The Halftime Report

Broadcasting live from labor and delivery not much action in the first half 24 hours thus far.  If there is a score to report it would have to be 0...with little movement and no forward progress.

Don't worry, BU is being constantly monitored here in laborland, we have not been forgotten.  There's just not much to report.  We are killing time with itunes movies, juice cups, long walks down the halls, family status updates, an all you can eat Indian Buffet across the street which I'm sure will likely come back to haunt me.  In fact, our biggest concern right now besides the obvious safe birth of BU is how quickly our snack cooler is deplenishing.  

If you are thinking to yourself, hmmmmm....this seems to be taking a wee bit longer then I would have assumed, especially with a 2nd baby, let me try to summarize what's going on:

Baby Unborn has overextended its stay, downed the minibar (fluids are low), and for safety reasons an early check out was determined best.  Yesterday we learned my cervix is not "favorable" for childbirth and I was induced with a drug caled Cervidil which is used to "rippen" things up for contractions.  It sort of looks like a 1 inch tampoon with a long string.  Seems like having a "favorable" cervix is a biggie round here and mine is being difficult.  Ideally this drug gets the ball rolling enough for dr to (knock knock, ahhh let me see...now just relax...ohhh i like what I feel....part the red sea it's time to break your waters) initate phase 2.  The drug has a 24 hour effect.  I'm at 23 hours.  No effect.

For all those who entertered the poll yesterday let's just pretend the times submitted were for today.

So many qualites BU is revaling to us before it even arrives.  BU is saying, "hey don't mess with my birth plan I'm punctual and will arrive on my due date."  BU is obviously not insecure with it's floppy head as it's still bopping happily around in there.  BU is unique, only 7% of babies are breech at 37 weeks, only 8% of women develope low amniatic fluid leves where induction is needed, and fewer then 5% of babies are actaully born on the due date.  And most importantly BU is healthy, a bit stubborn, but none the less healthy.

To Be Continued - ABC (and BU) 

you say it's your birthday....

A recap of the last 24 hours:

During our scheduled maternal dr. appoinent yesterday we learned that baby unborn has "floppy head" meaning it's down there but can't find the exit ramp. Ultrasound later that afternoon revealed that baby unborn's fluid levels are low, followed by a call from the doc with information that BU is to be induced today at 7:15am.

After spending last night obsessively comtemplating over the perfect outfit for childbirth and accepting the fact that there is just no time for my much needed pedicure here I sit in triage using hospital wi-fi butt naked with dry heels.

We'll keep all posted.  Oh, in the meantime, join the poll by commenting below.  The winner will get to name the baby proudly claiming all bragging rights.

Here's what's needed for the poll:

Sex:  50/50 here folks

Time of Birth:  Note we in triage now, induced at 8:50MT.

Weight:  Ultrasound yesterday guesstimated baby unborn to be 8lbs.

Until Next Time - ABC and soon to to be Baby Unborn

they aint cheap

The U.S.D.A numbers are in and they couldn't come at a better time.  Reminding me as I continue to shop for baby unborn's needs must haves that this kid thing is expensive.  It now costs an average middle-income American family $222,360 to raise a child from birth to get the hell out of here, 18.  And keep in mind if you put away savings for your lil' bobo to one day attend some form of higher education...you'll need to add that to the pot as this bit of cash is excluded from the study.  

Here's the formula for my finance peeps... and you know who you are. 

(1) Ei = f(Y, HS, CA)  But for everyone else, let me summarize.

The study consisted of 11,800 two-parent households and 3,350 single-parent households.  Child-rearing expenses vary considerably by household average income.  Not rocket science here, you make more, you spend more.  Results show that average annual child-rearing costs ranged from $8,330-$9,450 per kid for a family with a before-tax income less than $56,670.  Plan to drop between $11,650-$13,530 per child if your annual pre-tax family income is between $56,670 and $98,120.  And a whopping $19,370 to $23,180 for your rugrat if you are bringing in more then $98,120 annually.

