Week 34 - Christmas!

By Marnie:
Merry Christmas from the Overmans! I realize I'm writing this the day after Christmas, but since it's still the weekend, our tree is still up and we're continuing to enjoy the holiday, I thought it was appropriate.

I'm still feeling good and Baby Ov is as active as ever. As of my last doctor's appointment, she's head down, all ready to come on out. She moves so much though I swear there is no way she's staying head down, but I've been assured that babies rarely come out of that position this late in the game. We continue to work through what's now a dwindling to-do list of things to get done before the baby. I officially have every last possible item washed and ready for her. We still have a few little things to buy but if she came tomorrow (and we sure hope she doesn't - it's too early!!), we'd be able to get by with what we have.

Since I don't have much to update on regarding Baby Ov, I thought I'd just share a few pictures of our Christmas in LA.

This was the first year that Mike and I spent Christmas in Los Angeles. It was a little too close to Baby Ov's due date to make holiday travel plans so we spent the day celebrating with just our little family. Below is a picture of our tree - our place is small so we have a skinny tree which doesn't take up a lot of room. Notice the presents under the tree. This is the first year we've actually had presents under our tree. We've never exchanged gifts with each other and all of our other gifts were always shipped back to the Midwest so under our tree has always been bare. I loved having it filled with gifts this year although Stella (who likes to nap under the tree on the tree skirt) wasn't a big fan!

Stella got Mike and I obnoxious Christmas themed jammies to wear on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Below is a pic of the three of us, all decked out in our Christmas duds. We're posed in front of my favorite gift from Mike. The photo is one he took of a well known 30's era bar next to the Pantages Theater. For the past few years, Mike and I have had season tickets to the Pantages and would stop in here before shows. I love their sign and about a month ago, Mike went and took some pictures around LA. He surprised me and had this one framed as a gift for Christmas. I couldn't love it more!


After opening our gifts, we made a smaller version of a Christmas feast. So much good food! We enjoyed leftovers today and I'm guessing we'll continue to enjoy them throughout the coming week.

We had a great day spending time together. We talked a lot about what traditions we'd like to start with Baby Ov and how much fun it will be to wake up with her on Christmas morning and see her excitement.

It was definitely a different Christmas for us being in sunny Los Angeles and not being with our families, but after four Christmases together, it was nice to celebrate it as our own little family. Although it is our last Christmas as a family of two (3 with Stella), it actually felt like our first Christmas.

Week 33 - 4 Years Ago Today...

By Marnie:
Four years ago today, Mike and I went on our first date. Tonight we went on a tour at the hospital where we’re going to have our baby. If you had told us on that first date that this is what we would be doing four years from then, I think we both would have laughed (and maybe been a little creeped out). I’m so glad that first date turned into many more dates. our marriage, and now our Baby Girl on her way in just 7 weeks!

We had a doctor’s appointment last week with another ultrasound. She’s getting bigger so they can’t get a good shot of her whole body in at once, but we saw lots of pictures of her face, hands and feet. Everything is looking good. The technician commented on her really long second toe - Mike has a crazy long second toe while mine is short and stubby. It looks like she has Mike’s feet! She also commented that she has hair! I don’t know why, but I have been envisioning a very bald baby - I guess I was wrong! Here are a few pictures - one is a profile of her face and her hand it waving (she really likes to wave!) and the other is a view looking directly at her face/up her nose. You can see she was yawning and sticking out her tongue. We think it’s the darn cutest thing we’ve ever seen!

The window for our crib delivery came and went with no crib. I was finally given a straight answer from the manager at the store where we ordered it from and it’s now looking like it won’t even ship from New Jersey (where the manufacturer is) until sometime in January, probably late January. We happened to order a very new crib for this crib maker which is why it took so long to make. It will be at the New Jersey location later this month but then our retailer has to justify the shipment so they wait until they have enough other items to ship which they’re guessing will be late January. I guess none of them understand that pregnancy is generally a 40 week endeavor and I don’t know too many people who run out and order a crib the day they find out they’re expecting. We ordered that thing not long after we told our friends and family that we were pregnant and even at that date, I felt a little weird ordering a crib. I wasn’t even showing yet! Oh well, it is what it is. We’re getting free delivery and set up out of the deal. Our baby girl might be sleeping in a dresser drawer for a bit, but I’m guessing she won’t know or care! =)

I just reread my last few sentences in that story about the crib and realize that it sounds like I’m completely fine with this delay. I will say that is certainly not the case. When the manager of the store finally told me that it would be late January or early February before we have our crib, my eyes welled up with tears and I started crying right there on the phone talking to this poor woman. My post last week was about how I haven’t really experienced some of the typical pregnancy symptoms, but one that I’ve had pretty strongly from the start is nesting. Within a few days of finding out we were going to be parents, I printed a calendar and wrote on it how many weeks until our due date. On each weekend, I had projects we had to finish around the house before baby came. Pretty clearly marked on last weekend was “D-Day for baby’s room being done.” It’s difficult for me that that goal is not done. I really hate walking upstairs, seeing her room and not seeing a crib.

My need to nest is helping in other ways. I’ve been making and freezing food so that we can actually eat without a lot of effort after the baby’s born. I started last week and made a casserole, then made lasagna last night. I’m hoping to have a decent stock pile of food ready to make our first few weeks a bit easier. I also washed all of her clothes and blankets. It was so much fun folding up all those little onesies and other cute outfits!!

We hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Week 32 - We're fully trained parents!

By Marnie:

Week 32 and I feel great. We finished the second and final day of baby class yesterday. We feel informed and prepared on a lot more baby related subjects than we did just a few weeks ago. We both enjoyed the classes a lot more than we thought we would. There were many other much more clueless parents to be than us in the class which in a sad way, made us feel even better about what’s to come. One of my favorite examples was the dad-to-be asking about if their baby didn’t seem to be getting enough milk and wasn’t gaining much weight at first, would it be okay to give him “another milk like substance, like gravy.” Whew, we at least won’t be feeding our newborn gravy! At this point, we’re stellar parents!

We took a quick picture this morning – this is how I’m looking these days.

I realize I still have a month and a half to two months left of this pregnancy but I thought I’d comment on some of my expectations of pregnancy (or what people told me it would be like) vs. my reality. Overall, I feel pretty lucky that I haven’t had any of the more unpleasant side effects of pregnancy although I know that the next 8 weeks could bring on lots more of the “fun” stuff!

Nausea – I know that the level of nausea varies a lot from woman to woman and I certainly didn’t feel wonderful during my first trimester, but I was never super sick which I’m ultra grateful for!!

Emotions – I’m not saying that I haven’t been emotional at all, but I haven’t been as emotional as I expected to be. You can ask Mike, though. He may have a different opinion on this one. =)

Cravings – I was really looking forward to this one and unfortunately, no cravings for me. I did have some comfort foods that I turned to during the first trimester when I didn’t feel so great, but they weren’t really cravings. I thought it would be fun to send Mike out for late minute grocery store runs to pick up some random food combination for me. He lucked out on this one.

Getting Huge – Don’t get me wrong, my belly is definitely getting huge but I also had some expectations of a few other things a bit north of the belly getting bigger. Sadly, I have not had this experience. Argh!

Tiredness – So far, I haven’t felt overly tired. I did have days during the first trimester where I was pretty tired, but I was also serving as a juror on a murder trial during a lot of that time. I think getting up early every day, taking a train downtown, sitting on the jury, taking the train home and then catching up on work in the evening did more to make me tired than pregnancy actually did. I haven’t gotten the wave of tiredness during this last semester yet either. That’s a very good thing –I have way too much to get done over the next 8 weeks to allow myself nap time!

Heartburn – I had some heartburn before I was ever pregnant and it’s increased a bit over the last month or so but nothing terrible. I haven’t invested in Tums yet.

Sleep Issues – I’ve had moments of sleeplessness which have mostly coincided with other stresses going on with life or work so I don’t feel like I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights due to pregnancy. I certainly hope this continues!

Ladies room visit frequency – This is one where I absolutely have experienced what I expected. The bathroom is my new best friend and it’s getting annoying.

All in all, there are many things about pregnancy that haven’t gone like I thought they would or like everyone told me it would. In general, my personality is such that if anyone ever tells me how I’m going to feel or how something will be for me, my internal reaction is something along the lines of “you don’t know me, you don’t know this will be for me, please don’t tell me how I’m going to feel.” I guess I'm a bit defiant. My body must be keeping in line with how my mind typically works…

Here's to the last 8 weeks going as smoothly as the first 32!

Week 31 - T Minus 2 Months!

By Marnie:
Our official due date is exactly two months from today. Wow, has time flown by! I'm sure the next two months will go by even more quickly than the last two. I went into this pregnancy with a grand plan that I would be going into the last two months nearly 100% ready and prepared both at home and at work. Let's just say that plan hasn't quite panned out. It's going to be a crazy whirlwind and I hope that Baby Ov cooperates as well as she has up to this point!

We spent all last Saturday at baby class. We were excited and dreading it all at the same time. First off, spending eight and a half hours in a class on a Saturday wasn't overly thrilling. Second, I was worried that learning more of the details of the birth process would start to freak me out. Thankfully, it was a great day and it didn't put me over the edge. I've been unstereotypically calm and not worried about the birth and was sure that getting into the nitty gritty during class would snap me out of that. It certainly didn't, at least for now! We are both excited and feel more prepared for the arrival of Baby Ov. Next week's class covers infant CPR, care for baby, breastfeeding, and generally caring for baby after the birth. We'll apparently be confident parents in less than a week's time...

I apologize for this fairly uneventful post. Everything here is pretty status quo. I'm still feeling great. The crib has yet to make it's arrival. We're chugging along, getting excited and doing what we can to get our ducks in a row.

Week 30 - Going Strong!

By Marnie:
We're now at Week 30 - Baby Ov is apparently around 3+ pounds and will grow around a half a pound each week from here on out. Woah. She has been particularly active over this past week - she must love turkey and pumpkin pie!! There have been days where I've felt like she hasn't stopped moving for even a minute all day. I was slightly worried that maybe we'll have a non-sleeper on our hands, but the baby blogs I read have all said that pre-birth activity patterns aren't necessarily indicative of post-birth activity and sleeping patterns. Whew!

The test I mentioned in last week's blog came out a-ok. I figured it would and wasn't really worried, but would have been pretty bummed out if I had to go back for the 3 hour glucose test. Yuck!

