Get Up and Boogie!
If you were smiling when you read the title of the Daily today then you know what's coming. This morning, Elijah woke up at 5:00 calling for his mommy to take him to the potty. I got out of bed to take him and he did not like it. He wanted MOMMY to take him. Well, as expected, Mommy is in bed comfortable and 9 months pregnant, and would rather not get up just yet. So I picked him up with his protests and put him on the potty. Nothing. "I want MOMMY to take me. I want MOMMY to take me!!" I stood there for about a minute. Finally, Deb comes into the bathroom and as soon as she says, "I'm here," he starts to pee. How bizarre. Anyway..he gets in our bed and it's pitch black in the room. We lay down to get a final hour or sleep and out of the blue, he makes an announcement. "I got the boogie!!" What boogie. "Daddy, mommy, I got the boogie!!!"
So Deb casually asks, "What are you going to do with the boogie, Elijah?"
"Put it on the bed."
"Um...sweetie...make sure you put it on DADDY'S pillow....K?"
"Um...OK, I'm gonna put it on the bed."
Well, I guess he moved his arm to "put the boogie on the bed" but what he failed to consider was that I was hugging him at the time. My arms were wrapped around him. So the next thing I feel is his finger running down my arm, ridding himself of the boogie. Of course, I started waving my arms in rejection of said boogie and yelled, "OH MAN!" (for those of you who are familiar with Dora the Explorer). Well, Deb has a queasy stomach. She always has but this pregnancy thing has her stomach on edge 24/7. She can't even be in the bathroom when Elijah is "sticking." So she puts 2 and 2 together as I am waving my arms and starts gagging violently. Finally she sits up to get her breath. She nearly vomited. I was hysterical in silent laughter and Elijah fell asleep (he could breathe now).
Worst part? I still can't find the boogie.
Don't hug your honey when his nose is runny...you may think it's funny but it's snot.
By today, the circumference of Deuce's head and abdomen are about equal.
FALSE vs. TRUE LABOR....If you stand or walk when you're having a contraction, the force of gravity will make the contractions more efficient and will reduce the time of labor. By the end of pregnancy, the smooth muscle cells of the vagina are enlarged and the supportive connective tissues are reduced. Thus, the vaginal walls have become sufficiently relaxed to permit the passage of Deuce during birth.
If Deuce is a girl, over the last three or so days the labia majora has formed over the labia minora. Wow. How many men out there know that there were TWO!
Frequent urination can help labor progress: a full bladder will push against the uterus, causing discomfort.
This date in the Elijah pregnancy marked Deb's last day of work. She's sticking it out this time until the 8th of May. Trooper!! Actually, we have had no real concerns to date so she feels comfortable going into work. Everything is progressing nicely!!
That's all for now!! It's the last day of the month so I need to get back to work! See ya tomorrow!!
dad
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Monday, April 28, 2003
The Final Frontier
It kind of hit me yesterday. Deb, Elijah and I were getting ready to go to the Phillies game. It was a beautiful 73 degrees and we were going to celebrate the Phillie Phanatic's birthday. Elijah was so excited and there were 40,000 people there. In the car I thought, "I am going to the baseball game with my NINE month pregnant wife." She's been pregnant for NINE MONTHS! WHOA! Isn't that when the BABY comes??? We are so close!! In any case, if you saw the sports news, then you know what happened at the game. After the Phanatic's celebration (it was great), Kevin Millwood of the Phillies went out and threw a no-hitter against the Giants. The first no-hitter at Veterans Stadium in 13 years. Phenominal. So, right after the last out was recorded and there was a big celebration on the field, I looked at Elijah and said, "you just witnessed HISTORY!!" He looked at me with big wide eyes and said, "YEAH!! I saw Phillie Phanatic's birthday party!!" OK, so we have a little ways to go with the baseball thing. Anyway, he must have been TOTALLY into the whole thing because when we got home at 5:30, he got in bed and did not get up until this morning at 6:15. I mean, the boy was OUT. When he opened his eyes this morning his first words were, "Daddy...I don't have my jam jams on."
What a weekend it was! Our wedding anniversary started out great - I sent a dozen roses to Deb at work on Friday and she CALLED OUT. Great! So.....one of her co-workers, and fellow Daily reader I must add, Kelly, brought them home and I spent Saturday morning driving to Yardley to pick them up! Thank goodness they survived and look great.
