Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Birthday wishes and baby showers

It's been a week since I've updated the blog, and I'd say there's been a fair amount of things going on in our world. We went to the doctor last Tuesday and Dr. Sarah told Michelle that she is not dilated at all and at this point, the baby will likely go to term. Another very real possibility is that Michelle will have to be induced. I know I've written this out here before, but it's been several months...Dr. Sarah will not allow Michelle to go any longer than the 25th of July before inducing labor. That's less than a month away!!!

As of last Wednesday we were at 36 weeks and still pre-term by definition. The baby is still putting on pounds and is likely around 6 pounds and putting on an ounce a day! The baby has begun to shed the downy covering of hair and the cream-like substance that allowed it to survive in the amniotic fluid. The baby actually swallows these things and that stuff stays in their bowels and becomes their first bowel movement. GOO!

On Thursday the 21st (Michelle's birthday!), my entire team threw a baby shower for Michelle and I. It was a cookout during lunchtime in the parking lot at work...there was an impromptu washers tournament (which is right up my alley), all kinds of good food and lots of sun. It was a great time. After that was over, I took the rest of the day off and went home to help Michelle celebrate her birthday. We went purse-shopping (and yes, I went voluntarily), and then had dinner at Houston's on the plaza. When we got home, we had received a phone call from the guy who was going to come out and chip the ginormous brush pile in front of our house, so I drug the rest of the brush out there for him to take care of. Later that night, we had a big pile of mulch instead of a brush pile. That was definitely a busy day...

On Friday night, Michelle's parents came up to visit. We visited with them and had a very low-key night. On Saturday afternoon, it was time for the last baby shower. Amy (sister) and Abby hosted. From what I understand, the ladies had a rockin good time, while Austin, Josh and I went out to the ball field to hit some softballs. My favorite gift from the shower was a pair of Royals socks!!

Sunday was moving day for Amy as she moved from her townhouse into an apartment. I went over to help out with that and then went home to prepare for Michelle's birthday dinner. Shaun, Lisa, Amy, Megan, Josh, and Abby came over to enjoy my (burnt) kabobs and chocolate cake! Don't ask about the burnt kabobs...it was not a good situation :)

This week we're finishing up some landscaping and doing last-minute stuff for the arrival of our new addition! We are buying the stroller/carrier this week along with a new video camera...you know so I can update the blog with videos!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Baby Laundry

Last week we ventured into the baby's room to get all of the clothing and bedding washed before we bring baby home. It was pretty cool that there was so much laundry, but we could do it all in one load!



We have a doctor's appointment this afternoon at 4pm. I love the fact that we get to hear the baby's heartbeat every time. The baby's movements are much more pronounced now than ever, and Michelle is finding it harder and harder to sleep. Only a few short weeks and we'll be a family of 3!!

Love to last a lifetime

These days are always the most interesting for me. As a dad-to-be in a few short weeks, some days bring overwhelming emotion to me. I don't know what it is or why it happens, but most times things trigger these deep-seeded emotions to well up. Things like this article that I read in the KC Star today at work. Don't ask me why I read it, but I did. It makes me realize how incredibly blessed Michelle and I have been. This article is very powerful, and for me it evoked emotions that are hard to describe, but I wanted to share this with all of you, because that's the point of this journal of our lives. Before you click on the link, I'll give you a brief summary. This article is about a young Kansas City couple who find out around 20 weeks that their child has birth defects and will not be viable outside the womb. This details their decision to carry the fetus to term and their determination to make every moment of Zeke's life worthwhile, no matter how short of time that may be.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

where to begin...

Let's start with the baby. We are officially at 35 weeks today, and that pretty much means that the baby can come any day. Judging by the way the pregnancy has gone, I would say we will be waiting for a good while longer, but that's just my gut feeling. The baby weighs over 5 pounds and has stretched the uterus to 15 times it's normal size! The baby is also 18" long. Her kidneys and liver are now fully developed. Guess it's almost time!!!

The baby now hiccups regularly and I felt it for the first time last night. I know I've written several times that I don't know when it will be real, but it's now officially real for me. I don't know if there was a specific event that triggered this, but I know that when we go to the hospital, we're bringing home our child. I shared this with Michelle this morning...I had my first poopy-diaper dream last night. Apparently in my world, the baby comes home at the age of 2 and you can ask the baby whether or not they have a poopy diaper and they'll tell you. Michelle tells me that this is not the case :(

We had a great time on Saturday and a big thank you to everyone who was able to attend. It was so much fun to see everyone and create new memories.

We heard about a couple of great baby stores in the Kansas City metro and Michelle scouted them out earlier in the week, and then we both went on Monday night. The name of the store is Once Upon a Child and there are 2 of them in Kansas City (both in or around Overland Park). It is a consignment store, with mostly gently used items, but some items are new. It was nice to know that not everything has to cost a bundle of money!!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Congrats John and Anna Marie!

John and Anna Marie Vitale welcomed their newest addition to their family yesterday afternoon at 1:58 PM. Joseph Michael (JoMike) weighed in at 9 lbs. 15 oz., was 22" long, and had a headful of dark hair, just like Mom.

CONGRATS!!!

the smell of a freshly painted room

Over the weekend, we had a living room painting party. Megan came over on Saturday morning and while Michelle was working at the farmstead, we began to paint the front room, stairwell and hallway. During the day, Grandpa Smith stopped by to change the locks on the house. The house was a rental before we owned it, so we don't want any extra keys floating around :) Throughout the day there were numerous cameos by different Madisons. Josh and Abby stopped by to lend a hand with the painting, Amy stopped by for a little bit, and Garret and Morgan even made it over for a cookout later on Saturday. Garry and Morgan were in town to do a bit of shopping, so we gladly accepted the company.

Sunday brought lots of sunshine and good weather to KC. Michelle and I went to the 10:00 mass and then came home and then did our best to finish up the outstanding painting that needed to be done. We were on quite a roll when we had to stop and go to a benefit at the Farmstead where we volunteered. The benefit was for the Farmstead, Operation Breakthrough, and the Jewish Community Center. It was VERY fun and we were able to meet some awesome people. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Yesterday Michelle worked on putting the final touches on the paint so we could put things back in their rightful places today. There were a couple spots that she couldn't quite get to so we finished the job completely after softball games last night. We'll be taking pictures tonight and I will load them up sometime soon.

Late this morning, we went to our doctors appointment. Normal heartbeat and everything was measuring normally. The sleepless nights will only get worse Dr. Sarah tells us. Speaking of Dr. Sarah, she managed to cut her thumb open deep enough to require stitches, and she's been directed to not do any surgeries or put on latex gloves. Let's hope we don't go into labor anytime soon! She did also mention that if Michelle does go into labor now, they will not stop it, as the baby is now viable outside the womb.

One of the new fun things that Michelle has discovered is that she can feel hiccups. It's a very rhythmic movement and typically lasts no longer than 2 or 3 minutes. Pretty cool...
Michelle's also been woken up each of the last 4 or 5 nights by her hunger. Now, you might think that being pregnant, she would reach for a slice of pizza, or a brownie dipped in ketchup, or a chocolate garlic pickle....but not my wife. Nope, 2 nights ago she polished off the bowl of cantaloupe in the fridge...for those that know Michelle, that's pretty typical...and pretty funny!

One more thing...nothing like a little FREE FOOD for a Tuesday afternoon/evening!