Thursday, May 29, 2003

Reality Bites

I had a life moment yesterday and it's lasted until today. Thanks Dad. Yesterday afternoon I was on the phone with my Dad; it must have been around 4pm. We were chit chatting about this and that and he asked why I wasn't playing softball this year. Then he said something so profound. It didn't hit me at first - it took its time sinking in. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how true it was. You see, when I started playing softball I was 17 years old. I played on my Dad's JCC team - I was the youngest player on the team by far. The average age was probably 40 or so. There were some guys who were in their 60's and some in their 20's but most were 35-45. I used to get teased all the time because I was the baby. Fast forward to 2003 and this conversation with my Dad yesterday. His comment was:

"Now you'll be at the age where you'll be the same age as the other guys."

Vomit.

Damn! My son will soon be going to the games with me on Sunday's and someday...maybe HE will be the youngest player in the league. Now, approaching age 36, I am more than DOUBLE the age I was when I was the baby. Somebody STOP THE TRAIN already!!

Enough. I am not complaining...just facing reality. Life is a moving train and you have to have your camera ready at all times so you don't miss capturing ANY of the landscape.

Oh..and by the way...I can STILL hit a softball farther than Dad. ;-)

Send me e-mail!

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

BABIES BABIES EVERYWHERE!

Must be something in the water...another baby arrived yesterday! Arianna Alberti came into the world at 3:17pm at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees. She weight 6 pounds 8 ounces. Her mom is Sandra Alberti, who is Deb's sister. That makes us Aunt and Uncle again! Sandra was a reader of the Deuce Daily and was one of the eight pregnant women who read it every day so we will add Arianna's picture to the collection. I am gathering pictures of all eight babies born during the Daily's 7 month existence and will post them on a tribute page for everyone to see.

Meanwhile, Elijah came home early from school with a tummyache. His teacher said he didn't "look right" and said he had a tummyache so I brought him home to his mom and sister for the rest of the afternoon. He ended up eating a four course meal for lunch with TWO brownies so I guess he's feeling better. :-) Meanwhile, Hannah continues to get used to being alive. She gives up two-four hour sleep sessions each night. The key is getting her to take her last evening bottle as late as possible so that she only wakes us ONCE during the night. Last night she ate at 9 and got up at 1 and 4:30. Not ideal. The key is getting her to eat at 7:30. THERE YOU GO!! 7:30...then she eats again around 11. Then night night!! Up at 3 or so and then up for work at 6 or 7! That's the ticket. It's a matter of structuring the schedule so we get there. We are working on it for sure. She's a joy when she's not sleeping!! She sleeps around 20 hours a day still. Tomorrow is her 2 week checkup! It's my late night here at work so I will be able to go to the appointment too.

That's all for now! Please keep checking the site because there are more goodies in store! Also, remember to keep sending me e-mail

dad

Sunday, May 25, 2003

Superman!

See that title line above? OK...now say it about 1,400 times in succession without stopping to breathe. Oh yeah..make it at TOP volume as well. Fun? Did you drive the people around you crazy? Mmm hmm. Just as I thought. This is our life. You would think that Hannah's crying would keep us insane or that her sleep schedule would make us crazy. No. That stuff is completely manageable when compared to Elijah's obsession with Superman. Actually, the obsession is not just with Superman. It's with the Justice League as a whole. It's Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Hawk Girl, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern. He is collecting the figurines and sleeps with them, bathes with them, eats with them and goes to the bathroom with them. When he gets up in the morning, his first words after "I have to go potty," are "can we buy Hawk Girl today?" It's actually a nice change from Buzz Lightyear for a change. On the other hand, it's another obsession to deal with. I will never complain about it because I know that someday when he's 18 years old and obsessing about more involved things, I will be wishing it was the Justice League again.

Hannah is doing great! I will write more about her later on because I have to run some errands now. Check out this awesome picture or her and her brother...

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

The Future's So Bright...I've Gotta Wear Shades

I've been thinking about what to talk about in the final edition of the Deuce Daily. Today is my first day back to work and I am soooo tired that I am not going to talk about anything in particular.

