Snow Day- take 2

It started to snow late Tuesday night and as of 10 pm Wednesday it has not really stopped. From our measurements we have at least 12 inches. The snow is supposed to continue into tomorrow with another 5-10 inches expected before it stops. Here are some pictures that we took tonight of the front porch.

It is now Thursday evening and the snow has still not stopped- we are now up to at least 20 inches. We enjoyed another snow day at home -relaxing and getting some projects done around the house to prepare for Claire. Here are the updated pictures from the porch taken around 8pm tonight.

30 Weeks

30 has been a big number for us this year since we both turned 30 this Spring. It's no surprise that when we hit 30 weeks with Claire that we felt it was a big milestone. We celebrated with classes...first a Prepared Childbirth class and then a Babies, Baths, and Bundles class.

We were lucky enough to have the option of a private childbirth class with Nikki. It was great to have a class tailored to our questions and concerns. We learned a lot about the process- when to go to the hospital, what to expect when we are there etc- and we both feel more comfortable now.

The Babies, Baths, and Bundles class was enjoyed with our friends Natalia & Barry who are also having a baby girl in December! This class focused on the basics for when you bring the baby home. Making use of a doll we learned to change a diaper (Dave had a leg up on this as he changed the diaper of a real baby girl in his Daddy Boot Camp class), give a sponge bath, and swaddle a baby. It all seemed pretty easy on a doll that does not cry or move- somehow we think that Claire is going to be a bit more of a challenge!

Baby Business

Tonight we attended the baby business class at St. Joseph Hospital where Claire is scheduled to be born. We learned about the policies and procedures of our hospital and filled out lots of paperwork including a birth certificate form! Then we were taken on a tour of the maternity ward and were able to see everything from where we park upon arrival, the triage (early labor) rooms, the labor and delivery rooms, the postpartum rooms, and the NICU. The hospital is designed beautifully and with one of the top NICUs around it seems to be the best place to welcome Claire into the world. Completing the paperwork and taking the tour definitely made Claire's due date seem very close. It is hard to believe that we are only 11 weeks away from getting to meet her.



Check out St Joes Baby Place at: www.exempla.org/body.cfm?id=535

The Glucose Test

On Wednesday I had the displeasure of experiencing the 3 hour glucose test. It starts with 12 hours of fasting followed by a blood draw, chugging a horrible glucose drink and then hanging out at Kaiser for 3 hours and getting 3 more blood draws. The previous 2 glucose test had been a breeze so I was not expecting this one to be all that different. However, the fasting along with the glucose drink made for the worst day of my pregnancy thus far. I thought I would be able to hang out and read a book for the 3 hours, but about 30 minutes in I felt very ill and took them up on the offer of a bed where I proceeded to sleep in between the blood draws. The long morning and the feeling ill was worth it as we received the results today and I am within the normal range so we will not have to be worried about gestational diabetes and the impact that it could have had on Claire's health before and after birth.

Congratulations to the Borish Family!

Kelly, Tom, and Alexis Borish welcomed Brandon Karl Borish on October 10, 2009 at 10:23 pm. He arrived a little early at 35 weeks and 4 days but weighed in at 4 lbs 3 oz and at a length of 16 3/4 inches. Both Mom and baby had an eventful first night but as of Sunday night are doing well (Kelly would probably be better if the Patriots had not lost to the Broncos in OT). We are looking forward to introducing Claire to Brandon next summer..

What a Month!

We're a little behind on the postings because we have been enjoying time with friends and family over the last few weeks. In September we enjoyed a fun weekend in Chicago where we were able to spend time with Allison and Ross and attend the wedding of Steve and Raegan.
Pictures: (1) The DKEs (2) In front of Cloud Gate aka "the bean"

The next weekend we headed to New England for 9 days of fun with Melissa's family and friends. Our first stop was to meet Baby Grace Fagan and hang out with the Simmons Ladies. Then it was on to New Hampshire where we caught up with the group at Dover Marina (Melissa's Dad's work) before heading to dinner with Kelly, Tom, Alexis, Amy, Sam, and Abby. On Sunday we had a lobster dinner and watched the Patriots game with the family before heading to dinner with Pete, Theresa, Pascal and Martha. We spent the rest of the week with the family and with the Borish family before heading to Nantucket for the wedding of Shane and Erin. It was the first time to Nantucket for the three of us and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful island, attending the wedding, and seeing the MIT DKEs.

Pictures: (1) Dave, Melissa, Emily, Madison, and Owen at the Deb Tone Farm (2) Enjoying a walk on Marginal Way in Maine (3) Erin & Shane taking their first dance as husband and wife.

Since completing our coast to coast travels we have been enjoying putting some finishing touches on Claire's room and starting to really plan for her arrival. The baby classes begin this week and Claire has been maintaining her active level in utero, letting us know that she is planning on being a handful when she arrives. We are looking forward to the challenge!

We were able to catch some of her movements on video and have posted one of them here. Pay attention to the lower right by the belly button but please ignore the ugly scars on Melissa's abdomen!