We got lots of adorable clothes for Baby Ov at the showers in Minnesota and my boss was wonderful enough to ship them to me. They were delivered yesterday and Mike and I had a great time looking at all the cute little outfits our gal will be wearing. Here is a pic of them spread out on the (soon to be departing) bed in the baby's room.


I spent some time separating out all the clothes we have so far into ages and storing everything over 3 months in bins in the baby's closet. It was so strange packing away outfits for 12+ months and thinking about Baby Ov wearing them in well over a year!

I also worked on a few art projects for the baby's room this past week. We have a painting I did of our dog Stella a few years ago already hanging in the room so I decided to do a few more with other animals. I finished them on Friday and Mike hung them tonight. Here is a pic of them, prior to being hung on the wall.


We're starting our birth/baby class next Saturday. We chose the two full Saturday option as opposed to 5-6 weeknights. It sounded like the obvious choice at the time, but now that it's here, I'm not all that excited about sitting in a class from 9-5:30! I'm excited to go, though and hope we learn lots!

Still no news on the crib. Those jokers have two more weeks to call us and say that it's in before their quoted timeframe is up. I'm quite anxious for it to come in and had such high hopes it would be here before Thanksgiving or at least some time this weekend. Here's to the hope that by the next time you read this blog, I'll have a picture of Baby Ov's crib in her room!!

Week 29 - We're Rounding Third!

By Marnie:
So we're at Week 29 which means we're officially in the third trimester. I don't really understand how they figure the breakdown of the weeks, months and trimesters. They seem a bit off to me when you think about the fact that I have less than three months left to go and am just now starting the third trimester, but oh well!

It's been a very busy last couple of weeks so I apologize for no updates. We're all still doing well. I'm definitely feeling more pregnant now but continue to feel great. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday afternoon and took the glucose test (drank the sugary orange drink, waited and hour, then had my blood drawn). They didn't call me which either means I'm in the clear or they don't have the results back yet. I'm really hoping I don't have to go back and do the more extensive test which sounds like no fun at all! I also got a shot of Rhogam which helps to make sure my blood doesn't attack the baby's blood. I'm a negative blood type and apparently the negative blood types don't really play well with positive types. This is the first shot I've ever gotten in my backside and for some reason as the nurse was about to give it to me, I got a case of the giggles. How mature is that? Am I sure I'm ready to be a mom if I can't get a shot in my rear and not start giggling?!

I spent last weekend and part of the week in Minnesota visiting friends and family and taking part in some training for work. While I was there, I was thrown not one, but two baby showers! I had a wonderful time at both and enjoyed spending time with friends, family and coworkers. Most everyone shipped us gifts ahead of time and we promised not to open any of them until after I got back. We took a picture this morning of me with all of the boxes in our dining room.


Woah! That's a lot of boxes! We have some pretty amazing, thoughtful and generous friends and family. We were shocked at how often UPS, FedEx and USPS stopped at our house over the past few weeks and blown away by the generosity of everyone. I had a great time opening all the creatively wrapped photos of our gifts while I was back in Minnesota and Mike and I were giddy today as we finally opened all of our boxes.

Now that our house is filling up with baby stuff, I'm doing my best to figure out where in the world it's all going to go! I don't deal well with clutter and am not a "stuff" kind of person. I know that this is all needed for the baby and I'm so thankful to have it, but it's making me start to freak out a little bit. =) I go by the saying "there's a place for everything, and everything should be in it's place" so once I figure out where I want everything to go, I'll be a much calmer and happier lady.

Besides the showers in Minnesota, I also got to see my friend Jen and her sweet little baby boy Henry! He was 5 weeks old when I was there and cute as can be! We think he and Baby Ov will probably hit it off and get married someday. It's been nice to have a friend who is a few months ahead of me and can give me some pointers and warnings of what's to come! Here's a picture of me with Mr. Henry about 5 seconds after I walked through their door! (He looks pretty happy to see me, don't you think?!)


We're still waiting on our crib to come in. As of yesterday, it has been 11 weeks since we ordered it (they gave us a 10-14 week window and I was so sure they were exaggerating!). I'm really hoping that it gets here soon! I'd love to walk into the baby's room and have it actually feel like a baby's room. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will come in this week and we can pick it up over the long weekend ahead.

That's all that is and isn't happening around here. We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Week 27 Update

By Marnie:

We're at Week 27! Baby Ov is due to arrive 3 months from yesterday. I think the last time I updated, I was impressed that she had reached the pounds. She's now over 2 lbs! She's been a busy gal! She can also hear us now so I like to have little chats with her while I'm driving to and from work. I also read in one of the baby books that she has more taste buds now than she will have at birth or any other time in her life. That means she can definitely taste it if I have something spicy and will let me know!

Baby Ov has been busy in the past few weeks and so have we. We spent a great long weekend in Kansas City visiting the Overman family. I ate my weight in the best ribs, brisket and baked beans with burnt ends that every existed. Mike became the favorite play thing of our niece Noelle. It was fun watching him down on the floor, playing with whatever toy she brought him and wanted to play with. One of her favorite things was to sit on his back while he did push-ups. I think it made Mike realize that he should pick up his workout routine before Baby Ov gets here!!

After KC, we were home for a night then headed out for our annual trip to Big Bear. We had such a great time relaxing in the cabin we rented, cooking great food and doing plenty of hiking. I'm happy to say we hiked just as much as in prior years and I was able to keep up. I wasn't as fast up the mountains as in the past, but I made it to the top! We got back on Halloween and hoped for some trick-or-treaters but got none. All the more reason for me to devour loads of the candy we bought...

