38 Weeks

Here's the scoop from today's check-up:
1) 1 cm dilated 2) 40% effaced 3) from the ultrasound last week Doc now predicts he will be right about 6lbs at birth (he's in the 14th percentile) 4) I gained 1 lb! I have now reached the recommended 25 lb weight gain! 5) Doc said something could happen this week, but I kinda doubt Sawyer will come this week - which is fine. I want his birthday to be in June, anyway. Maybe we'll get our Father's Day appearance after all? 6) She said it's fine for me to keep being active and doing yoga/walking/swimming.

For added fun (maybe not everyone likes to hear all about how my body is changing) here are all the shoes we have waiting to be worn on Sawyer's cute little feet. I know, babies don't need shoes (especially summer babies!). With the exception of the Robeez, these were all gifts. You have to admit they are super cute nonetheless. Our little boy is going to be such a hipster!

Whoever said stylish shoes are just for girls...obviously didn't have a boy!

Northwest Folklife Festival

Saturday we walked down to the Seattle Center to mingle with the good people (and sway with the hippies) at the 37th annual Folklife Festival.

The first thing we did was join the crowd at the drum circle. There is just something so wonderful about such a variety of people coming together to make music together.

It was such a warm and beautiful day, we decided to cool off a bit by dodging random shoots of water at the International Fountain. If I wasn't 9 months pregnant, I would've been running around with the kids. But I think I look kinda funny when I run these days - so I just took my flip flops off and waited to get sprayed instead. Maybe it's just my perception - but it seems like people are always staring at me and my belly these days. Jacob says they just think I'm a cute pregnant girl, but in my mind they are silently saying 'what is she doing out here? we don't want her to have the baby in the middle of the folklife festival!' I must admit, though, that while I know some pregnant people don't like it when random people come up to touch their belly - I don't really mind. I think it's kinda sweet when some stranger walks up with a huge grin on her face and says "congratulations" or asks if she can feel the baby. It's like no matter what a crazy world we live in, there is something very special and sacred about welcoming a new little human to the race. Which is pretty special, if you ask me.

We got to listen to a lot of great music at the festival. We saw about 5 bluegrass bands and even a flamenco band. Even though I am not a fan of "country" music - I do LOVE roots music, and especially the joyful noises of the fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. The picture above is of the toe-tapping feet of 3 bluegrass musicians. (for you, Minna).

On our way home, we saw Transit Man at the bus stop. He is doing his part of saving the world by using public transportation. The kids were quite awestruck. They were doing an interview with the little girl above, and when asked what special powers the super-hero has, she said "he can fly (because he has a cape, of course), and he can save the world." To which he replied "my magic power is in riding the metro bus."

To end our perfect day - Jacob took me out for some marvelous Soul Food at the Kingfish Cafe. We topped it all off with this fresh and delicious strawberry shortcake. We couldn't even finish it between the two of us. And that's how today was - it left us so full of good stuff, we were overflowing. Happy Memorial Day Weekend to All!

37 Weeks

Today was our 37 week check up. So, I didn't gain any more weight last week (they said that's normal about now - or should be!) which means I've still gained 24lbs. Maybe I can go to Cold Stone Creamery and eat a Gotta Have It sized Ice-Cream and make up that extra pound I'm hoping for before the baby comes? We'll see! This week, the baby "dropped". I'm pretty sure it happened when I was walking the 3-mile path around Green Lake. I felt something a little funny and since then both Jacob and I, and now the Doc, can tell he is settling deep down in there, getting ready. I am still dilated .5 cm, so that didn't change. But now instead of just getting soft, my cervix is really soft. Doc said I can keep on walking and being as active as I feel up for. These are all positive signs that things will happen - when they're supposed to!

