Breast feeding and Hypnotics

Yet again I am slacking at my blogging duties. I hope you all will forgive as I have been very busy with work as we prepare for the inspection of inspections for the aviation maintenance world. Well now that that is done with and you have forgiven me I will continue with an update in the happenings of our little world. Well it is that time in the pregnancy where you start taking all of the classes, deciding if you want a natural childbirth or to be so hopped up on medication that the 60's start to look like a good idea or if you want to quit and go home. Well seeing a quitting and going home is out of the picture that leaves us with natural or medicated (Would you like cream and sugar?). Well all of the stars would have to align for Amanda to be able to go with the medicated route so it looks like we are preparing for the natural childbirth. So this week we began our classes, Tuesday and for the next 4 Tuesdays we will be attending Hypnobirthing. Last night we went to a breast feeding class...Yes i went too and no I do not intend to attempt it, nothing worse than a baby with a hair ball.

Now you my be thinking "Hypnobirthing? What is that? Do you need a pocket watch to take it?". I will start with the pocket watch question first, No you don't need one, but if you would like to send me a nice watch anyway I would not complain. No let's take a look at the first two questions, hypnobirthing is a birthing technique similar to Lamaze. It focuses on the relaxation of the mother to reduce the fight or flight instinct and ensure that blood flow remains in the right areas in an attempt to reduce the pain as well as speed the pregnancy along. It is thought that by being calm and relaxed the time spent in the delivery room can be reduced by being able to control the pain and needing to come to hospital only a short time before the baby is born. If anything if has helped me to relax a little easier, which the instructors say is their ultimate goal, if you do give birth naturally they at least would like everyone to walk out and be able to relax in everyday situations. I personally think that after the first class there may be something to it and I look forward to the remaining sessions.

We now come to the breast feeding class, this is by for the one of the most natural things in the world and it is healthy for the baby, but you may be asking why I was there and here is the simple answer, because it was recommended. I know why it was as well, because pregnant women cannot remember a thing, so the hope is that by having the spouse there he will be able to help remember some of the techniques taught in the class. I think this one was informative in what to watch for to help with the process and to learn that for the first two weeks Amanda is not allowed to do anything but breast feed. Every other chore imaginable will rest with me, so don't be surprised when you come over and end up scrubbing the toilet bowl. Now these are only two of the classes, we have baby boot camp in a couple of weeks, and sometime in October we will probably be be taking prepared birth...I think somewhere in there I will learn to change a diaper, it is too hard. Is it?

Now I will leave with these thoughts, whose idea was it for all of these classes, I mean you don't think that cavemen sat around watching a woman with a rubber breast attempt to teaching the group how best to get their baby to latch on do you? No they probably learned as they went or ran out screaming "I'll be right back I have to go and kill dinner!!!" only to return without dinner after the breast feeding was done. Well that is a thing of the past, my daughter and wife deserve whatever misguided help I can provide.

The beauty of Craig's List

Well it has been a while, because I guess I just suck, but even though I have not been writing doesn't mean I don't care. In the time since I last wrote a lot has gone on. I have wrestled with a shark, painted Little P's bedroom a very nice "soothing" green, helped friends move and oh by the way we have purchased the ever important baby furniture. That's right the furniture has been bought, there's no turning back now, especially since multiple times during the day you can see Amanda's stomach move like a little alien is trying to kick it's way out. She really kick's up a storm anytime you push on the stomach, lay a head or a cat on the stomach or shine a flashlight there. She is actually quite picky about being disturbed. Now let me veer of this tangent back to the purpose of today's writing: baby furniture.

There were I don't know how many on the chopping block and of course we bought none of them. In fact we were led to this fine set through the popular and ever famous Craig's list website. We ended up paying what we would have spent on any of the other sets, but we got a set that was worth about twice as much as the others even if it was used. When our neighbor came to see the set she asked us what store we bought it at because it looks brand new, it also came with all of the accessories to convert it to a twin sized bed as Little P continues to grow. I have started to migrate the furniture to the bedroom but I could only get the crib up there at this point because it is the only part that comes apart into small enough pieces to be manageable since the entire set is made of solid wood instead of pressboard. However we have yet again added to our move weight, so hopefully we don't get moved until I am least one more pay grade higher, otherwise I may have to strap some of our furniture to my back and move it myself. After getting the crib into the bedroom and putting it together we have realized that we did a fine job in selecting colors as usual, and of course we are being modest as well in saying that. I just hope that Little P realizes now that that will be her bed for a long time to come, especially since after her fourth birthday Amanda and I will get a steak dinner when we win a bet. Gotta love free steak, Thanks Dave!