I left the next day for a two night work trip to San Francisco. The night I got back, we went to an Elton John concert at a small, standing room only venue. It was an awesome concert, but for the first time in this pregnancy, I got to experience what felt like Michelin Man legs! Thankfully, they went back to normal after a good night's sleep. I was quite happy about that! I'm headed to Minnesota next week and fear for what my ankles and legs will look like after that long-ish flight!

While we were in Big Bear, the the baby store where we ordered the glider/rocker/recliner called to say that it had come in. It was an exciting day yesterday when we went to pick it up. We're leaving it in the living room until the crib comes in and we clear out the bed in the spare bedroom. Here is a picture of Mike and Stella enjoying the new chair, watching a rarely televised on the West Coast Chiefs game (notice the sheet covering it - I'm doing my best to keep it as free of dog hair as possible and since it's become one of Stella's new favorite places to sit, I'm glad I covered it!!)

Lastly, here is an updated profile picture of me. My belly is definitely getting bigger. I honestly can't imagine it getting as huge as I know it will. Mike commented this morning as I got out of bed to go to the bathroom, "that's a lot of body to get up and out of bed." I know he was recognizing that it's probably more difficult for me to do some things, but I keep focusing on the "that's a lot of body" part. =) He made it up to me by making his made-from-scratch pancakes! That's been a weekly treat in our house since I found out I was pregnant and I'd been missing them the past few weekends!

The Aviator

by Mike

It’s election day and I’m enjoying the circus even though I’m not particularly into politics. Pending fatherhood has added an extra wrinkle of perspective. Knowing I will be watched & questioned. Knowing my decisions are not only about me. Not only about my wife. But now largely driven by what is going to benefit our family. Baby Ov will grow up in a home that votes. Because we care and we want her to care. You’ve got to have a stake in this world for it to truly pay off.

I hope we raise a gal who’s not afraid to toss her hat in the ring. I’m proud of those who decided to run for an office even though they probably never had a chance – they put their money where their mouths were. Reading through the names on the ballot, I tossed a vote to Merton Short, Aviator, for Secretary of State*. To be honest, I don’t know anything about Merton Short except that (a) I like his name and (b) um, he’s an aviator, which might be one of the coolest titles you could ever print on a business card (I’m sure he doesn’t have a business card. But probably a cool tattoo).

*I looked up Merton later and turns out we’re fundamentally opposed in our beliefs, but that’s okay, he can keep my vote. As the ticker goes by I’m happy to be part of his 2%.

This post is a little short and arguably off-topic for those who want the hard core baby dirt. But we’re still in the no-news-is-good-news phase – so fortunately there’s not much news right now. Marnie is doing well and looks great – she’s carrying our baby girl like a champ. Still waiting on that crib to come in. We're taking over/under bets on Thanksgiving.

And that's about all I can tell you right now. Baby Ov, may you have all the courage of Merton Short, Aviator.

Week 24 Update

By Marnie:
I had my 24 week appointment today and I have to say, it was probably the most uneventful appointment yet! Again, I'm quite thankful for the uneventful - we are so lucky that we're able to talk about all the great stuff happening, even when it is pretty boring!

We're almost done with all the house projects I wanted to complete before we have the baby so now I'm anxious for the crib and glider to come in! I can't wait for the baby's room to start looking like a baby's room. Right now I alternate between calling it the spare room and the baby's room. Hopefully once the big spare bed is out of there and is replaced by actual baby furniture, it will officially and permanently be the baby's room.

My birthday is this week. I typically like to think of the entire month of October as my birthday month and definitely the week of is my birthday week and 100% all about me. I'm guessing this is a sign of birthdays to come, but I could almost care less about my upcoming birthday this year. I am taking the day off so that's a little treat for me, but one of the things I'm doing with the day is going to a kid and baby consignment sale to hopefully score some bargains on baby stuff! Times are changing - already my focus and money are going to baby, even on my birthday!!

We have a busy few weeks coming up. We're headed to Kansas City on Saturday to visit Mike's family. We get back on Tuesday and are then headed to Big Bear for our annual hiking trip with Stella. The day after we get back from Big Bear, I'm headed to San Francisco for a work trip. Whew! It's a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm excited to have some fun stuff coming up that isn't 100% focused on our house or the baby.

Depending on if we have time next week during our one night home, we may or may not have a blog update. I promise to update in a few weeks and at the very least will have some fun stuff to share from our upcoming trips!

Week 23 - We're in the pounds now!

By Marnie:

I took a week off from updating this blog as I didn't have a whole lot to write about. We've made no other baby purchases, I still feel and look about the same, and I didn't think that was all that interesting. This week isn't much of an excpetion, but I wanted to update anyway.

We've made it to week 23. According to the books and blogs, Baby Ov is now a full pound! It's hard to believe that it's taken over half of this pregnancy to get her to a pound, yet over the next 4 months, she'll gain 6-8 more pounds!

