Hairy Little Monkey

Last Friday, Mommy went into the doctor's office for her normal non-stress test. As usual, I was kicking and moving all over the place. However, they noticed a slight deceleration in my heartbeat for a quick second, so they wanted to run an extra test called a Biophysical Profile (BPP). During the BPP, they watched me on the ultrasound to measure my heartbeat, movements, and amniotic fluid levels. I had to stay on the ultrasound for the full 30 minutes - I was such a sleepy boy, all worn out from the non-stress test, that I just wasn't cooperating with the technician. She kept pushing me all around Mommy's belly to wake me up and made Mommy change positions several times...not exactly the easiest thing to do for a lady with such a big belly and so little energy!

I ended up doing well on everything except for "breathing movements", but the doctor seemed to think that was still ok. To be extra-safe, I had to go the next day for another non-stress test at the hospital, just because the doctor's office was closed on Saturday. All was well, but it still made for a couple of nerve-wracking days for Mommy!

The bright side of everything was that the ultrasound revealed a couple more things about me that no one knew yet. This ultrasound showed 3-D images, but I was still hiding most of the time, so the lady didn't get a picture of my face. They did find out that I have a full head of hair! Daddy was a baldy when he was a baby, but Mommy looked like a cute baby Sasquatch when she was born...score another point for Mommy in the Battle of the DNA!

Another fun tidbit is that I have crazy long toes! The ultrasound technician kept calling them monkey toes - said I'd be able to hang upside down from trees with them. Not sure whether those came from Daddy or if they're deeply hidden Mommy genes. They sure look a lot like the green bean toes that Mommy used to make fun of Aunt KK for having!

So now we're down to a week and a half at the most before I get here. My room and all of my gear is ready for me to arrive, and the hospital bags are 95% packed. Mommy and Daddy just need me to make it through Saturday - Daddy will be done with graduation then, and Mommy will be done with work and the wedding where she's singing with her choir group. After that, I'm free to arrive any time! Mommy's been having mild contractions a couple of times a day, so maybe that's a good sign of things to come!

6, 7, 8...

Yesterday was picture day! I had another ultrasound, so here are the pictures from it. They didn't turn out great - I had my hand in front of my face most of the time - but Mom and Dad were still excited to see my face.

Here's a profile shot - it's looking like I may have inherited the Woodling schnoz!

And here's one of my face...I kinda look like a ghost baby, but look how cute my chubby cheeks are!

At the ultrasound, they measured my head, belly, leg, and other parts to estimate my weight - 6 pounds, 6 ounces so far. The doctor said I'm at the 49th percentile - beautifully average! The ultrasound technician pointed out that I have loooooong legs. Those definitely didn't come from Mommy - guess I get her nose and daddy's legs. The ultrasound technician also noted that I definitely am a boy! No need to repaint the nursery any time soon. I also had one of my twice-weekly non-stress tests. I had the hiccups this time! It was really funny for Mom and Dad to hear on the monitor.

And the news that all of you gamblers have been waiting for...my birthday will most likely be June 7! The doctor's office scheduled Mommy to go into the hospital at 7PM on June 6th to be induced. It was a bit of a shock to the parents to realize they'd have a week less time to prepare for my arrival, but they're excited to have a target date. Mom is now scrambling to wrap things up at work, and Dad will only get a few short days to fit in his final pre-parental rounds of golf. Looks like both Mommy and Daddy will still be 29 when I'm born...at least for a few days. As Daddy calls it, "Babies having babies...those darn kids in their 20s." Dad gets to look forward to spending his 30th birthday either in the hospital with me and Mom or bringing me home for the first time. Mom is just looking forward to a pint of Guinness to celebrate her birthday.

Run for the Roses

Check this out - I was the guest of honor at another party! Because my first shower was all the way in Ohio, Aunt KK and Nana wanted to make sure that my Indiana/Kentucky family and Mommy and Daddy's Indy friends had a chance to celebrate with me too. Sorry this isn't too exciting of a picture - but you can see how big I'm getting in my mommy's belly! If anyone else has better pictures of the party, send them to my mommy!


The date they picked just happened to fall on the same day as the running of the Kentucky Derby, so I had a whole Derby-themed party. Mint Juleps, roses (you know - like the Run for the Roses), and a big sign on the front of the house. Uncle David's dog Calvin was even wearing jockey's silks, and somebody put a little T-shirt on my doggie Keno that said "Little Jockey"...Daddy was NOT very happy with his dog wearing clothes. Maybe once I come along, they'll put the cutesy outfits on me and forget about torturing poor Keno.

Of course, it couldn't be a Derby party without betting. Everybody got a chance to bet on the day and time I would be born. Once the day comes, the winner will get a special prize in the mail! Uncle David also took bets for everyone online on the actual Derby race - he had a cool green visor and everything. Of all the bets everyone made (over $100) worth, only two people won...all of about $5 worth of winnings. Guess nobody liked Big Brown.