I just wanted to say how humbling it has been for me to see and hear the reactions, compliments, etc. that I have received over the last 8 months from readers all over the country. People who don't even know me have e-mailed me thoughts and stories of their pregnancies. Thanks to everyone for making this so fun for me.

I've already begun to mold the website. I've posted several times there in the last week or so. Please set your bookmarks to www.67167.blogspot.com because it will always be updated with stories about Elijah and Hannah and, of course, with pictures and audio as well. I am also working on getting some video up on the site. I am learning and it's a slow process.

A message board will soon be added to the site so please go there and say hello. You will have a chance to post your own pictures and tell your stories. It will be a virtual family.

So...without further adeu...I am off to my full time job of being a dad to two beautiful children. I don't know what it means, but several people have told me I have a "rich man's family" now because I have a boy and a girl. I guess they are right. I certainly do feel like a rich man. Tired....but rich!

I leave you with one final story....when Elijah and Hannah bonded for the first time it was a moment I will NEVER forget. It was our first day home with Hannah - last Friday the 16th. Elijah was holding Hannah for the first time on his lap. He was gently touching her head and talking about her and at the end he said, "I love Deuce and Deuce loves me." I got it on video. You wanna talk about precious video?? Fahhhhhhh-get about it! Everyone who sees it sheds a tear. You can't help it. It's my life the last week. I have a lot to be thankful for. For some reason, I've been blessed with two angels. I plan to make the best of it.

Peace and love to everyone.

Forever I remain...

dad
(times two!) :-)

Sunday, May 18, 2003


Have you ever seen anything so peaceful in your life??
Life

I have two kids. I say that to myself every few hours. Yep - I got TWO!! Boy and a girl. Yep. Two kids. Then I vomit. How is it that I look up and have two kids? Just 5 minutes ago I was sitting at the kitchen table eating Elios pizza, playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball and thinking about how I was going to pass Geometry. Now...that's right....I have two kids. So...the question arises..what happens to Deuce? Is there a Deuce anymore? I guess there always will be a Deuce. If you ask Elijah, there still is a Deuce - he calls her "Deucey" as much as he calls her Hannah. He also calls her "Cutey" which we all think is so adorable. Deuce will be here forever in one form or another.

I gotta tell you about the video I shot when we got home from the hospital. Deb was on the couch with Hannah and Elijah asked to hold her. We gave Elijah the boppy pillow and we put Hannah on his lap. The next 6 minutes were sent from heaven. Elijah bonded with his sister. He told her he loved her and he touched her with a gentle hand that was guided by the greatest joy. He said, "This is my baby sister!" After a few minutes he passed Hannah to mommy with a smile. He asks to hold her all the time now and after a few minutes he gives her up and runs to play somewhere. It's almost like he's getting his fix of love every few hours. It's awesome to watch.

People have asked what Elijah's reaction was when he met Hannah for the first time. He walked into the hospital room and yelles, "Deuce is out!" Then he asked to see her vagina. Nice.

We have had a constant flow of visitors since we have been home. Parents and friends are coming and going and Hannah is taking is all great. Today, Buba (my grandmother) gave Hannah her first sponge bath. They are 95 years apart in age. Incredible. It's one Kodak moment after another.

That's all for now..I am tired so I am going to rest. I am home from work until Wednesday and there are more stories to tell so stay in touch...

dad

Thursday, May 15, 2003

The Luckiest Man in The World

It's 8:20am and I am in a fog. Last night at 11:40pm, Deb and I were blessed the most magnificent of gifts. Hannah Leora Borenstein. 6 pounds 12 ounces. 19.5 inches long. Pure joy! She looks like her brother!

Deb was on a petocin drip all day long. Contractions began at 1:30pm and she had an epidural at 3pm. She was completely dilated at 8pm but Hannah's head was face up and they wanted rotation so Deb slept for a few hours and began pushing at 11pm sharp. Actually, we wanted to see American Idol and the Sixers game before we started pushing. :-)

Hannah arrived at 11:40. I got to cut the cord and we had 7 people in the waiting room file in. Her first feeding was around 2:45am and she sucked on that bottle like she had never eaten before in her life! I had to say that because I'll never get to say that about her again...

