Juuuust Waiting...

Just sitting here, waiting for baby girl.  We're 1 week and 3 days out from our due date.  Although I've heard that only 2-5% of babies are actually born on their due dates.  I think it's harder this time around because with Leo, he came so early that we didn't have time to sit around and drum our fingers waiting.  This time we were totally ready at -3 weeks...and here I sit, getting bigger every day, watching new stretch marks bloom every day.  Yeah, I'm trying not to worry about that, but it is frustrating. 

We have our "go bags" in the car, we have our Leo plans and backup plans and backup to the backup plans.  We are ready.  It's not like I can even "catch up on sleep" now (which is a total myth, by the way) - being 9 months pregnant isn't the most comfortable thing.  The baby like to dance and stretch, particularly between 10pm and 6am.  That's why sleeping is so tough.  A couple nights ago, I swore she punched a hole straight through and was making her appearance from my ribs - it was the single biggest kick/punch/stretch I've ever felt!  I made Brad check that she hadn't actually broken through.  Don't worry, she hasn't.

What's she doing in there?  Just dancing and getting fatter.  Yes, I want a nice, squishy, fat baby - who doesn't?  That means that she's ready to be on the outside.  I also cringe to think - the fatter the baby, the tougher the delivery.  You know what I can do about it though?  Nothing.  That's what I keep reminding myself.  The baby will make her entrance when she (and my body) are ready.  Until then, I'll keep trying to figure out why kind of dances she's doing in there.  The kazatsky, the can-can, pirouettes, jumping jacks - I can only imagine.

My biggest thing was I didn't want to have a Christmas baby.  So starting December 23rd, I was counting down the hours until December 25th was over.  I kept thinking "if I go into labor now, how long would it have to last so that I made it to 12:01am on December 26th?".  In fact, I really wasn't sleeping the night of December 24th or 25th anyway (thanks, baby break dancing), so I was just calculating the hours until we were in the free and clear.  Well, we made iiiiit!!!  So now, despite the obvious tax benefits, my next countdown is until January.  I would LOVE to have the baby in January instead of December.  I feel like January is just a fresh start to the year.  I like the month of January much better than getting lost in the wash that is the end of December.  So as I write this, it's 8:30pm on December 30th.  Can we make it until January 1st?  There's 27.5 hours until we cross over into the new year.  We'll see! 

In the meantime, Leo is doing great!  I think he's starting to understand the fact that a baby is coming.  He loves to lift up my shirt (and the shirt under that, and the stretchy pants waistband under that until he gets to my belly) and point to my belly and say "baby, baby", and recently he's been kissing my belly.  How sweet is that!  He knows the room at our house is for the baby - there's a crib and a gliding chair which are both "baby" things.  Sometimes when he walks by he points to it and says "baby".  Last week he was hiding in there as I was trying to get him ready in the morning.  So at least he feels comfortable in there!

We've had a lovely, low-key weekend here.  We had family Shabbat on Friday - all of the vegetarians and carnivores were happy with real wings, "chicken" nuggets, jackfruit sliders and more.  You know what the unexpected winner was, especially with Leo and Riley?  Cauliflower tempura!   We've built and knocked over dozens of towers.  We got a brand new box of crayons which I'm super excited to use (I mean Leo - Leo is really excited to use).  Daddy came over to watch part of the Alabama game last night, we went to play at the mall today, and we've made two Target runs.  Here are Leo and I yesterday.  We hope everyone's had a nice weekend!

Prepping for Baby Girl

Well, we're almost 3 weeks away from meeting the baby and we're getting really excited!  We have a massive list of things to get done before the baby comes and a list of things to bring to the hospital with us, pack Leo's Go Bag and have him set up with plans to be taken care of (thanks Zee!!!).  Most of the things on our list have been checked off which is really exciting!

Want a sneak peek of what the baby's room is looking like?

White on white on white.  Now that's a blank slate, huh?  We've ordered some cute wall decals so once they come, we'll start getting the room ready.  Until then, this is how it shall remain.  Leo hasn't realized that we have slowly been taking things out of his room.  We took the rocking chair out a few days ago and moved things in his room around a bit so he has a new short side table with a drawer that he loves to put things in, and his little arm chair so now he has a reading look which he loves!

