Breech Baby

We're getting down to the wire here and Kieran is still in the breech position. The good news? He's in the position most likely to turn. I'm going to need to do some strange sitting positions to try and encourage him to switch around. If he doesn't do that in the next two weeks, I will likely have a scheduled c-section. The funniest thing I learned today is that if I go in for for a c-section and they ultrasound me only to learn the little one has turned, they'll induce me right then and there. They don't want to send me home and risk him turning back around.

Other than that, everything is on track. I'm still measuring small (33 inches with the tape measure from my pelvic bone to the top of the fundus), but that's to be expected at my height. I gained only the anticipated 2 pounds (one pound per week is ideal at this point 1/2 of which is likely baby). I'm getting really tired, mostly from lack of sleep. The midwife suggested (and has Ken) that I do what I can to nap. I'm trying everything I know, but so far nothing is working to induce sleep for me. Hopefully when Kieran's here, exhaustion will take over and I'll be able to sleep when he does.

Ken started the bar review courses this week - and he's not happy about it. They run from 6pm to 10 pm each night. He studies about 6 hours each day before class even begins. It's really like being a first-year law student all over again. It pretty much sucks. On the positive side, he's kicking butt on his trial exams for the multiple choice. The other positive - this is only 10 weeks instead of one year.

I interviewed my first pediatrician today. She was nice and the practice seems nice as well. I still want to do at least one other interview before settling on a pediatrician. I liked their approach but I am concerned because they are in Columbia (about 1/2 hour from where we live) and might be difficult to get to in an emergency. Ken and I will probably need to start talking about another car or me taking mass transit to work when I go back in April - we'll see.

If I don't talk with you before then, have a WONDERFUL new year!

Merry (belated) Christmas!

Had a really nice time yesterday making turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Eating it was even better! Ken and I had a nice, low-key Christmas with some friends and we watched a few Christmas movies to keep us in the spirit.

As we head into this home stretch, Ken and I are talking about a lot of things - what we'll want for the delivery (if we get a choice), making a list of people to call so we don't forget anyone, packing the bag for the hospital, how to talk about Santa Claus and Hanukkah, all kinds of crazy things. We were watching A Christmas Carol (the 1938 version) last night and Ken and I had the same thought "Does anyone name their kid Ebeneezer anymore?".

I'm feeling good but tiring pretty easily. I've started to sleep a little bit better - though I still get up about an hour or two before the alarm (some days I'm able to go back to sleep - other days I'm not so lucky). The little one is in a weird position - I feel somewhat lopsided. We'll see what the midwife says on Friday (next appointment). From there on out we'll see the midwives/doctors once each week until the delivery.

Ken also was able to snag us an appointment with a pediatrician on Friday as well - we've got at least one more to interview (I like to comparison shop) before we'll make a decision. The one we're interviewing on Friday is in Columbia, we got a recommendation of one that's in Cross Keys, but we're not sure they're accepting new patients right now.

Other than that, I'm just trying to get everything together at the office. I'll have a meeting this week with my boss to go over everything on my plate and what will need to be done while I'm gone. I have a lot of work yet to do, but I think I'll be able to get it all done.

Ken starts his Bar Review course tomorrow, but he started studying for it on Sunday. He's got about 300-500 pages every day to read. It's pretty daunting, but I know he's up to the challenge.

About it for now. Back to work for me, Merry Happy Whatever to you all!

The (mis)Adventures of Sonny and Irv

I grew up very close to my extended family and it was odd for me to learn that not everyone got together with all of their cousins on a regular basis. I never questioned who was related to me how because we were all always there - if you showed up at all our family functions you were obviously a Lipshultz or a relative thereof. So, it was somewhat strange to me when I did finally ask my dad (because Ken had asked me) how Uncle Irv was related to us - only to find out that he was not related, just Zadie's (that's my paternal grandfather) best friend.

Uncle Irv passed away this week and I will remember him best for the stories that he told us. One of them - a family favorite - involved a trip he and Zadie took, where they checked into a hotel only to realize they had no way to pay for their room. Ever the entrepreneurs, they nicked a maid's cart and sold the hotel linens on the street. It still makes me laugh. While stationed overseas in the military, he managed to "sell" the base he was closing to some locals - only to get chased on his way out of town by said locals.