I am home for a brief period and then going to pick up Elijah. He will be meeting his little sister at 10am sharp. It's a moment we have been waiting for for many months. Elijah has a gift for Hannah and Hannah has a gift for Elijah.

Elijah's picture was hanging in the delivery room the whole time...Deb kept looking at it for inspiration.

Enjoy the 3 pictures attached here. They were taken before Hannah was 5 minutes old.

Thank you all for your incredible support and encouragement through everything. This has been a great trip....and it's just beginning!!!

I'll send some followups in the next day or so and then move everything to the weblog www.671967.blogspot.com

on to life!!

dad

WOW - I JUST got word that ANOTHER Daily reader had HER baby this morning at 6:35!!! A boy! Here is the e-mail I received from Becky's manager at work..

"I received a call from Manny and Becky will not be in because she gave
birth to a little boy this morning at 6:35am. Manny said she was having
some pains last night around 4:00 am they went to the hospital around
5:50 am and now she is mother ot a healthy six pound boy. Manny said
that she is fine."
Hey everyone...

I have just a minute here to tell you that we are GOING TO THE HOSPITAL!!!

Deb's water broke at 5:30 this morning and the doctor confirmed just a bit ago that we are going in - TODAY IS BABY DAY!!!

More info later on...I'll keep you all posted - as of right now - not much dilation going on...

dad!!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2003



I can't wait for Deuce!
Too Much TIME on My Hands

I usually don't write on Tuesdays but we are too close to Deuce's arrival to skip a day. Today is Day 264 of the pregnancy and there are TWO days to go, officially, until the due date. I really have not been nervous! People ask me all the time if I am nervous. I am not lying! I am ready for this baby to come and ready for the responsibility of taking care of it. However...the more time that passes before the birth, the more apprehensive I become. Does that make any sense at all? The last few nights have been a bit restless for me. I go to bed and think about the baby sleeping in the bassinet next to our bed...waking up every few hours to eat and crying in the middle of the night. Will Elijah wake up when the baby cries? Will I wake up during the week when the baby cries and then be completely useless at work?? How much will Elijah regress? How much will I regress??? Anyway, you get the picture. I just want this baby to arrive soon so I stop thinking so much. Bottom line is that I honestly cannot wait. I am ready.

Today, Zeide Abe arrives from Florida. I am happy that he will be here when Deuce is born. This is very special to us because Zeide Abe's wife Bobe Ana, passed away in 2001 and Deuce will be the first baby born since then. It's important that Zeide Abe is here because Deuce will be named, in part, after Bobe Ana. It will be a very special time.

The first breaths Deuce will take are the hardest. It has been calculated that the first breathing-in requires five times the effort of an ordinary breath, because the air drawn must expand the thousands of tiny uninflated air sacs of the lungs. It is an effort that can be compared to blowing up a balloon.

If you are planning to breastfeed, you are going to be offering the most well-balanced immune-protective nutrition available to your baby. Each of your breasts gains 1.5 pounds during pregnancy in preparation for nursing. Deb will not be breastfeeding because she is "disconnected" as a result of breast reduction surgery 9 years ago. On one hand, she feels lucky that the breast pain and discomfort is non-existent in her pregnancies. On the other hand, of course, all things considered she would like to breast feed. For me, it's fantastic this way because I get to help 50-50 with feedings. PLUS, when we are 80 years old and everyone has breasts that hang down to their knees, Deb's will be standing at full attention still. :-)

P-Tips....When the baby was in your uterus, its world sounded watery and sloshy. While you can go out and buy a toy that duplicates intrauterine sounds, the sound of running water is also soothing to the baby and will help lull it to sleep. Tape-record the sound of a running shower, water filling the tub, or a running dishwasher and play it if your baby is having trouble falling asleep. We have a series of cassette tapes that we got when Elijah was born that are incredible. They just play heart beating sounds and we believe that Elijah slept well in the beginning because of these tapes.

"Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children."

That's it for today. I remind everyone to set their bookmarks to www.671967.blogspot.com. This will be the home of the Daily after Deuce arrives. The website will be forever expanding and will include pictures, video and a message board for everyone to check in!!