There were lots of people crowded in our house - it was a bit chilly and very windy, so everybody pretty much stayed indoors. Papa C was nice enough to risk blowing away by grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone. The wind didn't keep Daddy and some other people away though from playing a few rounds of Ladder Golf. I also heard people calling that game Hillbilly Golf, Rack Your Balls, and Testicle Toss...I don't think I should probably call it that though - my mommy might wash my mouth out with soap.

In non-party news, I had my first non-stress test at the doctor on Monday. Mommy got to sit in a big comfy recliner and watch TV with Daddy while they recorded my heartbeat for 30 minutes. She had this little clicker to push every time I moved so they could track when my heart rate should go up. After about 15 minutes, they wanted me to move around more, so they put this buzzer thing on Mom's belly. Between the buzzing and Daddy's poking me, in the next few minutes I went a little crazy! I was jumping around all over the place - Mom pushed that clicker so much that you would think she was training for a future stint on Jeopardy!

I have an ultrasound on May 20, so I'll hopefully have pictures to share of me on the next post if I don't write before then.

Friday the 13th, Part XII: Spawn of Jason

We made another trip to the doctor yesterday and found out some interesting news about my arrival. The doctor says that, because of Mommy's gestational diabetes, they won't let me go past my due date so I don't get too big. Since my due date is on a Saturday, they'll probably induce sometime that week before. That makes the odds a bit slimmer for those of you who voted for June 14 or later! We have an ultrasound scheduled already for June 10, so Mommy, in her non-expert medical opinion, thinks they'll probably wait until after that to make a decision about when I'll be coming.

Mommy hopes they'll induce on the 11th - any later than that might mean that I'll be coming on Friday the 13th!! Then again, Nana always reminds Mommy that she was in labor with her for two days, so a 6/11 induction might take until the 13th until I'm born! I guess Daddy's name is Jason, so maybe it makes sense for me to come on Friday the 13th. Wonder if that'll make me love horror movies when I grow up? If so, I'll have to watch them on my own, since Mom and Dad and too big of wusses to watch them.

The rest of the appointment went fine. My heart rate was 132 - slightly slower than it has been, but I've been running out of room to jump around as much. That doesn't stop me from elbowing and squirming all the time though! For the first time, I did measure slightly larger. Mommy was at 32 weeks and 3 days, but I was measuring at 33 weeks. The doc said I'm still head-down, and she noticed that I like to hang out on the right side of Mommy's belly. Barack and Hillary are coming to Indiana a lot these days, so maybe I'll start moving more towards the "left" now. :-)

Mom didn't gain any weight from her last appointment to this one - she thought that was good, considering she's on the higher end of the normal weight gain range. However, the doctor told her that she should be gaining a little weight from one week to the next. I bet that's the first time a doctor has told Mommy she needs to gain more weight! Uh-oh...did I just call my mama fat? Guess she'll need to teach me a few things about manners once I get out!

Oh, and one more thing. Mom and Dad finish their last childbirth class tomorrow - I'm sure they'll be experts after that. Last week, they got to take a tour of the maternity ward. Check out these swanky digs - you can see a video by clicking on the picture.

April Showers Bring Good Times!

Last weekend, Aunt KK and Nana threw a shower just for me! OK, so Mommy was invited too. :-) Mrs. Judy hosted the shower for us at her big Victorian house in Marion, Ohio. It turned out to be kind of a fancy affair - at least fancier than Mommy's been used to...no plastic dinnerware to be found! I got to meet a lot of people for the first time through Mom's belly - family friends, plus my Great-Grandma Woodling, Great Aunt Cindy, and Great-Grandma Hornsby. The next time I see most everyone there, I'll be a real baby, livin' the high life out in the real world!

Here I am in my mom's belly with my Great Aunt Cindy and my Great-Grandma Woodling...


And with my other Great-Grandma, Nana, and Aunt Kari. Not the best picture of everyone, and you can't even see all of Great-Grandma's face, but look how pretty the chandelier is...


Here are Mommy's friends Heidi and Becky - you can see that Heidi is busy cookin' a friend for me in her belly too!


Apparently, these shower thingies mean that people bring you lots and lots of presents. I got a bunch of books, toys, baby gear, and clothes. I'll be so stylin' once I'm born. I even got a onesie that says "Chicks Dig Me". You know what they say...every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man. Aunt Kat took about a thousand pictures of Mommy opening up gifts, but here's just one.



Mommy is continuing to stick to her diet and her numbers are looking pretty good. Just to be safe, the doctor wants her to start coming twice a week for non-stress tests in May. She'll also have two more ultrasounds to make sure everything is normal with me and I'm not getting too big. Can't wait to mug for the cameras again. The next ultrasound is May 20, so that gives me plenty of time to work up a dance routine...5, 6, 7, 8!! Even though she'll be spending lots of time in the doctor's office, Mommy is relieved they'll be keeping a close eye on me - plus she's so excited to see my face a couple more times before I'm born!

