last night, while cooking, i, without really thinking about it, used my belly to nudge a bowl away from the edge of a counter.

mark happened to catch this and joked, “already putting the baby to work! good.”

Remember how Sarah said that we’ve been concerned August was right-side-up? Well, I thought I could talk him into flipping over (not really but it makes for a good story)

So apparently I’ve been talking to August’s butt. He’s lucky he’s in there. If when he’s a teenager he sticks his butt in my face when I’m talking to him…snap.

He’s already grounded for the first year of his life for being a burden on his mom. Man!

(This is all in jest so please don’t think I’m crazy)

today we met with another one of the midwives that could be birthing our baby. she was super nice, welcoming and encouraging of questions, and even seemed impressed and glad that i was asking questions about the birth. we had a few concerns after having watched the business of being born that i couldn’t help but ask.
(more…)

How far along are you?
29W5D.

What symptoms are you experiencing?
fatigue, mild nausea (could be caused by the warmer weather), cramping, nesting, loss of balance.

How are you feeling?
tired and worn out. the reality that will be here in just a little over two months is finally starting to hit me.

Any Dr. appointments/ultrasounds/tests this past week and how did they go?
we have an appointment with the midwife tomorrow morning. we start taking birthing/breast feeding/newborn care classes provided by kaiser starting next week.

Anything big happening in your personal life (moving, work related, etc..)
we just got settled into the new place and got through entertaining an apartment full o’ relatives this past week. that was pretty eventful and fun but it took a lot out of us. we’re still recovering!!!

Any questions you want to ask?
not really any questions so much as a concern. mark and i watched the business of being born last night and at one point in the documentary, there was concern that one of the babies was breech. one of the ways the doctor knew this was by asking the mother if she was feeling fluttering around her vaginal area to which she answered yes. after they did an ultra sound, the baby was, sure enough, feet down. this made me a bit nervous because i’ve been experiencing quite a bit of fluttering down below in addition to what feels like kicks. and after thinking about it more today, the bulge that i’ve been feeling around the top of my belly feels more and more like it could be a head. i’ll just have to talk to the midwife about this tomorrow.

Any belly pics from this week?
yes…
(more…)

things have been pretty crazy the past couple of weeks with unpacking, getting the apartment ready and then entertaining out-of-town guests but we’re still alive and things are going well for all three of us.

plethora o’ updates on the way fo sho.

that subject line was lame. i’m sorry. but i always think about that when i wake up before it’s light out.

here i am. it’s five am and i am wide awake.

just me and the cates.

and that’s really all i have to say. that it is five am…and i am wide awake.

OH AND, ALSO, THAT I AM 28 WEEKS TODAY.
(more…)

Hello All.

Since this is a baby blog I feel I must say this: Please do not judge my commitment as a father based on my commitment to blogging. If my child’s initials were PHP, you might have something.

To be honest (and SarahandI have talked about this) I go in and out of August even feeling real. I know Sarah is pregnant - if ANYONE, other than Sarah, knows she is pregnant, it’s me. I have been to every doctor appointment. I’ve perused several books on the subject. I’ve held Sarah’s hair back almost every time she…nevermind. I KNOW she’s pregnant. But the reality of it still escapes me.
(more…)

i am suddenly craving pistachios…that we don’t have.

How far along are you?
27W1D.

What symptoms are you experiencing?
itchy dry skin (especially on my hands), i’m starting to feel aches around my lower ribs and around my back in the same area, stronger kicks and more profound movements.

How are you feeling?
been nesting and feeling schleepy and achey if i push myself too hard but, over all, i feel pretty great. less moody.

Any Dr. appointments/ultrasounds/tests this past week and how did they go?
i won’t have any until the 28th. i do have a dentist’s appointment on monday. i don’t think i’m getting enough calcium because i had a tooth pretty much crack in half. thankfully, there’s no pain there but i still need to get it checked out.

Anything big happening in your personal life (moving, work related, etc..)
mark and i just moved this past week. we only moved ten minutes away from our old place but it’s been a bit of a handful getting things together and working on making this place a home. it’s been good though. we’ve been blessed.

Any questions you want to ask?
i guess my only concern is that i feel “too big.” it seems strangers are surprised to find out i’m not going to have my baby any day which concerns me a little. i want august to be a healthy baby and grow as much as he’s supposed to in nine months but i don’t want him to explode out of my belly!

Any belly pics from this week?
yes…
(more…)

this morning, while laying in bed and contemplating the events of the day, i felt what was the biggest, most substantial baby august body part i’ve ever felt move across one of the hands that i had resting on my tummy. what was so weird was i felt it a couple of times. it was as if he was trying to get comfortable and couldn’t get it right. totally felt like a shoulder or something. when i first felt it, it surprised me. when i felt it continue moving, i was almost so creeped out that i wanted to pull my hand away but i was way too intrigued to do that. eventually i started feeling a consistent “rolling” movement (even though not as prominent) on the other side of my tummy so i lifted the sheet off my tummy and could totally see the “rolling” movement that i was feeling. it was pretty amazing…and beautiful and weird. those little moments that make it is so evident (other than the huge bulge of a tummy i’m sporting) that there really is a baby…a little life inside of me, i am so dumbfounded with feelings of awe and disbelief.
(more…)