Registration Frustration

Here we are-- 26 weeks and counting. This pregnancy seems all at once to be speeding by and moving incredibly slowly... Mama and baby are still doing good, and parents-t0-be are busy with preparations. The first stumbling block was registering. I quickly became amazed and overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that is out there and the amount of information. Every choice seems like a test we can fail. Which mattress pad will be waterproof without off-gassing dangerous chemicals? Which bottle system will offer the most boob-like nipples while reducing painful gas for baby? Which car seat system will work best for our baby and car? Everyone has something to say about it all-- and no one seems to agree. Needless to say, we've made some decisions- some are more confident than others. We ended up registering at Target, Amazon and (begrudgingly) at Babies R Us. The one perk to registering in actual stores is that we now have a few newborn diapers, wipes and bags of formula. Check.

Stumbling block number 2-- childbirth classes. Again-- there are way to many choices out there! There's the Bradley method, Lamaze, hospital run classes (which I like to call the Epidural classes), and even something called Hypnobirthing. Yes-- some people will tell you that through self-hypnosis you can actually convince yourself that labor doesn't hurt. Call me cynical, but I'm not willing to put all of my eggs in that basket. Once we finally figured out what my insurance would cover and decided on a specific Lamaze class at our hospital- we then had the challenge of finding a class time that would jive with both of our schedules. I could go on and on about the subject, but I think we finally have it figured out-- as long as the class hasn't filled already...

So! That's where we're at now. But baby is doing swimmingly. His/her heart is still chugging along in the 150's and my belly is growing right on track. Once there's a noticeable change-- more pictures will be posted!

Bellies Я Us

24 weeks and counting, and the baby is growing by the day.  We can not only feel the wee child squirming around, but we can watch it dance as well.  Seems as though Cara's belly has quite the little mind of its own, because, well, it kinda does.

The Wee Box BOOM!

 

Alas, some newt hit our Wee Box!!!  Let's put this into perspective:  Cara, a very nice and PREGNANT lady was minding her own business and safely driving over to VOLUNTEER at the local pet shelter.  Then some bloke pulled out of a parallel parking spot without looking and rammed right into the side of the Wee Box.  Boo hiss!

Cara is fine - since there was no frontal impact she didn't even feel it - she just heard the crunching scrape along the side of the car.  Thankfully nobody was hurt in the newt's car either, so the damage was just to the vehicles and, presumably, to the newt's pride.

However the Wee Box is now battered and bruised...  You can see where his out-turned tire caught the side of the Box's bumper before he pulled out into the tire/fender.  Needless to say the hubcap was shattered, the fender will need to be replaced, and the scratches run the full length of the Box.  The passenger door is a little banged up, wheel is well bent - amazing the tire didn't lose air - and I picked a fair amount of the newt's headlight out of the, now enlarged, door/fender gap. Argh.

It's at the collision shop now, and while I'm sure it'll be fixed up just fine, there's undeniably something lost.  The wonderful new machine has been roughed up, violated, after only a few months in our hands.  And, curiously, as the Wee Box was hauled away, someone moved into an apartment across the street with the exact same car.  Same year (2006.5) and same color (Thunder Cloud Metallic). Very strange indeed.  Every day as we walk Rocco or stroll up to the grocery store we pass it parked near our house and it just seems like it should be our car!

Also funny, is that for the past week Pittsburgh has been getting some pretty good snowfall.  Every day - except Sunday.  The day when the newt hit Cara and the Wee Box, there was not a snowflake in the air and the roads were perfectly clear and dry.  Hmpf. Newt.

It's Sexy Time!!!

We found another quiz on the baby sex - and it gave detailed results. Here's the official verdict:

You have a 38% chance of having a boy.
And you have a 61% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...

• You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
• The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
• Girls are carried high. You are going to have a girl.
• Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
• You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
• Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
• The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
• You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
• You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's good looks.
• Your chest development has not been very dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a boy.
• Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is even, it will be a boy.
• Your pee is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl.
• You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
• Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
• You have been craving meats or cheeses, so it is a boy.
• Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl. (...just like Tommy?)
  
• You must have orange juice every day, so it's a girl.
• You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
• Your belly looks like a watermelon, so it's a girl.
• You use the body of the mug, so it's a girl.

Isn't science amazing?!?!