Quick Update

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks great. The babies measurements and movement looked great. Also, the doctor says I am growing at a good rate. Hmmm....I know I am pregnant but you never want to hear you are growing at a good rate when none of your clothes fit. Thankfully it is the summer and I can wear dresses.

Weekend Fun!

For Forth of July we had a wonderful time at Little Captiva with The Morreale's. We spent the time fishing, beaching and eating. Oh and Anthony caught a shark...yes he spent 20 minute bringing a shark into the beach and about 45 minutes getting the shark to go back out. That is a story to ask about!!

Even though it was hot and buggy, it was a wonderful trip that P enjoyed greatly. I know this because most of the weekend she slept and was not kicking. I have found that anytime I am moving or in motion she is fine but the moment that I sit or god forbid try to sleep she is kicking and tossing away. Two nights ago Anthony actually felt her kick for the first time, his comment was doesn't that hurt. Hmm..not really it is just soothing to feel her healthy and moving. I think I am starting to get excited and moving past the initial shock that there is a baby actually in my stomach. I can't ignore it now, most of my clothes do not fit. Thankfully it is summer and I can get away with wearing dresses.

Besides our trip, we have been spending a lot of time and money getting the house together and nesting for our new arrival. So far we have moved furniture, organized the office (now office/guestroom), painted and this weekend we are having laminate put in downstairs. Next we will be on to P’s room. What do you think she would like?? I am thinking green and pink..girly but not over the top. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

It's gonna be a soccer player, It is!!

Well as you can all see below our little one is looking less and less like an alien and more and more like an actual human baby. So I guess our hopes that it might have been a puppy or a kitten have now been dashed, so we will have to try again next time. However I think our odds may be pretty low on that front. It is fascinating to watch as the development occurs, the kid is already looking like SHE, yes I said SHE, might be a superstar at soccer. She easily lined up with Amanda's bladder and took a shot, I thought it was funny but I guess a pregnant woman who has just drank a quart of water and was not allowed to go to the bathroom might not agree. As I watched I also caught a bit of her mother's attitude peeking through. The head turn with the whatever look, she will make an outstanding Valley girl when she gets older. It was a great experience to see the baby bouncing around and turning toward us and yawning. Next we may decide to go for a 3D ultrasound, A.K.A. the baby in a bottle experience, now you may wonder why I call it that. When you look at one they are so detailed that it looks like you are looking at a baby in a bottle, I know it's kind of morbid (you can thank the wife for that). Initially she wanted nothing to do with it for that reason, but now with the great experience Friday she is looking forward to possibly doing it. If we do expect to see it make an appearance shortly there after.

I know just from the ultrasound that I am going to have a handful with this little one and that she is going to be exceptionally spoiled. I can deal with that though, because I can spoil them, but they are also going to be taught to respect what they are given and understand that it takes work to get it.

Tasers and STDs

Well, we are nearing the time when we will know what flavor our child is going to be "blue" or "pink". This Friday we (and by we I mean Amanda) have an ultrasound. After that I expect a flurry of excitement, pictures being sent to people, posted on the blog, facebook, myspace, telephone poles, milk cartons...well you get the picture, Amanda will be letting everybody know, I on the other hand will know whether or not I need to invest in a taser to put over the mantel to remind a daughter that her boyfriends may be subject to its use. Well you may be wondering why I would make such a comment and as usual I fully intend on telling you (here is where you groan). Well if a daughter happens to be born, then eventually she will get to the age to begin dating, if that happens then she will have boys attempting to court her, and as having previously been a boy I know that at a certain age a different part of boy's anatomy takes over the mental calculations and processes. When this happens boys become very dangerous because many will do and say anything to round third base and head for home plate, while this is a very natural part of being alive, I as a father would prefer that this not happen while they are quite so young. Looking back I can now see what parents are talking about, the prospect of being a father at 28 is scary, just imagine while you are still in high school.