And now, here are the survey results!  I asked Brad to pull the results and instead of making a chart with all of the results, this is what he's done:

To make it easier, here's the chart with everyone's answers.  Thanks for playing, everyone!

Name	Date	Time	Weight	Length	Hair?	Hair Color	Eye Color
Rachel	Dec 25	10:30 AM	6lbs 2oz	20"	Yes	Brown	Brown
Lauren E.	Dec 27	3:01 AM	7lbs 2oz	21"	Yes	Brown	Grey
Brad	Dec 28	10:30 AM	7lbs 2oz	21"	Yes	Brown	Grey
Aunt Erin	Dec 28	4:14 PM	7lbs 12oz	21.5"	Yes	Brown	Brown
Great Grandma Judy	Dec 30	7:00 AM	7lbs 0oz	21"	Yes	Blonde	Blue
Zee	Dec 31	10:57 PM	7lbs 7oz	21"	Yes	Blonde	Brown
Bibi	Jan 1	2:22 AM	7lbs 8oz	20"	Yes	Brown	Blue
Meredith	Jan 1	3:15 PM	7lbs 3oz	really long	Yes	Brown	Grey
Grammy	Jan 2	6:00 AM	6lbs 14oz	20"	Yes	Brown	Blue
Poppa	Jan 2	12:34 PM	7lbs 5oz	19.5"	Yes	Brown	Blue
Lauren D.	Jan 2	3:30 PM	6lbs 14oz	20"	Yes	Brown	Grey
Stacey	Jan 2	4:12 PM	8lbs 2oz	20.5"	Yes	Brown	Grey
Aunt Nanny	Jan 2	7:35 PM	7lbs 3oz	19"	Yes	Brown	Blue
Aunt Alissa	Jan 3	3:15 PM	7lbs 4oz	19"	No	Brown	Hazel
Uncle Merle	Jan 3	5:17 PM	7lbs 7oz	19.5"	No	n/a	Grey
Leah	Jan 4	6:14 AM	7lbs 2oz	21"	Yes	Brown	Brown
Aunt Arielle	Jan 4	10:30 PM	7lbs 8oz	20"	Yes	Brown	Brown
Craig	Jan 5	12:35 PM	6lbs 8oz	13"	No	n/a	Brown
Grandma Carol	Jan 7	9:15 AM	6lbs 10oz	21"	Yes	Brown	Grey
Jamie	Jan 12	9:34 AM	7lbs 2oz	21"	Yes	Brown	Hazel

I've been trying to get a good video of the baby kicks and whenever she's going like crazy I either don't have my phone on me, am at work, or don't; have the energy to try and record it.  Even as I type this, she's flipping and thunking and bouncing off my organs.  But for now, this video shall have to do.  As you can tell, she's running out of space:

Here's are a few bonus pictures of Leo reading his Elmo book in bed last week (thanks Aunt Alissa and Uncle Merle, he LOVES the book!) and he has a new comforter and blanket (thank you Grammy!).  He's so excited about the lion blanket, he points it every day.

A Typical Morning

I just wanted to take a minute and share with you some of the fun things we do in the morning as we're rushing to get out the door.  I asked Leo if he wanted to wear a bunch of different shirts and he said no to all of them untilllll we got to the Elmo shirt.

Since my back is not in good shape, we do "boomies" down the stairs.  Sometimes that entails Leo sitting on my lap and we do boomies together, but this morning he decided he could do them by himself today.  And yes, this video is 2.5 minutes long which is sometimes how long it takes to get down the stairs. (these are two videos, so look at them on the blog itself):

Brad and I got Leo a sticker book for Hanukkah and he wanted to play with them this morning.  If this isn't a decisive kid, I don't know who is:

Happy Tuesday!

Baby Pool & Things Leo Loves

It's time again for our (apparent bi-annual) BABY POOL!

