Gametes In Love

In the spirit of keeping our months ahead fun and exciting, we are opening up a fun little game for you all: Our baby pool.

How does it work? You guess the date of birth, weight and other fun facts for our baby. You don’t have to get them all right — the person closest across all categories wins!

And what do you win? $50 and bragging rights 🙂

Hmn… that’s it? Are there any rules? Yes, sadly there are, but it’s only to keep it fair

• one entry per person
• once you enter in your vote you can’t change it
• you have until 8/1 to submit your vote

How do you play? Go here (http://www.polldaddy.com/survey.aspx?id=2b9158907d5849a0) and fill out the survey. Then sit back and wait to find out who the winner is.

Good luck and have fun!

Last night one of the women on my online pregnancy board went into labor. I wish her and her little boy well and hope that everything went well.

However, as I was reading her post and scanned down I noticed how far along she was: 36 weeks and a few days! This Saturday I’ll be 33 weeks. She’s only about 3 weeks ahead. The thought of going into labor in 3 weeks honestly scares me… a LOT! I’m not ready. 38-40 weeks I’ll at least be expecting it, but not at 36.

So here’s hoping that G will inherit his father’s patience and schedule anal-ness. I need at least another month and a half before he can make his appearance.

I’ve noticed a very interesting pattern of conversations that I’m having lately with complete strangers. First of all, I’m definitely approached a lot more frequently by people I’ve never met in my whole life who try to make small-talk. Everyone is super nice, but there is most certainly a trend in how the conversation proceeds. It generally goes something like this:

This is the one that I find amusing. I know they’re curious if it’s a boy or a girl, but the question itself is funny. I should say “A baby! DUUUUH!”, but every once in a while I get a crazy urge to say something like “a monkey”, or other random animal that comes to mind. However, realizing that my normal smart-assedness should be reserved to people who wouldn’t be offended, I just smile, giggle on the inside, and give the proper gender answer.

It’s experiences like this that make me wonder if I used to ask the same thing. And now that I’m going through this experience, I wonder how it will change how I interact with other pregnant women.

… at the very least I’ll probably change the question above to “Do you know the gender of the baby?” And if I don’t — please, feel free to tell me you’re having a monkey of your very own.

The toilet gods are angry.

In retribution for our lack of bonding time in the first tri (no m/s, remember?) they have come out in full force in the third trimester w/ and oldie and a goodie — constipation.

Yes, I never thought I would be discussing my personal habits with others (only recently have I even been able to talk to S), but after a week of this experience, and pregnancy modesty deficit, here I am. I can only count the tiles on the floor so many times, and I’m not ready to count the threads on my socks.

Although I am happy to take meds, I prefer to take them as a last resort. I’ve tried fruits, I’ve tried liquids, I’ve even tried utilizing my labor-class techniques in the bathroom. Nothing! I guess visualization, relaxation, breathing and all the natural stuff isn’t quite bringing me to success. Or at least not quickly anyway 🙁

I’ve never taken Metamucil before, but all my other methods don’t seem to be working. This stuff is gritty and thickens over time. Seriously — it feels like drinking Jell-o. I’m not thrilled about it, but if it works I’ll be singing its praises.

So within 12-72 hours (per the label instructions) we’ll see how well things pan out for me.

Meanwhile, if you have any other more natural alternatives available to pregnant ladies, please share!

Oh yes. It does keep growing. Me at 31w.

Oh, and here’s a cute t-shirt S found surfing CafePress.

This just in: G gets to keep his foreskin!!! That’s right: you read it here folks. S and I have an agreement – no chop for little G! S’ also been doing his research and independently came to this conclusion. Our reasoning was:

• No religious need. Since neither S nor I are practicing anything, we don’t have any religious ties to ceremonies/rights of passage around circumcision
• No cultural demand. Living in CA which is a very diverse environment, just as many boys are intact as those who are circumcised. There’s also a chance (miniscule as it might be) that S and I might live abroad for awhile, and chances are we’ll be visiting cultures where being circumcised is considered “weird”. Besides, the argument “I don’t want our son to be different from his friends” has always been a little weak with me. I dare to ask how many guys actively look around in the bathroom/locker room and compare themselves to those around them.
• Hygiene. Yes cleanliness is next to godliness. A circumcised member is just as Ok as an intact one provided you’ve taught your kid to clean properly. Spending time educating your child in proper hygiene is important for any gender. Brushing teeth… shampooing… flossing… penis maintenance – it’s all par for the course.
• You can always remove it, but you can’t bring it back. Yes, it would hurt (and lemme tell you, I’m sure it hurts at age 0 or 40), but if G in his future comes across either personal religious preference or cultural need, he can make his own decision around this.
• Condoms are still more effective. The African HIV/circumcision study is interesting, and results aside, condom usage is still more effective at preventing HIV infection over circumcision. There are also inconsistencies with the study that you can find about at http://www.circumcision.org.