Now you may be thinking now that you know why I want the glass encased taser "oh sure he is going to have that there to scare the poor kid", ah, but you would be wrong, my plan is that on their first date to shoot him with it in the chest area, followed by telling him that if anything that requires any more than a jacket to be removed the next shot will be lower. I know this sounds harsh but when my daughter is accepting the Noble prize she will thank me. Also, for the record, I have a couple of plans in mind if we have a boy. The first also utilizes the use of a taser to the nether regions and telling him that that is what sex feels like, but Amanda may veto that, so instead the plan is to make him start working while going to school, and paying the money to us as if we are raising his kid and we will invest it for him so he can go to college and some day accept the Nobel Prize. Lofty dreams and harsh methods, I know, but I am not a father quite yet so I can still tell everyone that I am going to be the mean hard ass parent, but we all know that I am probably going to be somewhat of a push over, so in both cases they will be forced to watch the STD video I had to in boot camp that showed what an STD could do to some very important parts, I know that scared the hell out of me.

Fear of the Pink Walls

Well it has been a while since my cynical self posted and for that I apologize, I have had no inspiration for some reason. I truly think that work has been sucking it right out of me. So now that I have returned I must say that our little alien appears to be developing at an alarming pace to look more and more like an actual human. We are soon to start the painting of the babies room but first we want to wait until we find out for sure that we are having a girl. You may be thinking "Why it sounds like he is positive that they are having a girl" and to be honest with you I would be totally shocked if we had a boy as would Amanda. Now here is my reasoning, while not at all scientific or even rational, both of my parents come from families with three kids all of the same gender. Then they had two boys, and their siblings all had one gender. So I suspect that we will only have one gender and since I used to play with radiation quite regularly I am quite sure it will be all girls for us. In addition to this a good friend of mine is convinced that since I know him it will also be all girls for us because all of his friends have had nothing but girls. So as you can see I have quite convincing evidence that I will be living in a home of estrogen. As frightening as it may sound I think I will adapt just fine. Regardless I will love my child unfalteringly, even when she sets the house on fire playing with matches and brings home the school bad boy on a date(now him I don't promise to even like), but they will have my love and affection. I am getting more excited by the day and in about 2 weeks we will know what we are having and can go into the buying frenzy, i just have to talk the wife out of everything being Pink, the kid will need some diversity in their life.

Month Recap

I am really not good at this blogging thing J So, in the last month this is what has happened:

1. We went home to AZ for 2 weeks. The main reason for going home is that Nick and Tessie graduated from College but also just to see family. It was really nice to go home and really hard to leave. It makes me sad, that like me and my brother, my children are going to be far away from their family. It also makes me really jealous because besides friends, we have no one else to help out. If I need a babysitter, if I have questions, if something comes up, it will always be up to us to figure it out. I just really hope that everyone knows how fortunate they are to have family close by. (I am not stepping down from my soap box.)

2. I now have to give myself nightly shots of Lovenox a blood thinner because of my past blood clot. This is by far not fun. However, I have gotten used to it by now and how to make it the least painful as possible. Only 6 months left to go.

3. We bought a SUV this last weekend. We decided to trade in my beloved, but falling apart, F150 for a Honda CRV. I love the CRV so far. It gets good gas mileage for and SUV and has all the options (including leather) that I wanted. It was just hard writing out that check. We had been saving for 3 years to buy the vehicle with cash but seeing the money gone from my account does make my heart flutter a bit.

So the big question how am I feeling??
I have had a lot of headaches lately and sharp pains in my stomach. The headaches come every afternoon and are just a reminder that I am alive. The pains however the Dr. tells me is just from things moving and shifting in my stomach. I have a little baby bump (enough that all my pants that used to fit are tight) but I am excited about getting big enough to show (and not look bloated) and also I really want to feel the baby. At this point, I just don’t feel like there is a baby there. We also found out that in 3 weeks we will have an ultra sound and hopefully at that point find out how the baby is doing and hopefully the sex. Anthony and I both thing we are having a girl and would be shocked if we have a boy, even though we really don’t care…as long as the baby P is healthy.