You can take the survey and tell us what you think her birth date will be, how much she'll weigh, etc.  We're excited to see your guesses!  The official due date is January 9th.  Readyyyy go!
Click here:Baby Stamm Pool

I went to the doctor this week with a special visit from my mom!  She got to hear the baby's heartbeat - a solid 145.  I'm measuring a little small but my doctor says that's totally fine.  I told her I feel huge and she laughed.  She is pretty sure the baby is head-down which is great and she'll be able to confirm next week.  She also said she thinks I'm going to have the baby early - I couldn't tell if she thought that because she has a feeling or her medical training is telling her so.  We'll see!

Here's the 35 week bumpdate picture:

Things Leo is loving these days:

• Books, books, books!  This kid cannot have enough books read to him.  He carries them around the house, to and from the car, and reds them in bed to himself
• Choosing between two things - do you want to eat from the bee plate or the giraffe plate?  Do you want to wear the animals shirt or the dino shirt?  Do you want to read this book or that book?
• Telling us "Up, mommy, up, up", and doing the hand motion telling us to stand.  And he won't take no for an answer.  He does the same thing with "Sit.  Sit.  Daddy sit" and points to exactly where he wants us to sit.  It is so adorable, Brad and I kvell whenever he does it (Even though it is getting harder and harder these days for me to stand and sit at a toddler's whim)
• Being a picky eater - he'll love something one day then decide the next day he no longer likes it
• ELMO!  Oh my gosh does this kid love Elmo.  And Ernie too!  And also Big Bird!  Thanks to you all, he now has an amazing collection of Sesame Street swag - he has Elmo slippers, a little Elmo stuffed animal, a Sesame Street shirt, 4 Elmo books (!!!) and one Ernie book!  He loves them all so much.  
• 
• Getting a piggy-back ride down the stairs - since I can't carry him down the stairs (or anywhere really), we've come up with a happy middle-ground.  I give him a piggy-back ride down the stairs and nothing makes him happier
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• Putting on his hat and coat at home and promptly taking them off as soon as he's at school
• Talking!  He has so many new words - every day it seems like he's discovered a couple new words, and he concentrates so hard when he's trying to tell us something important.  It is so adorable and amazing to see his mind work
• The bath - and blowing bubbles and drinking bath water and playing with toys.  He would stew in there all day if we let him
• Hide.  Leo loves to hide, especially when I put everything in the car in the morning.  He loves to hide behind curtains and will stay silent until I find him.  He thinks it is soooo funny, and it is!
• 
• His ever-growing list of things that are in his bed at night.  He's always had Teddy, so that's a no-brainer.  Recently he's added Walla (koala), and now there are two blankets because I'm nervous about his cold little feet.  Then usually in the morning there's at least one other stuffed animal or book or occasional toy in bed with him too.  Leo's just like his mommy - he loves stuffed animals!
• Saying whether people and things are happy or sad
• A-sach.  Oh, you don't know what that is?  It's his snack cup:
•  

• Calling out the names of his friends from school.  Arlo!  Henry (eh-ree)!  Blaire (baih), Matthew, Andra (ahn-die)!
• Mana!  Well, Moana.  Well, Maui.  He wears the costume I made him for Halloween as jammies now - his "mana" jammies - so that makes it even more worth it!
• Roughhousing with Daddy:

Do I love being pregnant?

Someone recently asked me if I loved being pregnant.  Do I love it?  No.  Do I think it's a really cool experience?  Absolutely! 

Some people get that pregnancy glow, love when people stop them and ask when they're due, love when people offer them their seats on the bus, love to indulge in an extra ice cream sundae or 2 (although a DQ Blizzard does sound really good about now), and love to set up the nursery for their future little nugget.

I like these things - it's nice!  I have definitely eaten more cheeze-its and bagels than I would normally allow myself (maybe just 10% more). I do daydream about the nursery but refuse to buy anything in advance because I'm a little superstitious.  I am so excited to hold the little baby and bring them into our little family.

But being pregnant is not easy.