A few others too, but this is getting long so I’ll spare you.

So yeah. That’s it. No formal debate necessary and I get what I wanted 🙂

… So that means I win, right?

In 69 days we’re going to have a baby!

I think I need to start hyperventillating now.

Panic attack begins in 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 …

(although you’ll read this late)

You’re doing the right thing! I know you feel like you’re missing out, but you are absolutely doing the right thing. We love you, and miss you, and we’ll be right here when you get back.

As a kid I’d always heard jokes about “the in-laws” (typically from dads of my friends, or my own, in relation to their mothers’-in-law). Sometimes I wondered if a mother-in-law was the real-life equivalent of the evil step-mothers I learned about from fairy tale books. When my dating life began I came to see that the families of your significant other come in many personalities, shapes and sizes and whether “evilness” applied was determined on a case by case basis.

I had one relationship where as deeply as I cared for the boy, his parents were determined to hate me. To this day I have no idea why. His mother tried acquiring him a book titled “How to break up with your boyfriend” hoping that there would be applicable sections on how to deal with a girlfriend. I knew that parent relationship wasn’t going to last the very first dinner we had together – she made fish… with said boyfriend knowing explicitly that I don’t eat cooked fish.
In a different relationship, which ended awfully, I was saddened not as much to loose the guy, but to loose the connection to his family – I think I liked them more than I liked him.

And then of course there is the BIG one: my in-laws now. All I have to say is that I absolutely love my acquired family!!! I feel fortunate and lucky. They’re patient, caring, non-judgmental of me and they’ve accepted me since the first day we met. I know they’re there when we need them and always offer a helping hand.

Case in point: our most recent visit to the East Coast. S and I don’t get a chance to visit nearly as often as we’d like (money, work, trying to evenly share holidays). This trip was to see S’s parents’ new home, visit with his grand-ma (who is a spunky 93 year-old) and visit with our niece and nephew. S’ sister threw a shower for us!!! Many of S’ uncles, aunts and cousins came. It was great to see everyone be so happy for us, wish us well, be so generous, and give us some words of wisdom. Kelle (S’ sister) asked each to write some fatherly or motherly advice. My favorites were:

• “Don’t ever say they won’t do something because they’ll do just that” (yeah, my parents will agree with this one)
• “Run… RUN” — Thanx Lloyd!
• “Baby food jars are great for storing nails”. (Follow-up question: Is that before or after they’ve been emptied?)
• “Urine is sterile”… but apparently not good as a cleaning solution

I also appreciated having everyone’s address written on the back of each advice card — when the advice doesn’t work out, at least we know where to ship G for some extra support.

I know G will be loved and cared for by so many people between my family and S’. I feel fortunate to have and be part of this family and wouldn’t trade them in for the world! Oh — and my mother in law (AKA as Grammie R)… she couldn’t come close to an evil step-mother if she tried.

I am normally a great sleeper. I can sleep through just about anything and fall asleep just about anywhere… except tonight. It’s a quarter to 2 a.m. and yet here I am writing. Why you might ask? We’re on a flight to the East Coast on our way to see S’ family. I’m pretty excited about the trip overall, but this is brutal! Between Mr. Snory-pants on my left, Sneezy two rows behind me, Mr. Snuffles behind and to the right, and of course the Non-Stop-Talking Wondertwins I am wide awake. That paired with just me not being able to get comfortable and my feet swelling up like balloons, I’m just miserable.

Never before have I wished for ear plugs in my life.

I’m finding some relief in a pair of headsets I religiously carry in my back-pack and some NIN mp3s on my laptop. At least this is drowning out most of the other sounds.

The worst part to this is knowing how I’m going to feel in the morning — crap! If I can’t get sleep I will be nauseated until I get the pre-requisite amount of sleep my body needs. I’m not looking forward to that bit what-so-ever. I still have work conferences I have to dial into in the morning.

So you think impending motherhood is what’s making my ears perk up at every sound around me?

Either way, I’m finally caving in and making ear-plugs another mandatory item on my travel packing list.