34 WEEKS DOWN!

Today I've completed 34 weeks and 38 weeks is technically "full term." We found out last week that Vanessa is measuring large. Today my OB said my fundus is measuring at 37 cm - the average for 40 weeks is 38 cm. The jury is still out on when the delivery will be. Any guesses?

I've been feeling a wee bit nostalgic about pregnancy this week. We've hoped and dreamed about getting pregnant for so many years, now I can feel this baby girl kicking and twirling inside. Once I deliver, this experience will end forever. Poof! But Daddio has a different perspective. He says, as he tries to massage the potatoes out of my ankles each night, "This pregnancy has gone on long enough. I'm ready for her to be born NOW."

Last night noticed two large, gaping wounds on our blue-eyed son Max's chest. We think he had two puncture wounds from fighting that became abcessed. Luckily, it looks like they have drained and Max is keeping them very clean. But he was so distressed by our examination, he hissed at us for ten minutes, then bolted. We woke up at 4 am to a chorus of coyote howls and wondered if our Whitey had been nabbed, but we were able to locate him this morning. Phew! We are definitely feeling the pangs of parenthood...

This weekend we were graced with the presence of Sandi and Jim! Along with Sarah, we spent Saturday wine tasting (I sniffed and chauffeured), and spent Sunday watching the 49ers, eating barbeque, playing ball at the beach, and checking out the migrating monarch butterflies at Pismo. We ended the day watching Sideways for the scenery. The next time we see them (and everyone else) we'll have a baby in our arms. Isn't that mind boggling?

I want to give a warm shout out to all the people who are reading and either cannot post a comment for technical reasons, or feel too shy to comment for all to see. We certainly love comments, but don't expect them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

This has been a tremendously busy week for us. Maribeth, Allan and Duncan arrived last weekend during their Thanksgiving tour of California. We had a wonderful time, especially Duncan, who bonded with our puppy dog, kitties and birdie as only a toddler can. See (?) Chica sing to Duncan, and Milo show him what to do with bath water. We were very active showing them the town and the local flora, fauna, and fare. It was a treat to have an exuberant, adorable two year old visiting - made us anxious to meet our own baby girl.

While they visited, Sarah also arrived from Seattle for the week. There was some overlap, making us feel like the "family" was home for the holidays. Mostly, all were amazed at my girth and the general circumference of my ankles and lower legs. All the physical activity helped grow my legs before our eyes. Of course the tourist diet of full-fat pastries, brownie sundaes, queso-laden Mexicano food, and deep fried fish and chips may have also played a part. Luckily, I've enjoyed more energy this week than I've had at any other point in my pregnancy.

Sarah, Jack, Vanessa and I were invited to spend Thanksgiving with cousins David, Theresa, Jenny, Winston, and Aunt Betty and Uncle Wally. Theresa was a one-woman show, making a magnificent feast for us all. We had a delightful time and reviewed some old family photos, including vintage ones of the Chapman sisters. Daddio showed off the 4-D photo of Vanessa we got from our perinatology appointment last Monday, and we all speculated on just where she acquired those fabulous pursed lips.

Speaking of the peri appointment, we learned that, at the end of 34 weeks, I have grown a butterball daughter. Expected baby size at this point is 4 lbs. 11 oz. and Vanessa is measuring in at 5 lbs. 7 oz., putting her in the 87th percentile for weight. Grow, baby, grow! Auntie Anne claims Nessa is a chip off the old block, considering I entered the world at 10 lbs. 6 oz. and my poor, skinny mother did not have gestational diabetes. My mother was delighted to show me this article, entitled, Why Human Babies are Fattest and Smartest:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/82/97306.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_nb_04

Today we did some hiking at Pirate's Cove, where we crept up the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean and I swang my belly over all manner of rock formations. At one point Daddio had to hoist me up onto a rock near a sizeable drop-off. Thank goodness he's been pumping iron and can squat sets of 275! That led me to believe he could be trusted to maneuver Vanessa and me to safety without sustaining cardiac arrest. Other than that assist, I impressed both Sarah and Daddio with my cat-like agility, despite my massive form. Pirate's Cove proved to be a wonderful site for a photo shoot. Here is one of the best, taken by our own personal Art Director, Sarah.