So to all the parents out there keep saving your pennies.  

Until next time - ABC      

Don't Hold Your Breath

For the past week I have started each day by singing quietly to my now dropped uterus, Happy Birthday to you....thinking OK today's the day, this is it.  There is nothing worse then the agonizing wait.  Last night after an earlier long hilly walk I felt a glimmer of hope as my "fake" contractions went from mild to moderate.  But two hours into America's Got Talent nothing....GRRRRARRRR!

There's always the "things to do to initiate labor list" which much like last time, proves to be 100% BS.  The recommended "walking"...unavoidable with a toddler.  Then we move on to "sex"...often followed by a line of advice something like "you may need to use some imagination as sex is uncomfortable during the last stages."  Drinking "raspberry tea"...I'm now consuming up to about 5 glasses a day.  Don't forget to, "relax."  Please who comes up with these? "Nipple Stimulation"...ah yeah no.  And my ultimate favorite "castor oil" with the recommended dosage being 2 ounces.  "Castor oil almost always causes diarrhea. Its primary use is a stimulant laxative. It has an unpleasant taste and may cause nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping."  Seriously...are all of us pregers out of our minds?  I am trying to have a baby here not lube up the brakes of an old Buick. 

39 weeks - please get out

Costello was 10 days late.  Water broke (barely) around 4:00am and we casually started to get moving.  There was no rush no panic no crazy running of red lights in the middle of the night.  After my water broke I muttered something dumb like "oh fun" with clearly no comprehension of what's to come.  I washed my water-just-broke-sheets, remade the guest bed, Brian finished packing up the food bag, and we headed to the hospital.  There we were told to hang around for contractions to start.  We went to the lobby called everyone we knew, I had a Starbucks, looked at some magazines and headed back up to labor and delivery around 9:00.  It was a relatively laid back experience until Mr. Pictocin kicked in then holy Heeeellllllooooooooooooo!" 

Did I want to be 10 days late, No...Did I want to be induced, No....Did I care at that moment...NO.

From the moment Pecto decided to have his way with me it only took 4 hours before baby Costello was in our arms.  Which is why our doctor has in so many words warned us that because my first labor was so short (pushing for 45 minutes) and because this is the second baby, (generally faster), to not waste time once contractions start or scenerio "OMG I'm having this baby where?!" is entirely possible.  He's also warned that a shortened labor window may not allow enough time for Mr. Epidural to join us in the room, which is not an option.

In the meantime we wait.  I anxiously count baby movements and sit in the chair gauging any tightening to be a "here we go" contraction.  I'm Google searching like I've never had a baby before... "is extreme fatigue an onset sign of labor"  "ringing in ears + 39 weeks + labor."  Watching bad daytime tv, and waiting for an obvious clue that it's go time.

Until next time - ABC

I heart Dad

One day everything changed...one day you found yourself watching Barney instead of Sportscenter.  You realized that you could not go to bed without just making sure.  You learned how challenging traveling can be. One day you started walking on sticky floors and found cheerios in your shoes.  You tripped on a plastic forgotten toy.  One day you opened a fridge full of whole milk.  One day you appreciated how a toothless smile could brighten your entire week.  One day you learned how to wipe away tears.  One day you learned how to worry more.  You recognized that patience really is a virtue and that love has no boundaries.  One day you learned how to make the bad dreams go away.  One day you learned what life really has in store for you.  One day, not long ago, you became a father.

To the remote controller holders, training wheel removers, baseball tossers, hide and seekers, tool belt wearers, goodnight kissers, Mr. tickle monsters, scrapped knee fixers, pull-my-fingerers, math homework helpers, make-it-all betterers, Sunday morning cookers, and living room dancers...

To the givers of piggy backs and givers away...