She's so darn active that there are times I feel like there is no way she is just a pound. I sometimes feel like I'm growing a baby with at least 10 arms and 10 legs. It seems impossible that one little gal can kick and punch me so vigorously and in so many different places at once. Her favorite time to treat Hotel Uterus like Romper Room is when I go to bed. It makes it hard to fall asleep, but I don't mind at all. She also lets me know if I'm doing something she doesn't like. If the waistband of my jeans digs in too far or I lean too much into the counter, she kicks, letting me know to lay off. She's already starting to display more of my personality than Mike's more laid back ways. =)

I can tell that my belly is getting bigger although I don't think that anyone seeing me on the street would know that I'm pregnant. I'm still mostly wearing my own clothes, but have finally purchased a few pairs of maternity pants and jeans. Had I realized those things were soo comfortable, I might have made the leap a lot earlier! Here is a pic of me taken during the middle of last week.

Now that we're done making major baby room purchases, we're starting to think about all the other items we'll need. We have a small house and not much room to add in loads of baby items, so we're trying to be smart as we determine what we need. The key word there is NEED! There are so many products out there for babies and it's so hard to resist some of them. I know me, though and it would take just a few weeks of too much baby clutter before I lose it and load up the car with stuff to donate to Goodwill!

The day care search continues. We've toured another center which was just okay. My major issue is that they have no security - their doors are open to anyone which makes me a bit uncomfortable. We're trying to line up a tour at another center, but the owner seems reluctant to have us tour during hours when children are there. That obviously concerns us! I really had no idea how difficult this would be and I'm getting worried that we're going to run out of time and not have any options. I'm amazed at how early you have to get your name in for day cares here!

That's all the news here. I want to send a HUGE congratulations to my friend Jen and her husband Josh on the birth of Henry Douglas yesterday morning. I can't wait to meet him!

Joining the Club

by Mike

One thing I’ve noticed about my wife being pregnant is I’m rarely short for conversation - it might be with women who, regardless of affiliation, are excited about the topic of babies; experienced dads ready to knowingly convey “just wait, things are gonna change...”; or single guys staggered by the idea of a Saturday afternoon centered around rocking chair shopping*.

*to my wife’s credit, she did let me watch the end of the Arkansas/Alabama game before we went shopping. But when I was single the idea of making my bed was staggering so whether I drop this fact in or not when telling a bachelor my war stories of the weekend becomes irrelevant.

These conversations tell me that much like when I got married, a new part of the world is opening up for me to relate to. You realize that stereotypical jokes exist because we’re all driving each other crazy in more or less the same ways - which, insane as it sounds, is comforting. It’s why there are 210 episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. It’s why I enjoy watching Phil Dunphy (of Modern Family, if you don’t know him get with the program) make a clown of himself every Wednesday night because it tells me that (1) I’m not alone in my buffoonery and (2) if my wife ever thought there were greener pastures out there, she’s probably out of luck because most of us guys are at best a well-intentioned version of the Three Stooges.

A friend forwarded the set of “guidelines” below - I thought they were entertaining (and useful, I write #5 on my hand every morning) - written by someone who clearly has experience and knows the rest of us are having the same experience - we’re all on the same cruise ship in this world and it’s only a matter of time when those tourists with the bad matching shirts come our way.

Have a great week, thanks for reading.


Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn’t mean me- then you should probably read this twice

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is ‘Congratulations!’ with enthusiasm.

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase ‘my baby’.

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it…

4) The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone’s stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight…ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is ‘You look fabulous!’.

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don’t need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of a host of family members and friends seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren’t invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won’t be invited to be there when it comes out either.

8) Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents’ home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to ‘help out’. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Week 21 Update

By Marnie:

I'm starting to get desperate as to what to write about. I've been updating this blog weekly so feel a commitment to keep that up, yet don't have much of anything to update on each week. I still feel great (with the exception of the nasty heat wave that's hit LA. It was 113 today - hottest day ever on record here!!) and in general, don't really feel all that pregnant on a day to day basis. The bathrooms at my office are closed for the next week and a half so I have certainly noticed my increased need to visit said closed bathroom. Not nice to do to a pregnant woman!

The exciting news is that we settled on a rocker (a glider actually) and ordered it on Saturday. The picture here is almost identical to what we ordered. We looked through the fabrics at the store and I think what we settled on is very close to this picture. In 8-10 weeks, we'll have a swivel glider/recliner. Mike is pretty excited about the recliner part.



Fortunately, that's all the news, or lack of news here. Have a great week and maybe Mike can come up with something fun and creative to write about next week. I'm not making any promises, I just think that my boring updates aren't going to keep readers coming back for more!! =)

20 Weeks - Halfway there (technically)

By Marnie:
We're now at 20 weeks which is technically the halfway point. Because we found out we were pregnant at around 4 weeks, I don't consider this halfway yet and also, something tells me the next 20 weeks are a whole different ball game!

The most exciting news this week is that we had our 20 week ultrasound today. I had no idea going in to this appointment that they could check so many things by looking at that somewhat grainy image of our baby. First off, she's definitely a girl. We felt pretty confident at 80%, but the ultrasound technician confirmed the findings from our last appointment. Second, everything else with Baby Ov looked perfect. We could see that she has 10 fingers, 10 toes, 4 chambers of her heart, her brain looks normal (actually, more than normal - she's going to be a genius!!) and all other organs looked great. At the very end, she gave us a little thumbs up sign which was pretty darn cute. Here's a profile of her face with her giving a little wave. I guess this is her official "hello!" to readers of her blog!