A note to people who think pregnancy is magical - do you not get major heartburn?  Does your back not hurt all the time, even when you sleep?  Do you not get restless legs?  Were you not nauseous for a few months?  Do you not get concerned about these lovely new markings you'll sport forever - stretchmarks - even though you use the best oils and creams to prevent them?  I know this is all part of being pregnant.

So do I love it?  No.  Do I think it's such a cool experience that I'm lucky to be able to have?  Without a doubt!  I think it is so fascinating that the human body - my body - can create a human!  Sometimes when Brad looks at me like I'm being lazy (okay, often times it's because I am being lazy (ahem, pregnant)), I tell him to lay off me, I'm growing a human.  I think feeling the baby squirm is so amazing - something that you can feel from the outside but it doesn't compare to be able to feel each squirm, each hiccup, each flip, and each time the baby uses my bladder as a trampoline.  We are nearing the "shoes in the dryer" stage where the feelings aren't flutters, they're not kicks, they are THUNKS.  I feel the baby thunking around, when I wake up in the morning, on and off all day long, and often times right as I'm settling into my pillow fort to sleep.  It is so cool, and I am trying to take it all in and commit to memory what it feels like.  I'm trying to remember each feeling - no matter how exciting, cool, confusing, bizarre, or uncomfortable.  This is an experience that not everyone gets to go through and I consider myself very lucky to be going through it.  And yes, I have even parked in the special parking spots for "New and Expecting Moms" a couple of times - my back is thankful for the saved steps to the front of the grocery store, as is my cold belly which does not fit in my winter coat.

So now, we are T-6 weeks!  If this little baby is on the Leo Schedule, she will make her appearance in 3 weeks.  If she's on the Asher Schedule, she'll be here in 1 week!  Brad, we should think about packing our hospital bags and digging out the bassinet.  Hold on, baby girl, we want you to wait until January 2nd or after.  Our due date is January 9th, so anytime between January 2nd and 9th is what we're rooting for.  I'm doing all I can to make sure that happens - which, as it turns out, is not possible.  Maybe I should cut down on eating spicy food?  Nah.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!  As a reward, here are a few pictures from this past week, showing how big the bump is getting.  I'm measuring right on schedule but I feel really big:

Weekend of Family

Hi all, Brad here!

A couple weekends ago not only did Poppa and Grandma Carol visit, but Grandmommy also came for a visit with Mr. Jerry! It was quite the family filled weekend with tons of fun, baking, and snuggles galore!

On very late Thursday night/ very early Friday morning my parents came for the weekend. I was able to work from home on Friday morning while Leo and Grandma Carol were busy making delicious challahs in the kitchen:

Then for Shabbat we all went over to Bibi and Zee's for dinner and had a great time with everyone!
On Saturday morning Stacey and I went to services while Leo took a wonderful nap on Grandma Carols chest, and I don't know who was more excited about that happening between the two of them. Afterward we all met down at Federal Galley for a delicious lunch before coming back here to hang out. Once Leo went to bed, we had 2 of the best babysitters hanging out while Stacey and I went out for both dinner AND a movie! Yes we were out until after midnight and neither of us fell asleep during the movie, we were very impressed with ourselves.

On Sunday we went down to the strip to go to Pamelas for breakfast and a stroll around to get biscotti at Enricos and obviously found some amazing ELMO! books. Thanks Poppa and Grandma Carol, he loves them!

We then went over to the Science Museum, where we saw and played with everything, but the clear favorite was the CMU designed free throw shooting robot that both Leo and Poppa were entranced by:

We also had fun with the astronaut cutout, some of us more than others:

It was then time for Grandma Carol and Poppa to go back to Boston, but we can't wait for them to visit again, probably when Leo is a big brother... eek!

We rounded off our weekend with a last-minute stop to say bye bye to Grammy and read about some cool trucks!

Halloween 2018

Halloween 2018! 

Here's the little man in his outfit for school.  They had PJ day!  So he was an astronaut.  In this first picture, he's saying "cheese!".  No, he's not saying it to smile for the picture, he's actually requesting cheese - a very common practice in our house.