And Then There Were Screams

Well here I am again wondering hmmmm do i want a kid of my own? We have been back home with the family, which includes my two young nieces. They are a couple of really cute and adorable little girls most of the time. They run around being all energetic, but then they hit that threshold for fun and all hell breaks loose. They start to get crabby and argumentative. Heaven forbid the youngest be put down for a nap in her play pen even though she can't hold her head up. That is about the time the air raid siren known as her lungs go off and the screaming ensues. While everyone who is party to the scream fest is thinking oh she will wear herself out here shortly she has plans to hit new highs that I did not think were possible of a child. Eventually she is removed from the play pen and she stops. However, I sit there and think do they all make noises like that? Alas but they all do at some point.

I realize that this will just be a part of fatherhood that I will have to deal with eventually and I know that the lifetime of being a father will be well worth the things that may cause me to second guess myself, and as long as I can maintain my excitement of being a father I think I will be ok. Again I must say that my nieces are energetic and adorable and I love being around them and even if the do get crabby and scream sometimes, I think we all do and having kids will be my biggest adventure yet.

Dreams of Borneo

Yet again we have been out in limbo and have not been able to post, by limbo I mean preparing for vacation to visit the family and traveling to Arizona. Well the family is just ecstatic that there is going to be a new little one running around. However, if I were to ask Grandma V several years ago about grandchildren she would have gone running and screaming while looking for her emergency reserve ticket to Borneo. This is exactly the reaction we were all expecting when the first of her grandchildren came into the picture, but now a year and half after our niece was born she has proven that she is in fact not afraid of those little human replicas. She is already making plans of activities she will do with her next grandchild and plans to come and visit, spoil the kid rotten then leave just when he/she is starting to drive us crazy. So despite what a grandparent may say, even if they insist to not be called a grandparent, remember they are still a grandparent and secretly excited about the prospect.

Grandparents aren't the only ones that claimed thoughts of escape to Borneo, there was a time when I was one of those who claimed they would never bring that sort of terror into the world...that's right a little Ellerbe loose in the world. I guess there must be a preprogramed age where all of a sudden a guy is like damn I think I want to unleash a terror on the world, especially since every parent is supposed to have it 10 times worse than their parents had it. If that is the case I had better lock up the gasoline I had planned on keep in the kids bedroom, hell I almost blew myself up with novelty colored hairspray. There's no telling what a kid of mine could do with anything remotely flammable. So please remember you should be happy that I opted out of the trip to a tropical island in the middle of the South Pacific to keep you all safe from the dangers inherent in the child of a former pyro.

Barber School Rejects

What is the most degrading thing you can think of that many people may PAY to have happen to them? If you guessed a bad haircut, you would be right, if not well you are wrong and in that case you need to work on your clairvoyant abilities and get back to me when you are up to the task. You may be asking yourself, What the hell does a bad haircut and a blog about a baby that has yet to make an appearance except through sound generated pictures have to do with each other? Well it has to do with yet another important lessen that we learned while bathing the cats and I just didn't write about until I could show you the full magnitude of that lesson. So in our infinite wisdom we decided that one of our cats was in need of a slight trim, what we didn't take into account was the fact that a wet cats fur looks totally different than a dry cats fur. Now if you can guess where I am going with this just go ahead and skip to the video. Well anyways we took our scissors to one of our cats to trim up some areas that were clumping up and the bath wasn't helping with and needless to say in the end she looked like she picked a fight with a weed eater and was given the walloping of her life. The worst part is she knows that she looks this way. You may ask how I know this, well it is in the way she parades herself in front of us like look what you did to me while glaring at us.

Now I get to the part that pertains to the little ones as well as the lesson we learned. If your kid needs a haircut, pay a professional to do it, because kids squirm more than a wet cat in a shower and a professional is trained for the hazards that ensue and you are not and deal with them the rest of the time. However if you insist on doing the job yourself GO EASY ON THE WATER. It's easier to get the picture of what it will look like in the aftermath of your epiphany that you are a barbershop genius. So no with now further babbling here is our poor poor cat that lost the fight with the weed eater. Please enjoy and no snickering from you in the back.