There's not a lot else to share this week. We're currently looking for a rocker we like which has proven more difficult than we thought. I nearly caved in and bought one we saw this past weekend at a rocking chair store in LA but thankfully Mike was the voice of reason. When we got home later and looked the chair up online, we found it was incredibly overpriced. Whew! I must always remember to shop for big items with Mike. The search for the perfect rocker continues.

I'm still feeling great and thankful for it. I haven't had to go maternity clothes shopping yet which I'm also quite happy about. It seems the only "typical" symptom I'm having is my need to get our house and the baby's room in order. The second I found out I was pregnant, I printed a calendar and scheduled out house projects for each weekend between then and when I'm due. Mike has been one very busy guy for the past few months! He's probably ready for this baby much more than me just so he can get a break from the constant work. =)

Week 19 - What fruit or veggie this week?!

By Marnie:

The only fruit or veggie size comparison I was able to find this week referenced a large heirloom tomato. That seems smaller to me than the deli pickle I referenced last week so I'm not sure what to believe. I peeked ahead to next week and read that the baby will be about the size of a small cantaloupe. Now that's sizeable!

I'm still feeling great - in fact I think I may be one of the most boring pregnant women ever. I'll take boring over eventful, though and hope that the remaining 5 months are just as boring. I feel good and in fact mostly don't feel at all pregnant, I don't have cravings (unless you count the vanilla ice cream with oreo cookies I ask Mike to make me each night), and I'm not even showing much at all. In fact, I have a few pictures for those that have asked.

12 weeks (7 weeks ago - I wasn't showing much at all)

And at 18 weeks - this was taken the middle of last week after a dinner out with a friend. Some of that pooch is "I ate too much at dinner" belly.

The most exciting event of the last week is that I felt Baby Ov move for the first time! At first I wasn't quite sure that's what it was, but every day for the last week, I've felt her so I'm pretty darn sure it's the real deal and not just gas. =) It's so nice to get daily confirmations that she's there and presumably doing well.

In other news, we've continued our day care search. It seems so crazy to not even be visibly pregnant yet seriously searching for day care options. We both reached out to our company's employer assistance program to help us find infant care in the area. Between the two, they came up with 10 options. There are only 2-3 that would be feasible for us to actually drive to on a daily basis so hopefully we like one of them.

Our baby room purchases continued this week as well. Another local baby store was having a furniture closeout sale so we met there over lunch on Friday and found a dresser we both really liked and that will go well with the crib we already ordered. It feels good to have these things coming together. Now the only piece of furniture we have left to find for the baby's room is a rocking chair.

Lastly, I'd like to address Mike's comment regarding the Super Bowl. When he realized the due date was the Super Bowl, he made the request that I hold off going into labor until after the game. I don't know one pregnant woman who's ever hoped to go PAST her due date so sadly, his wish to not miss the big game is not the highest on my priority list!!

How many months? 5??

by Mike

I've realized a few things this week.

1) The due date is the same date as Superbowl XLV. I shared this (what I consider) pertinent information with Marnie and apparently such considerations should rank lower in my ladder of priorities. I'm just saying we might have a kickass halftime show. I also don't know what type of pre-game snacks* to serve when "pending labor" is part of the evening.

2) I've never bought myself a nice piece of furniture. That sunk in as I checked out the price tags of dressers & cribs in the baby stores over the weekend. We bought our gal a mini-fortress that gets a thumbs up from all the right experts and should arrive, as Marnie mentioned, in 12-14 weeks. Apparently they still have to plant the trees they're going to chop down to build it.

3) For some reason I checked the average cost of Harvard today. $56,000/year. The only response I considered fitting was to take a nap.

4) I have a great wife who is doing well with the pregnancy. I'm very thankful for that.

5) That great wife is watching the "Bachelor Pad" on ABC right now. I added "keeping my daughter off season 26" as a tier to my definition of fatherly success.

6) We're only 5 months out. I assume Christmas will fly by as it always tends to do and then it's just a countdown once the calendar rolls to 2011. Overall I feel okay except that I've not yet learned to change a diaper**.

*Pringles. Tasty, not too much residue on the fingers and ready to pop the lid back on & go should the time arrive.

**I know it's not the same thing, but my dog poops five times a day. Every day. That has to count for something***.

***I'm fully aware this counts for nothing.

Week 18 - A Pickle?!

By Marnie:

We've arrived at Week 18 - and it's also 5 months until the due date. One of the online blogs I read said that the baby is about as long as a deli style pickle. This also happens to be one of my favorite foods! The last food size comparison we had was an avocado and ever since then, Mike has taken to calling the baby "Baby Guacamole." It sort of stuck. We call her that a lot now.

I'm still feeling great and on most days don't feel at all pregnant. I had a few emotional days last week with bursts of tears for no apparent reason, but that's been the worst of it. I also still pretty much look like myself and most of my own clothes are still fitting. Mike and I can definitely tell that I'm getting a bit of a belly, but I don't think anyone else can. I'm feeling very fortunate that I've had very minimal pregnancy symptoms or issues and sure hope it stays this way!

