36 Week Update

3 weeks from today we'll finally meet Itty... if not before. Grandma and Grandpa I. arrived safely from Virginia last night and are settled in to their vacation home just a block away.

Last night around 3am I woke to my first real contractions this pregnancy. They continued for about 2 hours before stopping. Itty knows that his big brother will be in good hands with Grandma and Grandpa so he's trying to make a break for it.

Daddy was thrilled to learn I was having contractions. He's fervently praying I go into labor sometime soon as he has paid time off work from April 4-9. (His band has been preempted by a convention at the hotel where he performs daily.) Me? As excited as I am to finally meet Itty, I have a manicure/pedicure scheduled for tomorrow, my baby shower on Thursday and a haircut scheduled for April 4. So I'd prefer Itty nestle in for another week at least!

Not to mention the birthstone for April is diamond... and for March it's aquamarine. Mama wants diamonds, baby!

Friday Fun Fact

Bittyman now plays chess.

I'm not talking 'play' as in goof around with the pieces making them do battle. I'm talking pawns move up one or two on their opening move and capture diagonally.

Last summer he became obsessed with a glass chess board in the lobby of our Mammoth Lakes hotel. Every night we 'pretended' to play chess before retiring to our room. But buying him a chess set for Christmas seemed a bit silly - he's only 3, right?

For Valentines Day Great Aunt Sharon was kind enough to include several dollars in his card. So after using one dollar to light a candle after Mass (his decision, not mine), we headed to K-mart to pick out a new toy. He immediately found an inexpensive plastic chess set that fit his budget perfectly.

That evening I heard Daddy and Bitty up in his bedroom discussing how to play the game. As I was enjoying some Mommy-must-see-TV stored on Tivo, I didn't give it much thought.

The next afternoon Bitty asked to play a game of chess. After setting up all the pieces I began to explain how the pawns worked, figuring we'd work on one piece at a time in hopes of learning the intricacies within a few months.

Bitty rolled his eyes and sighed, 'I KNOW Mom! I know them all.'

He then proceeded to explain what each piece was, how it moved and how it got the other pieces.

"The horse moves like an L. The queen is the most powerful. The bishop moves diagonally. The castle moves forward or to the side. You have to capture the king to win. I KNOW all that!"

Sure enough, he did. At first he was only interested in capturing my pieces. Be he quickly realized that for every move there was a counter-move by his opponent and he started thinking ahead one move before making his own.

Humbling to know your preschooler is more intelligent than you are and it's just a matter of time before he figures that out!

35 Week Update

4 Weeks until I'm responsible for two children... if not sooner. I had my 35 week ultrasound this morning (the 36 weeks in my pregnancy ticker is the countdown to my c-section, which is scheduled for 39 weeks). Itty is currently 5 pounds, 7 ounces in weight and measuring between 37-38 weeks.

Itty is under strict orders not to appear before next Monday night when Grandma and Grandpa I. arrive from Virginia! But once their plane hits terra firma, I'm good to go. All of Bitty's baby clothes have been Drefted, the car seat will be installed on Saturday and my hospital bag is packed.

Here are Itty's latest pictures. First a 2-D profile:

Then our OB was kind enough to do a 3-D shot, which left Mama and Daddy speechless:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Foto Friday

Nothing like a refreshing dip in the pool... during 'winter'! With more record-shattering highs forecasted through the weekend, Bittyman will have a savage tan before Easter!

3.14

Happy Pi Day!

(A pregnant woman will use any excuse to indulge in dessert - and what better way to celebrate Pi Day than apple pie a la mode!)

No I didn't...

just turn the air conditioning on. I held out as long as I could, but when the thermostat read 88F inside the house, Mama had to cool down.

The local weatherman just informed me we've broken an all-time high for this date as it is currently 90F. In mid-March. At 5:00pm. At 34 weeks pregnant. And the forecast for the next 10 days is more of the same.

Anyone know where I can buy an inexpensive maternity swimsuit?

Who is the Patron Saint of Ear Infections?

Daddy is out of town performing at a jazz festival so of course Bittyman woke up this morning and exclaimed, "My ear is on fire!" After a quick tug on his left lobe (and a yelp in response) I immediately called our fantastic pediatrician who saw Bitty just a few hours later.

While I was not surprised to learn Bitty did indeed have an ear infection (as we've all been coughing and sneezing with allergies ever since spring sprang in our part of the world last weekend), I was shocked to learn he is now 42 inches tall and 38 pounds. That's a gain of 4 pounds and 2 inches since our last infectious visit to the doctor in December! Holy growth spurt!

Bittyman is feeling pretty well, all things considered. Of course the Happy Meal dinner and picking out a new toy while waiting for his prescription to be filled helped soothe his ear ache. (As a 34-week-pregnant single parent, I'm quite the pushover!)