Just Keep Swimming

Today I just keep telling myself, “5 more days and then vacation”. I can not wait to go back to AZ for a whole 2 weeks and hopefully relax. I think that both Anthony and I need some time to just break and organize. With work, baby, home, car, health etc…it is hard to really stop and prioritize what to do next. That is the problem right there, what to do next. There is always something that has to be done. I guess this is life but I keep thinking this can not be all what life is about. Maybe I will not have that answer until the very end.

Along with things to do, tomorrow I have my first appointment with a prenatal specialist. Due to my DVT (blood clot), I am a high risk patient for pregnancy so the doctors on base made me a referral. I am really nervous what they are going to say. I am hoping that they will just watch me closely but I know that they may put me on a heparin drip, which would mean weekly shots, blood checks and doctors appointments. Please no! It is amazing that one little clot in my let changes everything in my life. Well, I will report back when I know more.


But in the mean time…
You know what you gotta do when life gets you down?

Just keep swimming

Just keep swimming

Just keep swimming swimming swimming

The Fur is Flying

Well today we came to a halting realization today, we will also have to bathe P on occasion. All rational convention would suggest that we may even want to do it more often than we bathe our four furry children, which is about once every 6 months. But of course P probably won't fight it tooth and nail, or at least not until the age of 2. So that at least is a plus. Now back to the bathing of the cats. This evolution took major preparation, planning and deceit to accomplish, and they still are probably plotting our demise. 

So the Evolution began with us luring them out onto the patio so we could cut their nails, then we staged the towels and got into bathing suits, and then moved them to the bathroom. They immediately knew what was up and began attempting to flea across the border into mexico. The next stage was probably most traumatic for all involved, the actual washing of the cats. One was washed at a time while all four treated us to the symphony of yowls you would expect if you were to put two cats in a sack and tie the sack up. Not pleasant at all. Finally we had to attempt to dry them which end with us getting the majority of water off them and putting them outside. Oh and by the way one decided to give me some additional practice at being a father and peed on me as I took her back outside. Overall an unpleasant experience that left me smelling of pee, Amanda's legs sliced up from bathing, and four pissed off cats that are probably going to trip us down the stairs if we are not careful. So if you don't here from us please come look in our windows to make sure we're not lying in a heap or being dragged into the preserve. If bathing a baby is half as challenging I think we will be ok, at least if we attempt it as a team, but all bets are off if we chance it alone.

Cribs, Strollers and Automobiles

So in preparation for the addition to our family we have been looking into all sorts of things that we are told we will be needing. As that list grows I watch our retirement dwindle. Where shall I start my list...I think we can begin with the cribs, we are told we just have to have the lifetime cribs, you know the ones that go from crib, to toddler bed, to full size bed. No what fun are these, everybody knows that a kid doesn't want a mahogany sleigh bed when they a 5 years old, they want the red ferrari bed that they will out grow in 5 years when they decide they want a futon to go with their bean bag chair. So there is one purchase that would be worth while, so long as they don't break it, when they move out, it moves with them and I finally get my man cave for the pool table, kegerator and projector. The next expense are the strollers, that is if you can ever find the right one, half of them look like the kid is entered into the Daytona 500 with the 5 point harness, then you have to decide does in one touch brakes, should it recline can the car seat go directly into it, how well does it fold up, does it have four wheel drive with locking hubs and rack and pinion steering. I mean it is a method of transport for children until they are old enough to walk, does it really have to have more options than my truck? 

This list can go on and on with baby baths, high chairs, play pens, bassinets, you name it  so I will end it on the one that we will get more use out of. A new car, we are in the market for a new vehicle because despite the fact that we have seen it done, a MINI Cooper is probably not the most practical family car, so we are now looking at one of three possibilities, a family sedan, a gas guzzling SUV or a Goobermobile... I mean minivan. So far the Goobe...minivan is winning out due to the features such as doors the slide on their own, built in TV's, hide away seats. However, even if the minivan wins out, it will still be a Goobermobile and I will most definitely miss the truck when we get rid of it. You didn't really think we would get rid of the MINI did you? Of course not, there are car seats for all ages that fit in a mini, we couldn't possibly show up to a MINI meeting without it. Well, on that note I am going to add up more pending expenses and figure out which organs I can get by without if I need to sell them.