We toured the day care on the NBC studio lot last week. It's the place we've pretty much counted on taking Baby Ov because we've heard great things about it. It's right where Mike works and not that bad for me to get to either. As soon as we got there, one of my "emotional" times hit. I started crying and just couldn't stop. It was a very nice place and it wasn't that I had any reservations about taking our baby there, I think it was just a lot to take in. Most impressive was the menu - if our kid ever gets in there (they have quite the wait list), she'll eat much better than we do! They have their own chef and the kids dine on things like Asian Glazed Salmon, Risotto, Tilapia, and lots of other really yummy things that make me want to spend MY days there rather than go to work where I eat my leftovers in my office day after day.

If all goes according to plan, I will be going back to work in late May/early June so we told the day care that we were hoping to get Baby Ov in starting June 1. The woman giving us the tour didn't hold back in any way and flatly stated "that's never gonna happen." The very earliest we could get in is September 1 which gives us 3 months to figure out and even then, September 1 isn't a guarantee. We sent in our paperwork and deposit that same day so hopefully that puts us fairly high up on the pre-list. Once Baby Ov actually arrives, we have to call in and get moved to the real wait list. I told Mike that his first call after she arrives is to the NBC day care. Sorry, friends and family, they may be the first to know!! =)

In other news, we ordered a crib yesterday! Now we wait 10-14 weeks for it to come in. We really didn't plan to get one yet, but after we ordered it and found out how long they take to come in, we're sure glad we did. We actually went to a local baby store to look at another crib that we thought we were 100% set on, but as we walked around the store, we found another one that we both really liked, although didn't realize that the other one liked until we were on our way home. By the time we got home, we had decided we definitely wanted that crib and since the store was having a sale that ended yesterday, we called and ordered it via phone. It was a pretty exciting day! Here is a picture:


I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend!

80% chance of...

By Marnie:

A GIRL! Our plan to wait until dinner in Vegas with our friends to find out if we were having a boy or girl went by the wayside when our curiosity got the best of us and we opened our sealed envelope a night earlier. I've felt it was a girl all along and I think after saying it for months, Mike was pretty convinced, too. So the news wasn't as surprising as it had been if it said a boy, but we were still thrilled to have some confirmation that we're having a baby girl!

When my doctor did the ultrasound and said she could figure out the baby's gender, she also said she was 80% sure. We're having another ultrasound next month which will hopefully confirm the doctor's findings. It will also be with their nice, newer machine so we should get some good pics of Baby Girl Ov!

Our life for the past month has been a little busy and it's now slowing down so we're excited to start looking into what we need and want for the baby. Now that we know she's a girl, it will be a lot easier to pick out all the odds and ends that babies need! Since we knew that we wanted to find out if she was a boy or girl, we have been holding off on buying anything, although I couldn't resist and already bought a few little things. I've tried as much as possible to buy gender neutral items, but I'm not gonna lie - I did indulge in a few very girlie things since I was so convinced she was a girl! I'm relieved to know we won't be dressing a little boy in pink bows and dresses.

Week 16 Update - Boy or Girl?!

By Marnie:

We're now at 16 weeks - time has certainly flown by! Baby Ov is now the size of an avocado (at least that’s what the baby websites say). That still seems kind of small, yet huge when compared to the size he or she was when we first found out I was pregnant. I’m feeling really good – so good that I really don’t feel pregnant at all. I’m just starting to notice that I have a bit of a belly, but not much of one at all.

It’s been a busy last few weeks. Mike and I went to Iowa for two weekends ago and then I stayed for the week and went to Minnesota for work. Our weekend in Iowa was great until I got sick from the flu or food poisoning, I’m not sure which. I spent one very miserable day not getting out of bed and feeling pretty awful, but thankfully it lasted just a day and by Monday morning I was feeling almost 100%.

My week in Minnesota was great – I got to see a lot of friends and co-workers who didn’t know I was pregnant so it was fun to share the news with so many people. I also got to see two friends who recently had babies. I loved seeing and holding them yet hearing the stories of sleepless nights made me a bit nervous for what’s to come!

I had my 16 week doctor’s appointment today. The doctor decided to do a quick ultrasound to make sure everything was still going well after I was sick. The doctor and ultrasound tech used an older portable machine since I didn’t have an ultrasound scheduled so it wasn’t like our first ultrasound where there was a big screen to watch it on. When they first started looking, both of them were really quiet and had strange faces so I was really worried that something was wrong. I couldn’t see the screen yet so I finally asked them if everything was ok. They said that absolutely everything was great and the baby has a good heartbeat. I think they were just trying to figure out if it was a boy or girl. They finally turned the screen my way and it was amazing to see Baby Ov! He or she definitely looked much more like a baby rather than a blob now.

The most exciting news is that they were able to tell the sex of the baby (they said they’re 80% sure at this point)!! I knew there was a possibility we could find out at this appointment and because Mike wasn’t there, I asked them to put the ultrasound pictures that show the gender in a sealed envelope. We’re meeting Mike’s best friend from growing up, Jason and his wife, Tonya in Las Vegas this Wednesday. We decided that if we could find out if Baby Ov was a boy or girl, we would wait to open the envelope with Jason and Tonya while we are in Vegas. I’m DYING to find out though so I’m definitely regretting our decision to wait. AGH! I can make it two days, right?! We'll see...

Overall, things are going great. Pregnancy agrees with me so far and I have no complaints. I don’t have any weird cravings (although I DO like my ice cream every night which is probably more of an indulgence than a craving!), I’ve felt great, and up until the last few weeks, I haven’t even gained any weight. I’m hoping that this easy going pregnancy continues over the remaining weeks and months!