The bag is packed and you preggos should make sure yours is too!! I got a portable electronic Yahtzee game in there and lots of other goodies! Ya gotta be ready!!
Within the next three days, the circumference of Deuce's head will roughly match the circumference of its shoulders and its hips.
FALSE VS. TRUE LABOR....The contractions of true labor become progressively stronger and more painful as time passes and aren't interrupted by changing one's position.
When timing contractions (your doctor will have you look for contractions a certain number of minutes apart), don't expect perfect, even intervals. If, for example, you are supposed to call your doctor when your contractions are four minutes apart, expect them to be about four minutes apart rather than exactly four minutes apart.
DID YOU KNOW...that in the Mayan culture, a midwife gives a woman a special massage twenty days after she gives birth. This massage marks the end of the postpartum period.
As you might expect, Deuce's limbs are bent and drawn close to its body. Because of the space limitations in the uterus now, the movements of Deuce are quite restricted.
DID YOU KNOW...that when a Comanche Indian woman is in labor, she goes to a clearing a short distance from her camp where three four-foot stakes are set in the ground ten feet apart. She walks while she labors, and during each contraction, kneels down near a stake, grasping it on a level with her head. She is assisted by a female relative.
"Parents: People who spend half their time wondering how their children will turn out, and the rest of the time when they will turn in."
Have a great Monday everyone!!!
dad
It kind of hit me yesterday. Deb, Elijah and I were getting ready to go to the Phillies game. It was a beautiful 73 degrees and we were going to celebrate the Phillie Phanatic's birthday. Elijah was so excited and there were 40,000 people there. In the car I thought, "I am going to the baseball game with my NINE month pregnant wife." She's been pregnant for NINE MONTHS! WHOA! Isn't that when the BABY comes??? We are so close!! In any case, if you saw the sports news, then you know what happened at the game. After the Phanatic's celebration (it was great), Kevin Millwood of the Phillies went out and threw a no-hitter against the Giants. The first no-hitter at Veterans Stadium in 13 years. Phenominal. So, right after the last out was recorded and there was a big celebration on the field, I looked at Elijah and said, "you just witnessed HISTORY!!" He looked at me with big wide eyes and said, "YEAH!! I saw Phillie Phanatic's birthday party!!" OK, so we have a little ways to go with the baseball thing. Anyway, he must have been TOTALLY into the whole thing because when we got home at 5:30, he got in bed and did not get up until this morning at 6:15. I mean, the boy was OUT. When he opened his eyes this morning his first words were, "Daddy...I don't have my jam jams on."
What a weekend it was! Our wedding anniversary started out great - I sent a dozen roses to Deb at work on Friday and she CALLED OUT. Great! So.....one of her co-workers, and fellow Daily reader I must add, Kelly, brought them home and I spent Saturday morning driving to Yardley to pick them up! Thank goodness they survived and look great.
The bag is packed and you preggos should make sure yours is too!! I got a portable electronic Yahtzee game in there and lots of other goodies! Ya gotta be ready!!
Within the next three days, the circumference of Deuce's head will roughly match the circumference of its shoulders and its hips.
FALSE VS. TRUE LABOR....The contractions of true labor become progressively stronger and more painful as time passes and aren't interrupted by changing one's position.
When timing contractions (your doctor will have you look for contractions a certain number of minutes apart), don't expect perfect, even intervals. If, for example, you are supposed to call your doctor when your contractions are four minutes apart, expect them to be about four minutes apart rather than exactly four minutes apart.
DID YOU KNOW...that in the Mayan culture, a midwife gives a woman a special massage twenty days after she gives birth. This massage marks the end of the postpartum period.
As you might expect, Deuce's limbs are bent and drawn close to its body. Because of the space limitations in the uterus now, the movements of Deuce are quite restricted.
DID YOU KNOW...that when a Comanche Indian woman is in labor, she goes to a clearing a short distance from her camp where three four-foot stakes are set in the ground ten feet apart. She walks while she labors, and during each contraction, kneels down near a stake, grasping it on a level with her head. She is assisted by a female relative.
"Parents: People who spend half their time wondering how their children will turn out, and the rest of the time when they will turn in."
Have a great Monday everyone!!!
dad
Friday, April 25, 2003
Beginning today I am going to post the e-mail version of the Deuce Daily here on the weblog. This way, the final weeks will always be archived here as well as on paper. Happy anniversary sweetheart!!!
