The End is Near

WEEK 40
With four days left until our alleged due date, Raegan is one centimeter dilated. Also, we finally have actual physical confirmation that our baby has, at least, a head. Dr. Gittinger touched it, by literally poking her way up in there, a procedure known as "bouncing the baby." One might assume that once a finger makes its way up there, that the floodgates would burst open, but apparently such is not the case.

Meanwhile, unable to share in the joy of having a critter inside me, feeding off my every calorie, keeping me awake at night, throwing my back out of whack, and using my bladder as a trampoline, I nevertheless had the strange experience of getting a muscle spasm in my leg and thinking, "Oh, it's the baby."

Stay tuned!

Must Sleep...

WEEK 39
With only two weeks left until B-Day, Raegan and I have been attempting to get in as much sleep as we possibly can. Which is easy for me. I can sleep anywhere, anytime. I practically fell asleep at my own barmitzvah.

I'm starting to see now how Mother Nature works: by forcing the pregnant mother to wake up every hour to pee/poop and/or eat/drink, she also wakes the father asleep beside her, thus altering their sleeping patterns in preparation for the ultimate sleep deprivation experience soon to come. Though it is odd that Mother Nature chooses to bestow the responsibility of raising newborns upon those who haven't slept in forever; people whose faculties are rapidly dwindling, who have lost all ability to reason or make decisions. Maybe the inability to think straight somehow provides an evolutionary advantage — amnesia, perhaps? Or is it that in order to be a new parent, it's best to be a mindless robot, a rotting zombie, the walking dead?

The Milkman Cometh!

WEEK 37
Need I say more?

We've fallen just below the one month mark. The past few weeks have gone by in a whirl. We tripped to Chicago for the Brykbaby shower, which was hosted by mom and 2 sisters. It was a wonderful high tea event at the country club. The highlight was being able to get all the goods back in one gigantic suitcase, the kind you can put a human body in. The baby is growing and growing. And despite what the books say, still as active as usual. So, Grandma got to feel her new grandbaby rock and roll.

We went on one last spree to Babies' R Us and Target to get the remaining newborn necessities, thanks to being showered with many gift cards. Everything has been washed, assembled, or filled with batteries. At this point, we're just waiting for the stork to find 18 Border Street.