Little Gym Rat

As part of your 1st birthday present, your Mom and I signed you up for a semester of classes at the little gym. You've been going every week ever since and you love it!


I had the pleasure of taking you to your first couple classes and, last week, I got to go with you and Mommy (and Brady) to your last class for now. (We're taking the summer off for swim classes!)
It was amazing for me to see the transformation in you from your first class to your last. You were so much braver in trying new things, really understood some of the games a lot better (like getting the bells) and more sociable with the other children. And, of course, you're almost working, so that's a big deal right there!
But, going to these classes has been great for us, I think. You're kind of fearless, definitely friendly and not afraid of things like giant parachutes or flipping upside down.




I just heard word from your Mom that your first swim class was a success! And true to form though we're a bit behind in the fact that you've never been submerged in water and, therefore, aren't a pro at holding your breath, but your boldness and braveness paid off. You were the only kid who went down the water slide today without crying...and you had a big smile on your face too!

So from Gym class to swim class...here we go!

It's Week 36, and you've got class!

Wow. It's week 36 already! That's the beginning of your ninth month! Just about 4 weeks to go, but theoretically, you could come as early as next Saturday and be considered full term!

But we're keeping our fingers (and legs) crossed for a March debut! But, if you come in February, we won't think you're any less cool!

We celebrated the beginning of your Ninth month in a classroom in the basement of the hospital in which you'll be born.

It sounds boring, I know. But it was anything but boring!

Your mother and I learned so many cool things about labor and pain management and delivery and what happens next!

There's a lot to learn here, dude!

Your mom and I learned some breathing techniques to promote calm (but none of the hee-hee-hee-hooooooo lamaze stuff you see in the movies), I was taught a couple very simple massage techniques (one using a pool noodle) to help your Mom's back, your Mom learned a couple stretches and exercises to help lull you into the right position and loosen her hips. We learned about the magical uterus!

We learned all about different ways to cope with the pain, fear and anxiety about labor. There are tons of things the partner (me) can do to help your Mom work through early labor before we get to the hospital.

Apparently joke-telling isn't one of them.

The teacher had all the women in the class put a clothes pin on the most-sensitive part of their ear and keep it there for one minute. The partners weren't allowed to interact with them at all. The clothes pins stayed on for one minute.


Then we tried the experiment again, but this time, the partners could interact. So we held hands, I played with her hair, did some shoulder massage and told some really awesome jokes.

Your Mom initially thought that she preferred the version Without me! Because, apparently, I was annoying. But, then she learned that the second clothes-pin-on-ear segment lasted for TWO minutes! And she thought it had gone by as fast- if not faster- as the first one.

Turns out I'm not completely useless (much to our collective dismay!).

But, I learned a lot of obvious things too: don't argue with Holly during labor; don't tell her to do things she's already doing (breathe!); don't ask her stupid questions (apparently there are such things!), and don't tell jokes just because I'm nervous. But, I can still be funny if the moment calls for it. I think it was foolish to leave it up to me to determine when that moment may be!
We learned alot about Drugs. Most of our lives they teach us to "Just Say No" to Drugs. But for pregnant women, there are several options to help manage the pain of labor. One is a Narcotic (called an Analgesic) one is an Epidural (which sends pain medicine directly into an area in the spinal column). Before this class your Mom was thinking of being completely drugged up the entire time. She was operating under the axiom that, with today's technology, a woman doesn't need to feel any pain in the labor and delivery.
And that's true! The epidural can be administered so well that the Mother can't even feel contractions. She has to put her hands on her belly to physically feel for them to know when to push!
After seeing these videos and learning more about the options, your Mom has changed her mind. She wants to try to go as long as possible without the drugs. In effect, she wants to feel some of the pain! But, when she's no longer satisfied with her ability to cope, she'll get the druggy druggy drugs.
But her philosophy on the pain management has changed. Your Mom's idea is that a woman shouldn't have to feel any pain that she doesn't want to feel!

At the end of the class, we got on a tour of the facility to see where you will actually be born! We saw the Labor and Delivery rooms (we're definitely requesting one with a jacuzzi in it!) and our Private Room where you, me and your Mom will stay for about 48 hours after your birth.
We also got to peek into the nursery and see two newborn baby girls. They were under an hour or so old, and way bigger than I thought they'd be. Or way bigger than I thought you will be! It's still amazing that a creature that size is inside your Mom's womb right now!
It's even more amazing to think in about 4 weeks we will all be back at that hospital, in those rooms and finally, you will be here!
I watched a little animation at the end of this blog that shows how much you've grown (from a poppyseed or smaller to a watermelon). I must admit, though I didn't cry or get teary eyed, I knew at that moment that when you arrive, I'm most likely going to cry. This was re-confirmed for me while we were sitting in the Private Post-Birth Recovery room where the new family of three will be reunited for the first time. I daydreamed about you, me and your Mom sitting there together. And I knew, again, that I'm going to be so happy to see you, to finally meet you, that -yup-there will be some old fashioned waterworks going on.
But, hopefully I don't cry like a baby. Because, at that point, you'll officially be a baby- instead of a fetus- and crying like one will officially be your job!
Oh, and for the record, I didn't last for 15 seconds with the clothes pin on my ear.

Baby School

On Saturday, your Mom and I celebrated the beginning of week 27 by spending the whole day in school. Yep, Saturday School. But it was totally worth it: we took a class on Baby CPR, Baby choking remedies and Baby Care (including bathing, swaddling, changing, immunizations, nursing, and more).

We are totally still a little scared, never having children before; but these classes made us feel a little more confident and a little more ready for you to arrive.

When we entered the class room, the first thing we saw was the pile of identical babies stacked up in the corner. It was a bit odd, to say the least, but- really- where would YOU keep your pile of babies?

Then we learned how to do chest compressions just in case your heart stops. Don't worry, though, the teacher said that baby CPR, while a vital skill to know, is one that is hardly ever used. Which mean, you're gonna be just fine! But just in case you're note, your Mom and I know exactly what to do!

Then we had to breath right into this baby doll's mouth to help resuscitate it (as part of the CPR)-- but the doll never woke up! But at least I got to breath into a doll's mouth. Cross that life-goal off my list!

We finally graduated from the CPR class to the baby care class. I think I started out quite well and impressed everyone with how tightly I held the baby's head. Dad of the Year!

And then, of course, we learned to change the diaper. But, I imagine, you'll never have a diaper change as clean and easy as with the doll. For starters, this little fella didn't even excrete anything. But he was anatomically correct-- which was pretty frightening. Your Mom even pointed to it in the middle of class, leaned over to me and asked "WHY??????"

Now that we're officially less than 90 days away from meeting you, it was good to have all this information under our belts (or hats, or wherever we're gonna keep it).

Don't get me wrong- we still don't know exactly what we're doing...but we're getting closer!