My Favorite Cliche
Time flies when you're having fun. Man does it ever! Today is five years since Deb and I got married. It was a special day in more ways than one. The weather was exceptional...so much so that there has not been a day like it in April since! It was 70 degrees and breezy and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was truly the most beautiful day in the history of April 25ths. Although I have many memories of that day, one particular conversation I do not remember and I wish I had. It's the conversation that every newlywed couple has. I wish I had a recording of it so that I could play it back today. NO - no - no - stop it. I know what you are thinking and that's NASTY. I DID record that and save it. I would not forget that!! How dare you! :-) No, the conversation I'm referring to is, "Where do you think we will be in five years?" What did we say? Did we say we would have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence? Did we think we would be selling our house and looking for a bigger one??? Did we say that I would be overweight and balding? Man, I wonder what we were thinking... See that's one of the reasons why I write this journal every day. I want to recall everything about life so I can see how far we have come. Deb likes to tell people about my weekly 4-line mini-journals that I kept in high school and college. Each Thursday (Diary Day) I wrote a short description of what was going on in my life and the world. I did this inside my notebooks....while the teacher was talking of course. There were several times that I actually started off my entry with the words, "To my child who will someday read this..." I don't really know what I was thinking then either but I must have been planning my life or something because that kind of freaks me out. Thoughts in your mind have no way of being retained unless you write them down or record them in someway.
Anyway, this morning while Elijah was trying to say "Happy Anniversary," we were trying to explain to him what an anniversary was. "Happy Versary" was how he was saying it. Finally I showed him a wedding picture on the wall and he said, "That's a picture of Mommy and Daddy getting married." So I told him our wedding was 5 years old and he said, "today it's the birthday of when you got married." That's it!
Deuce's intestines are accumulating considerable meconium, a dark-green mass of cells and waste product from Deuce's liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. This meconium will be eliminated shortly after birth, but it sometimes can be eliminated before, if the birth is delayed too long. In the latter case, fecal material will be present at birth in the amniotic fluid.
By today, Deuce's toenails have reached the end of the toes. After Deuce is born, you may need to trim its fingernails and toenails.
If you feel like you have extra energy, save it for labor - don't weed your entire garden or strip and wax your floors!!! Hear me Speck???
Now you preggos have probably discussed the difference between false labor and true labor with your doctor. The main points will be reviewed here in the Daily over the next several days to keep them fresh in your mind...
FALSE vs. TRUE LABOR: With Braxton-Hicks, or false-labor, contractions, the pain begins in your lower abdomen. The contractions that accompany true labor begin in your lower back and the pain spreads to your lower abdomen.
Maryann checks in this week with this e-mail for everyone....
"Well, here I am towards the end of my 38th week and still only one centimeter dilated. The doctor said not to let that upset me because you can go into labor and things can progress very quickly.
I am hoping to have the baby next week, just a feeling I have (hope I'm right)!! Tell all the preggos out there to just be patient, there's not much else you can do. I know it's really hard to do that especially with all the anticipation and excitement!
I'll give another update after my appointment next week. I hope your wife is feeling better.
Take care!
Maryann"
Thanks Maryann....and Deb is doing fine. We bought hand splints last night at the drug store and wearing them makes her feel a little better. Last night she had trouble holding the steering wheel of her car. The doctor says carpel tunnel is common in pregnancy and it should go away after Deuce is born.
"We have here a baby. It is composed of a bald head and a pair of lungs."
Everyone have a great weekend!!!! See ya Monday!!
dad
My Favorite Cliche
Time flies when you're having fun. Man does it ever! Today is five years since Deb and I got married. It was a special day in more ways than one. The weather was exceptional...so much so that there has not been a day like it in April since! It was 70 degrees and breezy and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was truly the most beautiful day in the history of April 25ths. Although I have many memories of that day, one particular conversation I do not remember and I wish I had. It's the conversation that every newlywed couple has. I wish I had a recording of it so that I could play it back today. NO - no - no - stop it. I know what you are thinking and that's NASTY. I DID record that and save it. I would not forget that!! How dare you! :-) No, the conversation I'm referring to is, "Where do you think we will be in five years?" What did we say? Did we say we would have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence? Did we think we would be selling our house and looking for a bigger one??? Did we say that I would be overweight and balding? Man, I wonder what we were thinking... See that's one of the reasons why I write this journal every day. I want to recall everything about life so I can see how far we have come. Deb likes to tell people about my weekly 4-line mini-journals that I kept in high school and college. Each Thursday (Diary Day) I wrote a short description of what was going on in my life and the world. I did this inside my notebooks....while the teacher was talking of course. There were several times that I actually started off my entry with the words, "To my child who will someday read this..." I don't really know what I was thinking then either but I must have been planning my life or something because that kind of freaks me out. Thoughts in your mind have no way of being retained unless you write them down or record them in someway.