We also had an hour-long ultrasound today. We had a 2-minute one last week just to make sure of baby's position - but today, Doc said likely because the baby had dropped, I was actually measuring smaller than last week. So Doc decided to do an ultrasound and get a more educated guess as to truly how big, or actually, how small our baby is. To check things out. Which of course made me slightly nervous. We will discuss it all next week, or she will call with any concerns, but everything looked great. According to the measurements, Sawyer now weighs 5lbs 4oz, but that number could be off by 12oz either direction. So, yes, he will probably be a tiny little guy. But as long as he's healthy, I don't mind that he'll be a little one. I mean - look at me and Jacob, we're not exactly big people. And that's exactly what Doc said. It was fun to see him moving around and see his little hands. We even saw that he has some hair! So the picture above, if you can tell, is Sawyer's cute little smooshed face. If you look towards the right side, you can see his eye, his nose & mouth (which look a little squished). As much as you can say it from an ultrasound - he looks cute! My guess is he will be coming right about on time if not a little bit early. But to be honest, I don't mind if he comes a little later - I can't figure out what to do for Jacob for Father's Day - and handing him his son would be the greatest gift ever!

36 Weeks

Today we had our 36 week checkup. From now on, we get to visit with our Doc once a week! I'm sorry if it bothers anyone to see bare skin - but I had a couple of requests for another belly shot, and since Jacob is at work and can't be my photographer, I decided to try the timer on our camera and see what I could get. I was just about to do some yoga - hence the attire.

PS - Jacob said my belly has finally reached Soccer Ball Status!

This is what it feels like looking down from my perspective these days. I can no longer see my toes, and it's getting harder and harder to bend over. Jacob was a sweetie a few weeks ago and painted my toenails, since it's kinda challenging for me to do a good job. Thank goodness for flip-flops!

Here's what the Doc had to say today (have I ever mentioned how much I love our Doc? She is wonderful!) I figure I should start reporting weekly to keep everyone up to date - and give myself a little task to do. Thus far: 1) I have gained 24 lbs. I think that's right on target. They say you kinda level out on the weight the last couple of weeks, so I think I should make the 25+ that they recommend. 2) Things "down there" are starting to soften up. Which is a good sign. I was .5 cm dilated today. Not much, but a start - and besides, we've got at least 4 weeks to go! 3) The ultrasound today showed that little Sawyer is in the right position and ready to go. He's been head down since the last visit, and things likely won't change much since he's running out of room to maneuver. (I have to admit, I was so relieved to know he's head-down. It's an automatic C-section if the baby is breech and I did not want to go there!) 4) Doc estimated that Sawyer will weigh between 6-7 lbs at birth. Sounds good to me!

This is an exciting time. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see Sawyer sending you a smile as well. He's getting excited to come out and see what a great big world we live in and have many adventures! We'll keep you posted on any changes next week!

Happy Mother's Day!

I have the best husband EVER. He always remembers, and always surprises me. I never have any expectations - because if I did, he would exceed them every time!

The very cool thing about being married to a graphic designer is that I always get one-of-a-kind, custom-designed cards. (Notice he even swaddled baby Sawyer and gave him a smile! What an eye for detail!)

I opened up the card to find even more surprises. (I don't really like random gifts or lots of "things" - Jacob knows this, so he gives me the kind of gifts I truly enjoy, "useful" gifts). Jacob's sweetness and these little thoughtful gestures remind me of how MADLY I love my husband. He is #1!!!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! My Mom, Grandmothers, Mother-in-Law, Sisters who are now Mommies, and friends. And we can't forget the Future Mom's! Cheers to all and may you all feel special today!

Tight Quarters

This is a picture I found on the internet of a baby at 32 weeks. We are now in the 35th week. Poor little Sawyer must be getting pretty squished! No wonder he nestles up into my ribcage! We enjoy patting his little rear end as it presses against my belly way up high. We are so anxious for him to come out into the world! This morning Jacob asked him if he wanted to come in about 2 weeks, and he kicked back. We're taking that as a yes :) We've finished all of the preparations and even have our bags half-way packed for the hospital. I am planning to bake a "Birth Day Cake" for Sawyer before we head off to the hospital. Wish us luck!

What will Sawyer look like?