Have a good day!!!

dad
Still here....

A mother's day birth would have been cool...but as we expected, it did not happen. We are still here waiting and our feeling is that we will continue to wait another week or so. Then again...who knows? Mother Nature works in mysterious ways... Yesterday was Deuce's first Mother's Day! Hope yours was wonderful. We went to the deli for breakfast with my family and then spent lunch with Deb's family. We were home and on the couch before dinner!! ;-) Friday after work we went shopping at Babies R Us and bought a whole bunch of stuff for Deuce. We already have a new stroller and car seat. We bought a cool bouncy seat, some toys, bottles, bibs, etc. We also bought a cool new front carrier so we can carry Deuce on our bodies. Awesome. Elijah had fun picking out things with us. The only stuff we couldn't get were clothes. That's the only negative about not knowing the gender of the baby. No idea what to get!! So we bought some neutral swaddlers and onesies but that was about it.

Over the next three days, Deuce's chest will become more prominent. Deuce's abdomen will be big and round at birth because of the size of the liver. Deuce's liver will be naturally large because of the special role it has had in the production of blood cells.

A kick from the womb during this stage of pregnancy can almost knock a book off your lap!!

If any of the vernix (the creamy protective substance on the surface of Deuce's skin) remains until birth, it is usually found only on the baby's back. As the vernix sloughs off Deuce's skin, the amniotic fluid may change from clear and straw colored to milky.

This day in the Elijah pregnancy, my journal entry: "It's funny, I only feel nervous when my beeper goes off. Spencer beeped me yesterday and I almost wet myself."

Have a good Monday everyone!!

dad

Friday, May 09, 2003

Honey, why is DYFS at our front door?

It's so exciting typing the Daily every day now because I never know if it will be the last one (under the Deuce Daily title, anyway). Deb is home resting now and waiting for something to happen. The doctor said all is well. We heard Deuce again and the heartbeat was strong and healthy! They won't do an internal exam on Deb until AFTER her due date. Next Thursday is her next appointment and it is also her due date so maybe if we last that long they will take a look inside. Elijah is all better too and back in school today. At 2pm all the mothers are going to school so the kids can host the Mother's Day Tea. Elijah is very excited.

Gotta share this funny story with you. Wednesday morning the cleaning crew came to the house at 8am and I was home with Elijah that day (he was sick). They cleaned the upstairs first and when they were done in my bedroom I told them I was going in to take a shower so they didn't try to come back in. No problem. Elijah and I jumped in the shower. When the shower was done, I opened the door and Elijah stepped out onto the shower mat. It was cold. I wrapped his Buzz Lightyear towel around him but he was cranky, being sick and all, and was half crying, half whining....you know that sound. Anyway, the cleaning people were outside my bedroom cleaning in the hallway and Elijah is crying loudly. I was trying to comfort him and warm him up when he looked at my naked body and proclaimed, "Daddy, your penis is too big!" Oh no. I quickly covered his crying mouth with my hand. That's just what I need. The cleaning people calling 911 - a man is locked in a bathroom with his 3 year old son, who is crying and screaming that his dad's penis is too big. My wife gives birth to Deuce and I am in county lockup without bail complaining that Bubba's penis is too big and Elijah is in foster care. We got dressed quickly and went downstairs smiling. It wasn't until a few hours later that I thought, "Hey - that's pretty cool, somebody actually said I had a big penis."

Deuce's skull is not yet fully solid. It is made up of five large bony plates that are still separated and can be pushed together, which they will be during birth.

During these last few weeks in the womb, Deuce continues to receive one of the most important ingredients for survival from your blood, from the placenta, and also from the amniotic fluid (which is swallowed periodically): disease-combating antibodies that will provide an immunity to a wide range of diseases.

Don't push yourself right now...Just rest, eat well, and nurture yourself as Deuce's due date approaches.