His son gave a wonderful tribute yesterday at his funeral, revealing more of a generous and kind man. I never knew for example that, when rioting broke out after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, customers at Uncle Irv's grocery store formed a human barrier around it so that no one would burn it - he was just that loved. That Uncle Irv once stopped during a snowstorm to pick as many people waiting for the bus as he could and delivered them as close to their destination as he could, then picked up new passengers.

Mostly I'll remember that he was such a close friend to my grandfather that I never questioned if he was "really" my Uncle. He will always be my Uncle Irv. I'm sure that right now he and Zadie (also known as Sonny) are looking around for more mischief to get into. May we all have a friendship as good and lasting as theirs.

Happy Hannukah!

Had a wonderful time this weekend running around and seeing family. Even if I looked like I was asleep - I promise I was enjoying myself. It's been a crazy weekend with a lot going on.

Friday night in Federal Hill we had Moonlight Madness, where the local shops stayed open until midnight. I hung out and caroled around the business district (yes, I know it was the first night of Hanukkah) and then had a great time doing a bit of shopping as well as hanging out in the Main Street office. I was out until 1 am, probably went to sleep sometime around 2 am and got up the next morning at 8.

Spent Saturday with my brothers, my mom, and my maternal grandparents celebrating Hanukkah and watching my niece's dance recital. She was a HOOT as she attempted to get her classmates in line and gave them notes on stage (obviously, what she really wants to do is direct). The dinner afterward was wonderful - Wendy (my sister-in-law) is a great cook and fed us all until we burst. We didn't get home until 9:30 (poor Ochi!).

On Sunday we had the Football version of Hanukkah (aka the Lipshultz Family celebration). I'm pleased to report that my cousin Ben's wife is pregnant (Congrats Ben & Katie!) so the fertile tradition continues. Now there are only 3 more to go - get with it Aaron, Jarrod and Megan (just kidding).

I think the funniest shower gift to date award has to go to Charles and Drew, who gave us a baby wig (Rastafarian at that). Ken has decided this will be Kieran's first photo. We'll see.

Hope all is well, if I don't blog before then, have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

The Tour

Took our hospital tour last night of Howard County General. It was a world of difference between that and University of Maryland where we took our childbirth class (though we really did get a lot out of that class). It was much homier and they had more facilities than Maryland. Plus they've got a Level III NICU, should we need it.

The things I didn't like were that if I don't end up in labor - meaning if I end up just going c-section - I don't get the really homey room, just an operating table and then a small recovery room. The good part is the baby can stay with me the entire time (unless I'm in the shower and there is no one else in the room to take care of the baby). We'll see if the little guy turns, I'm beginnning to have my doubts that he'll ever get out of the breech position.

A few things of note have happened - first and foremost, I've been EXTREMELY neglectful and haven't given my photographer (my dad) any credit for his help in both taking the photos of the baby shower and his help in moving/setting up the nursery furniture. Sorry, dad, I do get a little me-centric these days....

Next a great big wow and thank you to Marilyn (my step-mother-in-law) for the beautiful plush name thingy she made for Kieran's room. It's amazing and Ken and I think it really adds something to the room. We'll be putting it up over his crib.

It's All Good

I'm not pre-eclampsic. Kieran is still sitting breech - he's in the pike's breech position, meaning his feet are in front of his face and he is head up towards my head still.

He's on the small side - in the 30% percentile overall instead of being average, but again, because I am not terribly tall this is not cause for concern. They were more worried that I might be leaking amniotic fluid, which it seems I am not (due to ultrasounds) so we have to wait on the culture to determine what's going on there - probably some type of infection, most of which are easily treatable even during pregnancy.

So, I breathe a sigh of relief and head back to work. Love to all and I'll blog again soon.

Bad News and Good News

My appointment on Friday did not go as I had planned. I wanted them to give me the same quick once-over I'm used to and send me on my merry way. So, yeah, that didn't happen.

