the key player who can either score one for the home team or give one up to the other side, and trust me, the visitors don’t need to beef up their score.

Worst case scenario; I leave the appointment knowing just as much as I did before. It looks like a girl but still could be a boy. At this point I figure the baby has very little room to move and probably looks like she’s getting ready for yoga class. Her legs are more than likely crossed and blocking the view of her genitals. I may just have to wait. I hate it when that happens.

I found out that my OB is going to be on vacation the week of my due date, so she won’t deliver the baby if I’m on time or a little late. That really doesn’t bother me much because I haven’t formed a really close connection with her. I chose her a few years ago because I was sick of my other OB giving me a hard time about my weight. He was old and a man and apparently thought women shouldn’t get pregnant if they weigh over 200 lbs. Bah! What did he know?

My current doctor is a little on the heavy side and never really said much about my weight until I got pregnant. Even though I’ve already gained more than I should have, she hasn’t made an issue out of it. She was a great doctor for me, but when it became me and the baby, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was left adrift and uniformed. She said a lot of her patients are first time moms, so I guess I expected a little more time and attention. Most of the time I feel as though I’m on an assembly line. Get in, get out and schedule the next appointment.

I would probably search for another doctor if Nathan and I thought we’d have another child, but I’ll stay with this one for the time being. Once the baby’s born she’ll have her own doctor anyway. Speaking of which, the appointment last night went well. It was rather short, but we were impressed with the doctor and the office all around. They’re pretty much accessible 24/7 and are close to home, to boot. Scratch that one off the big ol’ “to do” list.

One good thing I did find out is that the baby seems to be head-down. I mentioned to the doctor that I thought she might be. I felt a nice solid kick near my rib cage last night, and when I went to bed I felt the constant beat of fetal hiccups at the opposite end. To me that’s a good sign. Hopefully the girl decides to stay in that position for the next five weeks.

So Nathan and I have an appointment to meet with a pediatrician tonight. Since the appointment is at 5:30 pm, we have to meet at the office since we both don't get out of work until 5:00. In spite of my best efforts to give him directions to the office, Nathan just wasn't able to visualize where he had to go. And he always likes to know exactly where he has to go.

"Ok, let's say we just left the Chinese buffet by Family Fare and we're at the light on the corner heading home," I say. "Instead of going straight towards home, we turn left onto Port Sheldon."

"Towards Wendy's," he says.

"No, Wendy's is to the right. You want to turn left."

"Towards Grand Valley," he says.

"No,"I sigh. "Let's try this again. You're on Port Sheldon and 28th ave heading North. You need to turn left at the light."

"Heading towards Wendy's, " he says again.

"Nooooo!" I wail. "Wendy's is to the right. You need to go the other way, the opposite way of Wendy's and Family Fare."

He's overthinking this or not thinking about it enough so I try another approach. "Do you remember where we used to take the cats to the vet?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Ok. You go that way, past the vet's office about a mile west of the light."

"Is it by where Uncle Dale used to live next to the Mobil station?" he asks.

"No, not that far. There's a sign out front. You can't miss it. It's on the left side of the street"

Finally I think he gets it and we part ways for the day. On my way to work I decide to dial him up on his cell.

"Is it past the four-way stop?" he asks.

"No, not that far. It's only about a mile past the light on Port Sheldon and 28th."

"And there's a sign?"

"Yes, there's a sign."

He's so funny. I just love him.

Well, I have 40 days (give or take) before I have this baby. I'm starting this blog with the intent of keeping friends and family updated with pics and stories. I can't gurantee the updates will be frequent once the baby is born, but right now I have time to spare, so let's get started.

I think we're about as prepared as we can be. Our day care provider is set, the nursery is finished, baby clothes are washed and we're meeting with a pediatrician tomorrow. My hospital bag is mostly packed and I've been preparing for the big day by torturing myself with hideous internet pics of actual births. Yes, there are women out there who have actually documented every moment in vivid color. Trust me, you won't be seeing that here.

Since everything's pretty much done now, my mind has been working overtime. I've been preoccupied with anxiety. I'm afraid the baby won't be healthy. If I haven't felt kicks or movement in awhile I get anxious that something's wrong. I'm worried that even though I've been told I'm having a girl I'll actually have a boy. I'll be happy with a boy, but I've been mentally prepared for a girl since my ultrasound. Besides, I don't think the red Winnie the Pooh dress I bought will look good on him next Christmas.

As for the nursery, it's appropriate for a baby, though if that baby is a boy we'll be painting the room a different color in a few short years. Anyway, here's a few pics of the work I've done to the room.



Though you can't really tell, the walls are the color of "Oyster Bisque." We were getting antsy to paint the room and wanted something neutral. I lucked out on the first try with this color. Previously the walls were pink with a flowered wallpaper border at the top. The furniture is from K-Mart. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Scoff all you want. The stuff was a pretty good buy. It's functional and goes rather nicely in the room. Plus I put it all together myself.

We started the dragonfly motif with the a bedding set we found on the net here. The tree behind the crib is actually a rub-on transfer that looks like it was painted right on the wall. It came from Tatouage Designs and is really something.




We've really gone wild with the whole dragonfly thing. I found a few things on eBay, like this ceiling fan pull...



this clock...




and this lighted mobile from Ikea since we live about 160 miles from the nearest store.




Now check out this closet. I have two showers yet to go and this kid already has more clothes than her father and I put together. She can thank her grandmother for a lot of that.



Of course I had to have a gliding rocker for those frequent feedings (the baby's, not mine). This is part of the K-Mart collection and goes perfectly with the bedding. The afghan draped over the back came from my mom. She made it when she was pregnant with me. The one draped over the crib is one she just made for the baby.




And on the other side of the room is a rocker for the little one.



This one actually doubles as a potty trainer, though you're supposed to remove the rocker legs before trying to teach the young'n to use it.

Last but not least is this cute rug we found at Meijer.


It all looks rather girly, doesn't it? I really hope that ultrasound was right.