Two friends have informed us that the nickname Nessa may have some Hebrew connotations. "Ness" means miracle in Hebrew and the suffix "ah" feminizes a word, so Nessah/Nessa may be interpreted as "female miracle." Furthermore, if she is born during Chanukkah, she will be born during the festival of miracles. Fitting, don't you think?

OB APPOINTMENT TODAY

Today I saw my OB for my two week follow up. He said my fundus is measuring big - perhaps due to my abdomen's inability to stretch down low - and I have lost weight since the last appointment. I am carrying very high and continue to be nauseous, so maybe Vanessa is pushing on my stomach like a lap band. My OB did officially restrict my travel: Because I am still high risk he doesn't want me to go into labor in a remote location.

This weekend Daddio was my worker bee. What a good man! I made him paint over a perfectly good room in an attempt to make it a nursery. The worst part is, the first color I chose was wrong. Really wrong. The second color was better but not right. I wanted a soft aqua color and I got robin's egg blue. Daddio, surely unwilling to be a slave to my idea of perfection any further, insisted that putting a baby girl into a blue bedroom would create character. "She'll refer back to it in her presidential inaugeration speech," were his exact words. When I was a girl I painted my room pink with white trim as soon as I was given a choice, and would have sold my soul for a white canopy bed. I thought I was doing well to not assume Vanessa would want a pink room, but I didn't mean to give her a boy blue room. (Photos later.)

Today is the day our baby nephew Barry headed off to boot camp with the U.S. Marine Corps at Parris Island. He's 18 but it does seem like yesterday we were changing his diapers. We are naturally concerned, given world politics, but we are also hopeful he will thrive. Our little red-headed Road Runner nephew Daniel enlisted in the Army and completed basic training in August 2001 - you know, two weeks before September 11th, 2001. His group (troop? company?) was ultimately responsible for capturing Sadam. Daniel was a tank mechanic on the front line, and has been back home for a couple years now - a very young Iraqi War veteran.

WE'RE GETTING EXCITED...

Okay, I don't know about the rest of you, but this certainly feels like it has been the world's longest human gestation. Jack and I were so relieved to make it to the October 15th mark in this pregnancy, that we now feel we are "overdue." I have been awoken from a deep sleep the past few nights in a row with contractions. All I can think is, "Is it Show Time?" I find myself fantazing about the moment we get to hop in the car to speed to the hospital.

Last Friday I picked up an infant car seat. Today the crib arrived via FedEx. Can you believe it? "Buy it, and she will come," right?

Tonight we have our second 3-hour birthing class. Daddio, in all his paternal enthusiasm, was the first to sign up to provide class snacks. He keeps reminding me that we are "the best" in the class. I have no idea what he means, but he's into it.

Vanessa, by the way, is squirmy. Jack can see her moving around now. I am mesmerized, of course. I do find myself marvelling that I get to experience pregnancy. Five times, on the eve of five surgeries, I almost had a hysterectomy. So it truly is amazing this wiggly alien is occupying my interior.

I feel massive, but we won't find out how big Vanessa really is until the week of Thanksgiving. Jack's observation last night was, "Wife, you're growing horizontal now." And today after a clammy hug it was, "You are a hot water bottle!" Monday and Tuesday the temperature here was close to 90. Imagine cat, dog, and expectant mama draped motionless about the house, breathing shallowly. Thankfully it's back to the low 70s today.

I rarely look presentable, and when I do, Jack is nowhere around. So that's why I have no good photo of my pregnant form to post. Even so, I did attempt a self portrait. Until I get a better shot, here it is. (And no, the purple glow is not gas.)