They found some white blood cells in my urine, which may mean an infection (at best) and pre-eclampsia (at worst). My blood pressure is fine and I'm not suffering any of the other symptons of pre-eclampsia so that's probably not an issue. I need to go and get a culture done at the lab either on Monday or Tuesday.

I saw an OB/GYN this time around (we have just been seeing the RN/Midwife) because I wanted to talk with him about circumcision. He was concerned about my size (I'm on the small side, but I'm only 5 feet tall for crying out loud) so on Tuesday I'm going back in for an ultrasound. They want to do an estimate of fetal weight.

We won't know much more until Tuesday and possibly longer as I'll have to wait on the results of the culture from the lab. I should have just gone over to the lab on Friday but I was so upset by the appointment and hungry as I hadn't eaten much all day that I figured I'd skip it. The doctor was not as concerned about the culture as he was about my size and figuring out if the little guy was getting big enough.

For now, I'm completely freaked - Ken is being a huge hero and keeping his head on straight understanding that the doctor is likely just being cautious. Hormones are not helping me on this one. One minute I'm completely fine and am not sweating it at all. The next I'm freaked beyond belief and am certain that we have somehow "jinxed" ourselves by having the nursery and everything else done and ready now.

I'll blog again once we know more. I also have a sneaking suspicion that they may have not gotten my initial due date right and I'm earlier along than we think (rather than being 33 weeks, maybe I'm really only 32 or 31). Anyway - we'll find all that out on Tuesday. Have a great weekend.

The Final Countdown Begins

Nothing much is new right now. We've got the nursery together - complete with crib, changing table, diaper stacker, diaper genie, laundry basket and toys. We have a new stroller and a car seat. We have registered all new items with the manufacturers to ensure we get notification of any recalls.

Ken is in final countdown for his finals - he has two days of school left (today and tomorrow) and then several days of finals. He is done with finals on December 20. He starts his bar review course on December 27. They (bar review folk) say he's going to need about 4-5 days of prep time before his bar review course. So the 7 days we thought we had together are now down to 2.

I'm at 33 weeks today, which means only 7 weeks until I'm "full term". I'm starting to hyperventilate a little bit about all the things I want to have done at my office before I split. I'm taking advantage of a quiet day today and tomorrow to get a lot of that prep work done (and cleaning of my cube so things are more easily found). But I know that people here will survive without me.

Next appointment is tomorrow - Ken won't be able to make it and he's quite upset about it, but he needs to focus on studying and getting ready for finals. I'll be talking with an OB/GYN about circumcision and a few other things. We'll see how I did on weight this time around (the appointment after Thanksgiving I had gained about 5 pounds in 2 weeks - but they did give me some leeway because of the time of year). I've been working on eating healthier but my appetite has both increased and decreased at the same time. I don't know how better to explain it other than I am hungry at the same time I am overly full. Any formerly pregnant woman probably knows what I mean.

The 4 am wake ups I'm getting from Milo (our cat) are killing me, but I'm usually able to go back to sleep. I'm so glad I allow myself a cup of coffee in the morning, I don't think I'd be able to survive right now without it. Hope all is well with everyone! Have a wonderful holiday and I'll blog again soon.

Bobo is Home

Ken came home last night without incident from his trip home for his grandmother's funeral. He learned a lot of interesting things about her life that he didn't know before, and connected with family he had not seen in many years. He said it was a wonderful celebration of her life and that he was glad he was able to go. Like his dad said "When they're 42, you mourn, when they're 92, you celebrate their life."

Ken was also able to bring home "Bobo" (aka Teddy) - a bear that he and his father had growing up. The bear is a little over 50 at this point and is just adorable. I'm calling him Bobo (for now) because Ken made reference to Mr. Burns on the Simpsons and his bear (whose name was Bobo) and how a good bear will stand the test of time (like Bobo) so for now, the name has stuck. Ken said he didn't think the bear really had his own name, but he's checking on it.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for keeping up on the blog. From time to time I do wonder if any one's reading it or if it is worthwhile to do - but based on the reaction Ken got at home I'll keep it up. That's it. I'll do more next week - next doctor's appointment is on the 8th and we'll be meeting with a male OB/GYN to discuss medical issues surrounding circumcision so we can make our final decision there as well. Have a wonderful weekend.