Over the next three days, the last of the vernix will begin to disappear. The sutures or spaces between the bony plates of Deuce's skull are also called fontanels, which means "little fountains" because the pulse of Deuce's bloodstream can be easily felt by touching them. The best known of the fontanels is the "soft spot" on the top of Deuce's head. Don't worry if Deuce's head becomes molded or elongated during the birth process. It will return to its normal, rounded shape a few days after childbirth. The molding is a safety precaution - the bones of the skull carefully slide over one another to reduce the skull's diameter, so the pressure of birth doesn't damage Deuce's brain.

Most babies drop into a head first, face down position in their mother's pelvis. In some cases, the baby is in a head first, face up position, so the back of its head presses against the mother's tailbone or spine. This produces the phenomenon called "back labor." The pain of back labor is especially intense and doesn't seem to let up, even between contractions. Consult with your doctor about techniques to relieve the pain.

From now until Deuce is born, continue walking for exercise and practice your breathing and relaxation exercises. If your back is particularly sore, you might try to relieve some of the pain by gently stretching those muscles. When you begin having contractions, walking and controlled breathing will both help you through them.

"Happy is he that is happy with his children."

ANNOUNCEMENT: Being that this MAY be the last official Deuce Daily, I am rolling out the official website address for future writings. Direct your browser to www.671967.blogspot.com and bookmark the site. The site will be enriched and expanded over time to include pictures and a message board. I will continue to write at least a few times a week after Deuce is born and welcome your comments through the website!

Everyone have a good weekend and a GREAT MOTHER'S DAY!! Stay tuned!!!! :-)

dad

Thursday, May 08, 2003

The Gifts of Life

As we make final preparations for the arrival of Deuce, we are following a sort-of "checklist" to make sure we do everything. Things like packing the hospital bag, buying onesies and swaddling blankets, etc. One thing is different this pregnancy than the last; this time there is a sibling involved. I've written before about Elijah's preparation for Deuce. He's been to sibling class, we have read him all the books and he's seen videos. We believe he is as ready as he can be. He even goes to the doctor appointments with us and listens to Deuce's heartbeat. This week, we took another step to ease the transition for Elijah. We took him to the store and bought a present for him to give to Deuce when he/she is born and we bought a present for Elijah from Deuce that we will give him after the birth as well. Elijah picked out a cuddly stuffed teddy bear that plays sounds of the womb so Deuce can rest next to it. Adorable. Elijah is also going to give some of his artwork to us to put in the hospital for when Deuce arrives and, of course, we are taking pictures with us to the hospital as well. The past few nights, Elijah has been sleeping with Deuce's blankie as well as his own. He's warming it up for Deuce.

Poor Elijah has been sick these last few days. Today he is going to the doctor to get checked out. Tomorrow is a date that Deb's been looking forward to for a long time. It's the Mother's Day Tea at Elijah's school. The kids all made gifts for Mother's Day and tomorrow they are hosting an afternoon tea for the moms. Very adorable. Deb was hoping that Deuce would wait until after the tea and it looks like that will be the case!!

The color of Deuce's skin is beginning to change from reddish or pinkish to white or bluish pink (even in babies with dark pigmentation). Changes in Deuce's skin color are due to the growing thickness of the fatty layer under the skin's surface. Earlier in development, the skin was so transparent and the body contained so little subcutaneous fat that if you could have seen Deuce, you would have seen its organs through its skin. Now, the growing layer of fat gives Deuce's skin an opaque quality and masks the color of the muscles and circulating blood cells.

Week 37 draws to a close. You may notice more of a change in your gait, since your balance is being thrown off by your enlarged uterus and the shifting position of Deuce. I can tell you first hand that Deb is waddling. Every time I see her walking I find myself humming the old Weebles song in my head...you remember...."weebles wobble but they don't fall down..."

DID YOU KNOW that in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark, they get close to a YEAR of paid maternity leave? Deb gets 6 weeks.

My journal for the Elijah pregnancy says that Deb had trouble sleeping around this time. Not so much these days. Her hands feel better with the braces she is wearing so she is getting better sleep. A little back pain now and again but overall - no big thing!

"We've had bad luck with our kids - they've all grown up."

That's all for now. A belated Happy Birthday to Uncle Evan, who is a year older than I am (until June 7). :-)

Have a good Thursday! Doctor tonight!

dad

Wednesday, May 07, 2003

No no no...not YET!