Believe it or not, this is me (Tysha) when I was just a few hours old. I was 5lbs. and 3 weeks early (that's pretty typical of twins). My identical twin sister was 4 1/2 lbs. She had less hair than I did, as it seems I stole some of the good grub. As I was looking through old photos yesterday I couldn't help but wonder what our little son will look like. We don't have any pictures of Jacob when he was a little guy - but I've seen some at his family's home. He was even smaller than me. He was born 2 1/2 months early and weighed not quite 2 1/2 lbs. He had blond hair. Anyway, I am just so curious! I think Sawyer is going to look like his dad. But who knows? He could show up with curly black hair like my Italian part of my family. Or red!? I think one of Jacob's grandfathers had red hair. Or, he could just have blond or brown hair like one of us. Or, maybe NO hair, like his cousin Jackson :) Hmm...it will be fun to see! What do you guys think he will look like? More like me, like Jacob, or a distant relative? Do you think he'll top each of our birth weights - put together? Will he come early? Late? Predictions, predictions!

A Tribute to My Nanny Kids

This past week I turned in my "nanny badge" so to speak. I have worked as a professional nanny for a total of 11 years. Here are a few pictures of some of the darling children that I have had the wonderful joy of caring for over some of those years. I wish I could include all of them, as well as the kids I worked with as a Counselor at the Boys & Girls Club and who I worked with during my internship as a Child & Family Therapist. But there is not enough room!

I have learned MANY things each day from the children in my care. Because of them, I feel confident going into Mommyhood. I am also curious about the differences I will observe between caring intensely for other people's children (sometimes for years on end), and how I will feel for my own.

I have also learned a lot from the wonderful families these kids belong to. While the children I nannied came from highly educated families whose parents ranged from Attorneys, Mortgage Brokers, CEOs, CFOs, and Pediatricians, to other highly successful Business-types, many of the children I worked with in therapy came from single-parent homes where meeting basic needs was a huge dilemma. I appreciated immensely the perspective I gained from working with kids and families with such broad differences in their backgrounds. One thing I learned for sure is that no matter if you are poverty-stricken or incredibly wealthy, no family is perfect: everyone just tries to do their best, and children & families can be amazingly resilient as they overcome the challenges particular to their family.

Thanks to my nanny kids, especially, I have learned to live a little more in the moment, let go and laugh, know when crying is okay, let the creativity and power of play flow (even if it can be messy!), how to really play in the mud, that letting them help even though it may take 2-3-4 times as long, how to use my imagination, how to spend hours on end doing a repetitive task and find joy while doing it, how to comfort an injured child - whether the injury is physical or emotional, how to read and re-read stories (sometimes the same story 20 times in one day!), when to say no, when negotiation is okay, how to travel with kids, when I need a time out versus them needing a time out, how to be silly and sing songs even though I am not a songstress, tested and tried secrets for getting infants and children to sleep, how to spend an entire afternoon dancing in the dark, how to be more mindful of our planet, how to use baby sign language, the signs of certain childhood illnesses, when to call the doctor (or not!), and that even though kids will always love mac n cheese and pb&js - they also love more sophisticated foods like hummus and cucumbers, if presented in the right way. The list is way too long for what they have taught me!

I think most of all, they have taught me how to love other people. When you learn to see the world through a child's eyes, it truly is a different place. More often times than not, a better place. And now, here I am, reflecting on this time in my life, these kids and their families, who have been such a part of my life. I love my family of origin, but am ever-grateful for all of the families who treat me as one of their own. I know it sounds crazy to say (especially to those of you who can't stand other people's kids) but I sometimes have this worry or hope that I will love my own as much as I've loved these kids. I mean, I interviewed with these kids and their families and chose the best match. I don't get to interview who my own child will be. But I am certain I will love Sawyer at least as much as all of these kids. For one thing, I've already noticed that even though he sometimes spends hours doing something to my ribcage that is super uncomfortable, I still love him. I just wonder what it is he's doing in there! Yes, he is already loved! We already sing to him, play the guitar for him, and read him bedtime stories. And Sawyer is going to have so many friends he will hardly know what to do with himself! Sam has already offered to teach him how to crawl. The very hardest part of being a nanny is when you have to say good-bye. While the older kids can understand, the little ones just wake up one day and undoubtedly recognize the void of a very special friend. I am grateful to all my nanny kids who have filled my world with laughter and joy and taught me the virtue of patience. I know it will all come in handy as I learn how to be Sawyer's mom.

Here's sending lots of thanks and even more love to all of you who I have nannied (little, not-so-little, and some of you who are now truly big!) And of course, to all of your parents, too! Thanks for everything!