Warm and Fuzzy

For the first time yesterday, Robert played a game with the baby. He pushed on my stomach in one spot a few times and then waited, and she pushed pack in the same place! It was majorly cool. Then he fell asleep with his hand on the side of my tummy and she pushed under his hand for a long time! AWE!

Getting ready for baby

My mom and dad came down last month and we painted the nursery:

Mama tree


Grandma tree


Daddy tree, Grandpa tree


Mama tree with mama and papa


Isn't it cute? As you can see, it will have a jungle-type theme. All we have to do is find a new home for the rabbits now!

27 Weeks

Here we are at 27 weeks, so I thought I would share this list from Pregnancy Weekly with Y'all:

"What to Say and What Not to Say to a Mother-to-Be

Understand pregnancy for what it is: A wonderful and beautiful experience, wrapped up in a colossal shift in hormones! Not only is the new mother dealing with the uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy, but also with anxieties and fears of motherhood (not to mention feeling like a beached whale half the time!). New mothers need a tremendous amount of compassion and support throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and beyond. Here are a few things to keep in mind when offering advice, support or criticism to a new mother:

On the Issue of Pregnancy and Postpartum Weight:

What to Say (All with Sincerity):

Honey, you look terrific!
Pregnancy becomes you.
You need to gain weight, our baby's well-being depends on it!
Honey, you just had a baby! You look great for just having a baby!
You're having our baby! That automatically makes you beautiful!

What NOT to Say:

Wow, you're BIG for____months!
Well, at least people know you're pregnant!
Should you be eating that? You don't want to gain too much weight.
Hey, try breastfeeding! That should take the weight off!
Oh, I didn't realize you already had your baby!
On the Issue of Bottle Feeding vs. Breastfeeding:

What to Say:

Whatever you decide to do, dear. The baby will be healthy either way.
Let's take a breastfeeding class together.
I know a friend who's breastfeeding her child. I'll put you in touch with her.
There are lots of great formulas out there for you to choose from.
Breastfeeding is a beautiful experience to enjoy with your baby.

What NOT to Say:

Breastfeeding is for mothers who are too cheap to buy formula.
I wouldn't breastfeed if I were you. I tried for three months and gave up because it was too hard.
Formula is unhealthy for babies. He'll be sick all the time.
Mothers who love their babies breastfeed their babies.
Breastfeeding is "dirty" and perverted, especially if done in public.
On the Issue of Child Rearing:

What to Say:

I would love to give you advice on anything you need. Just let me know.
I've got some great books on parenting. Would you like to borrow them?
Let's take a parenting class together. That way, we can be prepared.
Parenthood is challenging, but I know you'll be great at it!
Follow your heart. You know what's best for your child.

What NOT to Say:

Well, here is what I (my mother, Aunt Mabel, Dr. So-n-so, etc.,) think/thinks is best for your baby.
This is the only book worth reading on parenting!
Just you wait when this baby is born; you'll see how difficult parenting is!
Always/Never pamper your children, give them time outs, etc. (In fact, eradicate the words "always" and "never" from your vocabulary when discussing parenting!)
Well, if I were you..."

Hypnobirthing? Really?

I knew hypnobirthing was the right place for me at the begining of the first class when our teacher gave us a button that said: "PLEASE! Only happy birth stories . . . My baby is listening." I LOVE IT!

So, DH and I are going to be hypnobirthers. It's a method of childbirth preparation like Lamaze or the Bradley Method. The focus of hypnobirthing is to be relaxed and meet the birth of our baby without fear. The method teaches that fear leads to tension which leads to pain. This makes a lot of sense to both of us, so we're going with it. I have to do lots of relaxation and visualization exercises to prepare my self to relax through my birth. We have to practice with DH reading visualization scripts, so I get used to relaxing to his voice. Luckily, he has a very relaxing voice. We've been to two classes now, and I really love it. Some of it is pretty hokey and sentimental, but the exercises actually work! I've been a little ball of tension since I was born, but I can relax, whodathunkit!

Yes, this means we are planning an unmedicated birth. No, I've never birthed a baby before, so I don't know what it's like. Any thing else?

Our last class focused on prenatal bonding. We watched an old video from the 80's that was pretty funny. It was hard to focus on the content while you were busy listening to the synthesized music and looking at the teased, featherd hair and blue eyeshadow. Let me just say that us pregnant ladies are very lucky when it comes to maternity clothes now!