And here he is, thrilled to have juice with breakfast.  You get special things like juice when you have a cold and the sniffles.  Can he look any happier?  Cheese AND juice???  Lucky man!

After school it was time to get ready and dressed for trick or treaters.  Since Leo looooves Moana, we figured who better to dress up as but Maui!  For weeks before, I hand-drew tattoos all over his costume, I cut out leaves and sewed them all over his shorts, added a twine belt, made his necklace with "teeth" on it and I even made him a hook.  

Leo wasn't thrilled about putting on the Maui costume but we finally got it all on and he looked adorable! For a while he helped us hand out candy since most kids come between 6-7, even though it runs until 8. 

We finally got out to go see a few of our friends so we were able to get a picture of Maui, Moana and Heihei (yes, the chicken)!  Leo got the hang of picking candy out of bowls when it was offered to him, and our neighbor across the street even let him ring her doorbell!  That was a highlight. 

For reference, this is what the Moana crew really looks like:

We all had a ton of fun and Leo was preferential to the peanut butter cups. Yup, he's ours.

(this blog entry has been co-authored by Brad and Stacey)

School Pictures

Ah, school picture day.  Leo took his official school picture and when I picked him up from school and asked how it went, his teachers said "ummm, yeah, they weren't really able to get a picture of him.  I have no clue what that means, but luckily the next day was picture make-up day so they were able to get a picture of Leo.

When we got the proofs back, we saw what they meant.  The "official" picture of Leo is chaos - his hair is insane - both sticking up in the back and swooping to a point in the front (it's time for a  haircut), he had a smirk but his eyes looked like he was stoned - so strange!  So needless to say, we did not purchase that picture.

Instead, here is the picture we did get (and the other cute one)!  What do you think?  And here are all of his little friends in his class that he has been naming for us:

Sleepy Leo & Bumpdate

This morning when I went into Leo's room and he was still sleeping (which is rare), so I sat on his bed and rubbed his back.  He streeeeetched a full body stretch then blobbed over until his lead was on my lap.  Then he barely cracked his eyes, saw my phone, and said - oh so sleepily - "Mana, Pishies (fishies).  Emmo (elmo).  Pishies".  I was like come on, man, at least open your eyes before you start making requests like these.

Sleeping beauty: 

Reading his Elmo book in the kitchen this morning which he looooves:

He quickly moved onto his next activity, eating cheese and challah:

I finally got him to wear his hat!  Now if only he'd wear the winter coat:

Gratuitous tushy pic - he was showing off what he learns in his swimming lessons at school - mostly blowing bubbles, swallowing water, splashing, and making the tub a wave pool:

Brad and Leo reading stories together:

Bumpdate: I am officially 31 weeks pregnant!  This means that in theory, we have 9 more weeks before baby girl comes.  If she is anything like Leo, it means we have 6 more weeks.  If she is anything like Asher, it means we have 4 more weeks.  Oh gosh, this is making me nervous now.  Okay, let's just plan on 9 more weeks like the traditional baby is.  

What do you think, do I look like a pumpkin smuggler?  Tis the season, I guess.

This little baby has been moving around so much!  I've even felt a few full-body flips.  Mostly it's tap dancing and aerial ballet, I imagine.  Lots and lots of movement, which is great to feel.  With both pregnancies, I have never felt fully comfortable until I've felt the baby move on my own - it's nice to hear the heartbeat when I'm at the doctor's office but until I can feel it myself, I don't know that the baby is in there and moving around.  There's no doubting it now, there's a baby in there.  I have my next check-up next week, but so far the baby has been measuring right on the mark where she should be.  

How am I feeling?  Pretty good!  I've been really sleepy lately - I don't remember being this way when I was pregnant with Leo.  It's probably because now we have Leo.  My back is just starting to hurt so I'm wearing a crazy contraption of a maternity belt.  Heartburn, but that's to be expected.  A little trouble sleeping so I'm using my "pillow fort" pillow, so that's helping a bit.  Besides that, I feel really good!  

And Brad and I have been thinking about names for Baby Stamm.  We have some that we like, so at least that's a start!