There was no baby!!! Funny how not sending out a Daily makes people crazy....everyone thought we were in the hospital!! Not so...just very busy on the road yesterday and at home with Elijah who was feeling under the weather. Actually there are no signs of baby just yet. It's looking to me like the 15th is an accurate date after all. Deb still feels great - almost TOO good! Tomorrow is her final day at work and she is ready to get into baby mode.

Elijah was home sick, as I said above, and I took the morning with him until Deb came home at 12:30. His fever was gone and he was getting some sleep on our bed while watching The Wiggles on TV. When I went upstairs to get him I was giving him a big hug and he said,

"Daddy, I put it on your side of the bed."

"Put WHAT on my side of the bed."

"The boogie."

"WHAT boogie?"

"The one I took out of my nose."

When a co-worker asked me why I stayed home with Elijah this morning, I told her he had Boogie Fever. I thought it was funny.. :-)

Deuce will have no functioning tear ducts for a couple of weeks. The first cries are always tearless ones.

There are many reasons why you may have trouble sleeping from now on. Deuce may be much more active, you may be experiencing periodic contractions, and you are probably anxious and anticipating the birth. All of this is very predictable and common.

The average length of a newborn's umbilical cord is 2 feet, but the cord can vary from 5 inches to more than 4 feet long. By the time of birth, the cord is capable of carrying about 300 quarts of fluid per day. Absolutely amazing. Can you imagine?

When Deuce settles deep into your pelvis, you may feel clumsy and off-balance. That is because your center of gravity has shifted as Deuce changed its position.

This date in the Elijah pregnancy was Thanksgiving. Deb's sister Melissa announced she was pregnant with a baby that would become Elijah's cousin Joshie! I wrote in my journal that we were "almost there" and I am writing the same thing today!!

I promise to get SOMETHING out to you each day until the birth so there are no false alarms!! Until tomorrow....I remain...

dad

Monday, May 05, 2003

Next, please!

"Hey there. I just wanted to let you know that Maryann had a baby boy on
Friday. His name is Anthony Lucas Barbosa.....Anthony...what a great
name..... he is lbs. 15oz and 20 inches long. I met him on Saturday and he
is just beautiful. They are both doing great."

These are the words I got today from Anetta, a Daily reader and friend of Maryann. You've been seeing Maryann's updates here in the daily for months and now she is a mommy!! Anette - if you read this - please give us the weight! You left off the number in your e-mail!! Please get a picture as soon as you can too so I can broadcast that!!

Guess who's next!!!

The weekend was uneventful. Deb is feeling great, except for some minor back pain. We talk all the time about how great the pregnancy has been. It resembles the Elijah pregnancy very much. That's a good thing because he turned out great! There is a book I read to Elijah every night called "I'm a Big Brother." It's a story about a boy who gets a new baby sister. It's a great book and Elijah knows it by heart. The cute thing is that he's replaced all of the "baby" references with "Deuce" and all of the "I" references to "Elijah." So when I read him the book, it reads like he is talking about Deuce. I think he's ready.

We spent the weekend going through Deuce's room and cleaning it out. Every two minutes we would pause because we would find something that Elijah used or wore when he was a baby. The memories!! We would look at eachother and say the same thing, "we are going to do this all over again!" I can't wait!

From this point on, Deuce will gain about 1/2 an ounce of fat each day it stays in your uterus.

The muscles at the top of your uterus apply a force comparable to a weight of 55 pounds during each contraction. This shows how much force must be applied to resistant muscles to open the cervix and push Deuce out of the uterus during birth.

Don't Panic!!! Keep your list of emergency numbers in a convenient place. If you are in labor and can't get to the hospital, dial 911. Unlock your door and lie down. Pant to avoid pushing until help arrives. Labor can take many hours, however, so don't panic if you must wait a little while for a ride.

The lanugo (downy hair that once covered Deuce's body) is disappearing. If any of the lanugo remains by birth, it will be found on Deuce's shoulders, forehead, and neck.