Anyway, this morning while Elijah was trying to say "Happy Anniversary," we were trying to explain to him what an anniversary was. "Happy Versary" was how he was saying it. Finally I showed him a wedding picture on the wall and he said, "That's a picture of Mommy and Daddy getting married." So I told him our wedding was 5 years old and he said, "today it's the birthday of when you got married." That's it!
Deuce's intestines are accumulating considerable meconium, a dark-green mass of cells and waste product from Deuce's liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. This meconium will be eliminated shortly after birth, but it sometimes can be eliminated before, if the birth is delayed too long. In the latter case, fecal material will be present at birth in the amniotic fluid.
By today, Deuce's toenails have reached the end of the toes. After Deuce is born, you may need to trim its fingernails and toenails.
If you feel like you have extra energy, save it for labor - don't weed your entire garden or strip and wax your floors!!! Hear me Speck???
Now you preggos have probably discussed the difference between false labor and true labor with your doctor. The main points will be reviewed here in the Daily over the next several days to keep them fresh in your mind...
FALSE vs. TRUE LABOR: With Braxton-Hicks, or false-labor, contractions, the pain begins in your lower abdomen. The contractions that accompany true labor begin in your lower back and the pain spreads to your lower abdomen.
Maryann checks in this week with this e-mail for everyone....
"Well, here I am towards the end of my 38th week and still only one centimeter dilated. The doctor said not to let that upset me because you can go into labor and things can progress very quickly.
I am hoping to have the baby next week, just a feeling I have (hope I'm right)!! Tell all the preggos out there to just be patient, there's not much else you can do. I know it's really hard to do that especially with all the anticipation and excitement!
I'll give another update after my appointment next week. I hope your wife is feeling better.
Take care!
Maryann"
Thanks Maryann....and Deb is doing fine. We bought hand splints last night at the drug store and wearing them makes her feel a little better. Last night she had trouble holding the steering wheel of her car. The doctor says carpel tunnel is common in pregnancy and it should go away after Deuce is born.
"We have here a baby. It is composed of a bald head and a pair of lungs."
Everyone have a great weekend!!!! See ya Monday!!
dad
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
As we approach the due date for Deuce, preparations are being made for this very website to become the home of what is now called, The Deuce Daily. Many people have asked how the Daily came to be. I will put the story here on the site so it is forever archived. When Deb got pregnant in March of 1999, we named the fetus Peabody. It was nicer and warmer to say than "the baby" or just "it". I became curious with what was going on inside Deb's body and subscribed to several newsletters that explained the daily development of the fetus. Each day, I sent Deb an e-mail with those details. It was called the Peabody Update. After 6 or 7 months of sending her 5 e-mails per week at work, several close family members asked to receive copies of the Update. By the time Peabody was born and became Elijah, about 5 people were getting the daily updates. They stopped the day Elijah arrived. When we discovered we were pregnant this time in August 2002, people pushed me to re-start the newsletter and I decided I would do that only if I could use it partly as a personal journal as well. The Deuce Daily was born in October 2002. We started with 10 or so readers and it now goes out to over 100 people. Who knows how many read it because many readers go and forward them on to other people as well. It's wild. I just find it so amazing that people want to read the personal diary of a regular guy.
Anyway, I want this site to grow into a home of sorts for my writings going forward. After Deuce is born, I am going to discontinue sending daily e-mails to everyone and will instead feed this site with information that would have gone into the Daily. I am still working on titles, style and other things.
So that's it for today. I am also working on another blog called "Pick Your Noise" with my buddy Richard. It will be more music based and will link to this blog. As always, send me an e-mail, and keep in touch!!
Anyway, I want this site to grow into a home of sorts for my writings going forward. After Deuce is born, I am going to discontinue sending daily e-mails to everyone and will instead feed this site with information that would have gone into the Daily. I am still working on titles, style and other things.
So that's it for today. I am also working on another blog called "Pick Your Noise" with my buddy Richard. It will be more music based and will link to this blog. As always, send me an e-mail, and keep in touch!!
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