Archive for October, 2008

Announcing Binary Boy

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
Binary Boy - 7 pounds, 3 ounces - 19.5 inches

Binary Boy - 7 pounds, 3 ounces - 19.5 inches

It’s been a tiring weekend for me, so I probably won’t make much sense if I try and post the details all in my own words just yet. All I really can say now is I can’t stop staring at him and I am completely head over heels in love with our son. :heart:

Instead, I’m going to post the email announcement Kevin sent out to friends and family yesterday (with my name changes):

Hi Friends and Family,

[Binary Blonde] and I are delighted to let you know that [Binary Boy] was born yesterday, October 26th, at 12:30pm at the Austin Area Birthing Center. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 3 oz. and measured 19.5″.

The labor was a long one, but was completed naturally and without medication (if you don’t count the smelling salts administered to me). [Binary Blonde] bounced back magnificently and we were back at home by 8:00pm last night. [Binary Boy] has been feeding well and often, sleeping soundly, with only a minimal amount of fussing. While this may be beginner’s luck, [Binary Blonde] and I are just happy that our baby was born happy and healthy.

Despite his acute levels of handsomeness being off the charts (in addition to a severe and apparently incurable case of what I’m told is technically termed “kissability”), we declined the offer to have him tested to avoid the ensuing publicity that would surely come with his being included in future medical texts. Our hope is to keep [Binary Boy] out of the public eye for as long as possible but, given the obviousness of his condition, look for him shortly on various magazine covers at local newsstands and fine bookstores near you.

Attached are pictures of the happy addition to our family. Autographs available upon request; please allow 4-5 years for delivery.

Thanks,
Kevin and [Binary Blonde]

As I find the time, I will be writing the birth story and will post it here for interested parties. 🙂 Also, we have pictures galore and will be posting others as I find a moment or two, which is few and far between, as Binary Boy is a “grazer” and nurses often and in little amounts. I am pretty much nursing around the clock and blogging is far down on the list; first are cat naps and eating!

A Watched Pot

Friday, October 24th, 2008

One week left. To both my due date and Halloween! I feel like I’m practically shaking with excitement. 😀

Though, I have to admit, I feel like a watched pot already. Last night, right before 4:00 AM, I awoke to painful contractions – the real kind. The ones that radiate from the back forward and make it hard to concentrate on anything but how to deal with the sensation. They were a regular 10 minutes apart and lasted about 45 seconds, on average.

I resisted waking up Kevin, because I remember what our birthing class teacher told us: “Let your coach sleep as long as possible.” So, I did. I let him sleep.

I was able to sorta drift in and out of sleep between the contractions, which was nice. Then, around 6:00 AM Kevin woke himself up and asked if I was okay. I let him know I was doing fine, but that I was having regular contractions.

He’s been working on something important at work and he asked if I thought it would be okay if he went into work then to get some stuff done before I progressed further. I was completely okay with that, after all, not much was happening except for the regular contractions and I could still handle those with relative ease.

After he left, I sorta drifted back to sleep and woke up an hour later. I only then realized that I had either a) slept through the contractions and/or b) the contractions had lessened. I started timing them again and they were now 30 minutes apart! What gives?

I called Kevin and let him know. I also called the birthing center, and they said that it was normal for first-time moms to have several “rounds” of irregular contractions before actual labor starts. Super.

So, here I am again, back to square one, and since Kevin texted his family that I was having contractions (he’s since texted “false alarm” – argh), I now feel like a watched pot. And you know how that goes. 😐

Meet Goldie 2.0

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Remember way back when I mentioned I got in a car accident and my car, Goldie, was totaled and went to Car Heaven?

Well, now she’s back, reincarnated as a 2008 Honda Civic! 😆 Meet Goldie 2.0:

Goldie 2.0 - 2008 Honda Civic

Goldie 2.0 - 2008 Honda Civic

Isn’t she pretty? I think so. She’s really the first car I’ve ever picked out and purchased on my own dime. The original Goldie (1996 Pontiac Sunfire) was generously given to me by my grandparents, who live in Florida. They even had her shipped out to me in California!

So, Goldie 2.0 is pretty much the original Goldie, but in a modern, upgraded package. They’re the same color, inside and out, and even have the same trim.

For the past month I’ve looked at just about every small car there is and just wasn’t happy with what I was finding (looks and safety-wise). But, then Tyler at Howdy Honda took me to see last years Honda Civics, all 2 of them. He first showed me the dark blue Civic with charcoal interior and tinted windows. Blech. Then he mentioned that there was another one, in gold with beige interior and no tinting on the windows. As soon as I saw Goldie 2.0, I knew my search was over.

Of course, we went for a test drive first and everything handled really well. I knew the safety and reliability record of Civics are time-tested. In addition, she is a certified “green” vehicle (apparently Honda has the greenest fleet of cars on the market) and gets 35 miles to the gallon! So, needless to say, I was soon signing on the dotted line.

Me (and Binary Boy) with Goldie 2.0

Me (and Binary Boy) with Goldie 2.0

Now, all we have to do is get the infant seat installed and we’re all set!

A Nice Change of… Size

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

While at Costco last weekend, a lady near one of the sample tables asked me if I was carrying twins. Maybe that would be insulting for most pregnant women who are carrying one baby, but I practically beamed at that, after having heard, “Oh, but you’re so SMALL!” for the majority of my pregnancy.

After telling her that, no, in fact, I am not having twins, the next question out of her mouth was, “So, when are you due?”

“Three weeks”, I replied.

“OH my goodness – you are one of those lucky women who doesn’t gain any weight during your pregnancy. You are ALL baby!”, she mused.

If she only knew! It must have been what I was wearing, because I’ve gained plenty of weight. 30 pounds of weight to be exact. I can feel it and see it and it does not make me very happy. But, who am I to complain? It only took 9 months and 1 week for me to look sufficiently pregnant, but I guess I finally do.

Also, Binary Boy? He’s right on target with weight. Poor guy is probably cramped in there, but the midwives guessimate that he’s going on 6.5 pounds so far.

And because I’ve been so lacking in updating the small profile photo over there, here’s the Week 37 belly shot:

Binary Blonde and Binary Boy at 37 weeks.

Binary Blonde and Binary Boy at 37 weeks.

Twins? HAHAHA!

Edit: Wanted to add that yesterday we finally got our blinds installed in the house and the installation guy, who used to be an EMT and had delivered three babies, asked me: “Only one baby in there”?