FALSE vs. TRUE LABOR...You might be interested in other women's descriptions of the experience of true labor. many women compare the contractions of true labor to waves: gathering, rising, breaking, falling. The pressure builds in the uterine muscles and reaches a peak that lasts thirty to fifty seconds or so. Then the pressure disappears rapidly. When it's over you feel nothing until the next contraction. To some, the gripping sensation of the contraction feels like bad menstrual cramps or intestinal cramps. Most women report that persistent backache accompanies the contractions. Labor is a well-named phenomenon. It's the work that you will do to bear your baby. Although the work is difficult, few jobs are as rewarding or satisfying. (for the daddy too!)

10 days until the official due date......

dad

Friday, May 02, 2003

Nesting

One of the unbelievable characteristics of a pregnancy is the process of nesting. Its one of those things that happens to everyone towards the end of the nine months. You hear about it happening and you read about it but you don't know quite what it feels like until BAM!! It hits you suddenly. Those who have gone through it know what I mean - you are probably laughing right now. For those who don't know, it's like a voice comes into your head and threatens you with castration if you don't fix up the house and yard. There's a baby coming - everything has to be perfect. What if the baby comes home for the first time and there's dust in the den? He or she will NEVER forgive us!! Deb and I have been hit with the nesting bug this week. All of a sudden, I'm NOT lazy....that's how I know it hit me. This weekend I am going to clean up my yard (don't fall off your chair, Dad). YES - I am cleaning my own yard - stop laughing. Inside the house, Deb and I will work on Deuce's room - emptying clutter and getting it ready to house it's second baby. There's not a lot of work in there but I am sure we will go over everything twice. Did I mention I am cleaning my yard? It's so funny, nesting is. I have these urges - even now as I write this: I have to buy heavy duty garbage bags for leaves and sticks, I have to bring boxes in from the garage to pack up Elijah's old stuff, WAIT - the garage - it also needs cleaning...and what about formula? Do we have 12 cases of formula??? UGGHHH!!!! I hope to be back to normal on Monday.

Last night we had our weekly doctors appointment. All is well. One difference between this pregnancy and the Elijah pregnancy is with these appointments. With Elijah, the doctor was doing internal exams every week at the end. This time, not ONE! The doctor said there is no need unless something is going on. That's kinda cool because we have Elijah at the appointments and the quicker we are in and out the better. Deb's last day at work is Thursday the 8th. The doctor also told us that 2 weeks is the max they will wait after the due date to induce which means...we are definitely having Deuce in MAY!! It's ALMOST HERE!!!!!!! I gotta clean something!!!

At this point in development, the average baby weighs about 6 pounds and measures about 13 3/8 inches.

DID YOU KNOW that a number of tribes lubricate a laboring woman's birth canal with saps or oils to make the delivery easier. That's good to know....bring saps to the hospital!!!

P-Tips...It's common for babies to develop a fear of shampooing, as soap and water sometimes makes its way into little eyes. To avoid these problems, place colorful stickers on the ceiling over the tub to get the baby to look up...then you can rinse the suds off!

Contrary to popular understanding, human gestation actually requires nine and a half lunar months, not nine. These last two weeks are for that additional period. Over the next few days, Deuce's skin will become thicker and paler.

FALSE vs. TRUE LABOR....The contractions of true labor may be accompanied by diarrhea.

DID YOU KNOW that if a laboring woman is tiring of progress is slowing, many cultures know to stimulate the woman's nipples so that oxytocin will be released into her system. He he...should NOT have told me that. FOLKS - pack the clothespins!

Over the next couple of days, Deuce's lungs will begin to increase their production of a surfacant, which will keep the air sacs in the lungs open.

Your uterus is highly muscular and weighs 2.5 pounds now that Deuce is fully developed. During a contraction, the uterus feels hard to the touch.

IMPORTANT ALL PREGGOS!!!! Be prepared to call your practitioner when signs indicate that you are ready to go to the hospital or birth center. Don't worry about the time of day. People who attend births expect to be called at all hours!!!

Happy 4th Anniversary to Sparkle and Lisa!!! We love you!!!

That's all for now!! Sorry no Daily yesterday..busy here at work. Have a good weekend!!!

dad