To the most valuable coaches in life,

Happy Fathers Day to ours and everyone who shares their roles.
Love ABC

Ad Space 01 - back in time

My placenta has taken over my body.  It informs makes my decisions, wakes me up at 3:00am, deems me unfit to drive (safely), is responsible for the salt shaker in the fridge and the milk carton's new home on the second shelf next to the dinner plates.  Yes, placentopia has indeed taken over and has left me generally uninformed.  Which is why I'm not surprised that a local Calgary print add finding international buzz on advertising blogs and forums has made an impression with a good friend of mine and fellow producer, Nate, all the way in Chicago before I've even seen it in our own back yard. Our MSN conversation goes a bit like this:

8:24AM while watching Barney and eating Rice Krispies....

natob2:  hahaha, did you see the new Calgary Print ad

listen2lis:  hmmm no, hold on a sec....feeding bobo (offline:  coming in for a big boy bite...yumyumMMMmmm)

listen2lis:  anyways so this Calgary print add, surprised you've seen it before me.   

natob2:  yeah it's getting a lot of buzz in the ad world cause it's so odd.  Done by Calgary agency Trigger, heard of them?  Here's a link: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/calgary_zoo_cavegirl

listen2lis:  WTF  (offline: Yuuuuummmmm, big boy bite) 

So here it is in all it's glory.  What do we think?  The campaign, focusing on "back in time", features a lil' girl seen here as a cavechild.  Do we love it, hate it?   I'm leaning towards loving it.  The look and feel reminds me of an episode of the late 70's TV show Land of the Lost.  Yeah I'm digging it.  I'll randomly post ads and campaigns I find of interest on this blog each time titled "from my desk" hope you enjoy.

Until next time-ABC     

Take Five

5-day forecast for Savannah, Georgia:  Chance of rain Tuesday - Saturday

365-day forecast for Savannah Phillips:  Sunny and bright all year round.

It's hard to believe sweet Savannah entered our lives 5 years ago.  She's our niece, the oldest of my sister Cathy's two.  We live far away from Savannah where day trip visits are impossible and airline tickets are unreasonable.  There are times when homesickness bites more then others and this would be one...we'd love to be there with you Savannah on your big day.  Know we are thinking of you and sending all our love.       

Happy Whole Hand #5!  

we love you-ABC

Saturday, 9:43 AM

In the morning Costello does not like to wear anything but his bib...

  

and even that he eventually tries to take off.

What's with the clothes mum? So overrated. 

"I know bobo, I know"  

Until Next Time - ABC

Not all pregnancies are created equal

Ah pregnancy how i love hate you. The bloated feet, the alien like belly button, the odd cravings, the triple chins, the exhaustion and mood swings...seriously where is that damn glow?

Yesterday's ECV was successful in that our lil' baby unborn's head is now full on engaged in my pelvis, good times. I will not elaborate on the details, but pretty much anytime there's an acroynm associated with a medical procedure it tends to be unplessent. Needless to say BU has been more of a challenge physically but by far the biggest difference between my pregnancies has been the weight gain.

With Costello I was an ungodly mess towards the end. Rolling in the hospital 10 days overdue wearing Brian's sweatpants, an XL "Fruit of the Loom" white teeshirt, and crocks. Nothing to see folks, just a tubby ready to have her baby. I swore that kid was going to be a 10 pounder only to later find out that he was all but 7.8 lbs. I put on 67 pounds with Costello partly due to my misunderstanding of eating for 2 does not actually mean eat your heart out here I come Dairy Queen.

BU has been much easier on me in terms of weight. I lost all but 5 pounds prior to giving this pregers thing another go and thus far have managed to keep things reasonable. I'll tally the final gain once BU arrives, but it's considerably less. BU hasn't "developed" without challenges though, there's the breech thing. And this odd pigmentation symptom has shown up on my face, commonly called the "mask of pregnancy" which requires a "mask of foundation" to resemble normalcy.  With Costello I had the scary vein...linea nigra...yes that's it's scary name, that runs from your belly button to your vajayjay which I don't appear to have with baby unborn.