Nobody Knows Anything

by Mike

Welcome to the maiden voyage. Yes, this is our first kid, but I was actually (and selfishly) referring to my first blog entry. I’ve occasionally considered a blog but never followed through. I don’t consider myself uninteresting, but up until now I haven’t had that niche passion that I feel is the key ingredient to a successful blog. Gardening, local politics, hiking – potentially mundane topics until you’re looking for tips on organic pesticide, a breakdown of Prop 23 or where not to be eaten by a bear – then you’re ever grateful for the prolific freaks out there.

But – to those of you who have found your way to reading this, the future of our child is a passion. I’m assuming you’re either (a) (mostly likely) a pending grandparent of this child (b) family of some sort (c) a procrastinating friend (d) severely misdirected by Google or if none of the above, then (e) sorta weird. Welcome all. Even you, weirdo.

Because I have neither advice nor experience to share at this point, for my first post I thought I’d simply share a few thoughts.

Thought #1 – I can only assume I’ll be a good dad. I don’t think anyone ventures into parenthood under the assumption they’ll ultimately fail. I don’t know if I’ll be a great dad, I’ll certainly strive for it and expect I will have my moments of greatness – a well timed hug, showing up with surprise ice cream (strikingly similar to qualifications for the Hall of Great Husbands) – but I’m sure I will fail from time to time as well. Either way, I’m guessing a big part of the game is dusting yourself off and getting back on that horse.

Even if the horse keeps pooping on you when you’re down.

Thought #2 – I hope my child grows to understand basic etiquette on airplanes. I started writing this on a plane where it’s apparent that air travel ties jury duty for most cross-sections of humanity gone awry. But if they've learned to be patient, help people with their bags and share the armrest – they’ve probably done okay in life.

Thought #3 – William Goldman’s famous quote about Hollywood is “Nobody knows anything”. I can only imagine that this will apply to parenting far more often than I want it to.

For those of you who will be tuning in regularly, you’ll probably notice that Marnie will be the play-by-play and I’ll be the color commentary. Or another way to look at it, she’s better at the details that are actually important where I just like to screw around. Thanks for reading.

Finding out, telling Mike, first appointments

By Marnie:
We thought about starting a blog to share with our family and close friends all the exciting details of our adventure into parenthood! We aren't able to see most of you on a regular basis so our goal is to share a bit of the fun via this blog. We hope you enjoy.

Here is a general timeline of the events of the last few months:
June 1 - I took a test in the late afternoon when I came home from work and was shocked to find out that it said I was pregnant! I didn't believe it and every half hour or so would go back into the bathroom to check it and make sure there was still that second line on the test... it was still there after a few hours so I figured I was definitely pregnant!

Mike was working late during this time so I waited all evening until he came home around 11PM. I made a cape for our dog Stella so that she could be in on the surprise.When Mike came home, I was waiting for him on the couch and Stella went to greet him. I could see him studying the cape and trying to figure out what it meant. He finally got it and just said "REALLY?!" All I could do was nod with a massive grin on my face! He said that at first he thought it mean that I adopted another dog. HA!! Nope, honey, a bit of a bigger surprise than another dog.

A few days later, I still couldn't believe I was actually pregnant and felt like I needed further proof/confirmation, so on my way to work I stopped into the drug store and sprung for one of the fancy digital tests. I took the test when I got to work and it confirmed my findings from earlier in the week! I took a quick picture on my blackberry and sent it to Mike at his work. He later told me that he would open the picture every once in a while throughout the day just to see it.

June 23 - My first doctor's appointment! I was pretty nervous for this appointment because we were finding out if we were, indeed, pregnant. At this point, I had started feeling pretty icky and really tired so I hoped that meant that everything was going well. We both went to the appointment and this one was just with the ultrasound technician, not the doctor. The technician did an ultrasound and we saw our baby and heard the heartbeat! What a HUGE relief! We also learned that I was about 7 weeks and 3 days pregnant which makes our due date February 6th! The best part of the appointment was all the bloodwork. Good times! I'm guessing I'll need to get used to that part.


July 23 - My second doctor's appointment is where I got to hear the heartbeat again and meet my doctor! This was a pretty quick and painless appointment. First, the nurse came in and listened for the heartbeat. She warned me that it may take a while to find and not to panic, but of course after she searched for a bit and couldn't find it, I was really panicking! She finally found it and it was awesome to hear. Then I met the doctor and I really liked her - she's very sweet and took the time to talk to me about all the questions I had. My two most important questions were "When can I get my hair highlighted" and "Can I get a spray tan?" Yes, I am that lady. No serious questions about the baby, just incredibly vain questions about myself.

After that appointment, we felt comfortable telling our friends and family our great news. It's been so much fun sharing with everyone! My mom was so happy and excited that we couldn't understand a word she said for a good 5 minutes of the conversation! We're regretting the fact that we didn't record the conversation.

I'm now at 12 weeks which feels really great. I'm a worrier so every little strange thing over the past few months has made me concerned that something is wrong. I've heard this feeling doesn't go away, but for now I'm thankful that we've made it this far and that everything is going well. I'm also happy to be feeling good again and not "barfy" as Mike's mom likes to say. =) Isn't that such a nicer way to say that I feel like absolute crud and want to throw up at ishy smells, when I brush my teeth, or eat too much?