Long-Winded Baby

Sorry this post is a long one...for being only a week since I last posted, a lot of stuff has happened! Thankfully it's lots of little stuff - no major events like I've had in the last few weeks.

Mom's feeling a bit better about her Gestational Diabetes now that she met with a dietitian. Turns out that she doesn't have to live entirely off of celery and tofu like she thought she might! If I muster up enough ESP, I might be even able to create a craving that convinces her to splurge on a McDonald's cheeseburger every once in a awhile. She's still getting used to pricking her finger four times a day, but it's okay because I don't feel a thing...just the occasional jolt when Mommy jumps a bit.

Mommy and Daddy also went to their first childbirth class. They must be easing the squeamish fathers into it, because we didn't watch "the video" that everyone's been talking about. That'll be next week, so Daddy's getting his anti-nausea medicine ready! The parents had a little ice breaker with the other parents in the class, and it turns out that my Mom and Dad are pretty ahead of the game! They're just about the only ones to have found both a pediatrician and day care already. Even when it's just childbirth class, those two just HAVE to be the
star students, don't they? ;-)

Speaking of being prepared, my room is getting much closer to being ready! Daddy worked hard throughout his whole spring break putting together the dresser and crib and putting up blinds. Grandpa Ronald even came over with his noisy saw and helped Daddy put up the chair rail. He also brought over some cool Colts posters, so Mommy and Daddy's next task is to find frames for all the pictures to put on my walls. I can't wait to spend some time in my new room...Keno Pup is already enjoying it - see?


My Aunt Ashley and Grandpa and Granny Kahl came to visit last weekend. I played some fun tricks on Aunt Ashley, just like I do with Daddy sometimes. Mommy would tell Aunt Ashley to put her hand on one side of her belly, so I'd kick on the other side instead. It's ok though - by the end of the weekend, Aunt Ashley got to feel me kick a lot - we're good buddies now! I bet she'll be taking me to Jonas Brothers concerts and performances of High School Musical in no time!

Mommy's coworkers in Indy hosted a surprise shower for us at work last week. What a great way to spend a Monday morning! They had all kinds of treats for breakfast - don't worry though, Mommy only nibbled one tiny half-bite of Roost coffee cake. I got all kinds of fun gifts to fill my new dresser, and Mommy got some pretty tulips. She was so touched at all of the thought her fellow Schwabbies put into it!

Next time I'll post about my shower that'll be in Marion next weekend. My mommy is so excited! Check out the sign that Mrs. Judy already has out for it - I'm world famous!

No mo' Peeps for the Mama

Well, I'm starting to think that maybe my lucky streak is coming to an end. So, you all saw the last post about our accident (thanks so much to those of you who sent your concerns and well wishes!). Since then, the doctor called and said Mommy failed the first round glucose test and also that she was anemic...she's still waiting for Daddy to take her to Ruth's Chris for a big ol' steak, since red meat is supposed to help that.

Because her 1-hour glucose test didn't go so well, Mom had to go back to the doctor's office on Tuesday for a 3-hour long test. They drew her blood four different times. With the tests from last week, she has six holes in her arms! She wore longer sleeves yesterday so people didn't think she'd been shooting up or anything.

So, anyway, she just got the results back today, and she officially has Gestational Diabetes. It only affects 4% of pregnant women. That means she had a 96% chance of NOT getting it...but she still did. She's supposed to meet with a diabetes counselor hopefully soon, so she'll know more about what this means after that. From everything she's read, she'll need to test her blood 4 times a day (more holes?!?) and eat a strict diet. So, I guess that means the days of stealing tastes of ice cream and cake that Mommy eats are over for me for awhile. When is it again that I'm allowed to eat solid foods? Broccoli and spinach, here I come...guess it's worth it if it means I'm healthy and not a chunkster when I'm born.

In other news, our weekend was full of family and basketball. Daddy enjoyed yet another successful year of "Man Holiday Friday" during the NCAA tournament. Man Holiday basically consists of him sitting around in a testosterone-filled B-Dubs, drinking beer, eating wings, watching basketball, and generally being obnoxious with other guys doing the same thing. Can't wait until I get to go - wonder when it'll be? Suppose I need to grow teeth first to eat the wings at least.

Nana, Papa, Aunt KK, Grandma Misty, Grandpa Ronald, Uncle David, and Aunt Hilary also came to visit for Easter. The Easter Bunny brought me a rocking horse and a basketball-shaped Easter basket. Luckily, we were able to turn off the basketball for a little while to eat a scrumptious feast (and what I now know to be my last taste of cheesecake for awhile). I love having my family here to take of me and my Mommy!