What's awesome though is Brian ever so slighty and without overkill reminds me of how beautiful I am, and can see though my hormones and temporary disfigured body. Thanks Babe...I'm bitching a lot, but it does help.

until next time - ABC

"heading" the wrong way

Well it seems baby unborn is full on feet first breech. Or as I would put it, directionally challenged, a characteristic I know all too well. Brian uses this as just another indication that BU must be a girl. Not born with an internal functioning compass myself it's a miracle I even made it out of the womb in the first place. Most of my trips in the car are a series of "whoopsisms" as I blow past correct exists taunting away in the rearview mirror. With me being 38 weeks along we head to the hospital tomorrow to see if our Dr. can turn BU using a technique called external cephalic version (ECV). From what I've researched this is somewhat successful and can help avoid the big C word. However at this point, whatever is safest for our lil' BU works for me.  And on another note, I'm super stoaked to see this show tonight put on by Decidely Jazz Danceworks (DJD).

Until next time - ABC

who's who

The Ringmaster

You never know what moments in life will prove to be instrumental.  When I stop to think of my big ah-ha's, most were achieved with a large amount of hapenstance and a dash of luck.  This holds true for how I met my husband.  We first spotted each other in Boston then reconnected 9 months later in Chicago.  Our "how we met" story has the inner makings of Lifetime television movie, but I'll save that for another post one day.  Jumping forward..we were married April 5, 2008.  He's a partner and creative director with a happening entertainment agency and a prominent choreographer and dancer in Calgary's art scene.  He is Canadian and has one of the most loving and supportive families I've ever come to know and now fortunately can call my own.  Only he can make me feel secure and loved which is why I knew almost immediately after meeting Brian that we would be married.

The Clown

This would be our son, Costello.  He is our lil' entertainer and is showing daily at our house during the 12 hours he spends awake.  He does not nap minus an occasional 20 min doze off here and there but is blessed with the ability to turn off and crash for the remaining 12 hours left in the day.  He loves to blow kisses and clap his hands.  He proudly points to his ears and laughs at himself when he hides under his blankie.  He's equipped with his five words, "mom" "dad" "me" "hi" and "juice" which pretty much take care of his everyday needs.  He loves to deliver the remote control to dad and touch the fire place both of which are no-no's.

The Fortune Teller

Currently being referred to as baby unborn.  Rounding off 36 weeks of preparation before the big premiere.  Since "BU" is not with us just yet I can only share our predictions of what we are expecting.  I think boy, Brian thinks girl.  I in general have been more high maintenance with my second go at pregnancy and crave humus and bubble tea...go figure.  Some days I fear that there's not enough room in my heart to pass on as much love as we have for BoBo, but late at night when i feel baby unborn kick I know my ability to unconditionally love will continue to expand much like my hips have over these last few weeks.      

The Lion Tamer

And this is me.  To be honest, these days I'm leaning more towards the lion and less of the tamer as we anxiously await for baby unborn to arrive.

Until Next Time - ABC

and so the conversation begins

I do not consider myself to be a perfectionist.  One look into my closets will confirm this.  But whatever lack of orderly tendencies I once had are now being fully exposed and challenged.  It seems parenting inadvertently comes equipped with a personality change enabling you to unselfishly pull yourself together, at least in my case it has.  Not that I was some basket case before starting our family, but let's just say I've changed.  This is not an attempt of a before and after read in Parenthood 101...but there are three things you should know about me, I love my family, I am expecting our second child, and I constantly remind myself that the future is not predictable.

So why the blog?

To be honest, I'm not sure.  Maybe it's my ranging hormones, or maybe this is my attempt to "nest" as I seem to lack the more common pregnancy quality of wanting to scrub my floors and bleach our bathrooms.  What I do know is that the more I grow as a person the more I'm itching to share my opinions and findings and look for followers to inspire and learn from.  My husband Brian supports my desire to write candidly about our days and parenting process from the early beginnings and beyond.  This is my best attempt to capture a bit of the bigs and smalls in our lives.  If you'd like, read along, or don't, either way it's good medicine for me and when our kids are old enough to laugh at the outdatedness of a "blog", I hope this will be an awesome read down memory road.

Until Next Time - ABC