Start to finish.

What we've been busy doing since day 1. Started off picking up from our usual sperm bank in Berkeley, enjoying a nice piece of apricot pie while the little frozen ones hung out. The next day we thawed them, loaded them on board, and sometime shortly after that, the fastest swimmer won the race. Or the most willful. 

Now we're all set. The doc is going to start induction tomorrow (11/30) morning. We've done everything we can to prep, now it is game time. And there's a new player coming out from the locker room soon! So here's a little silly short photo timeline to the tune of this little one's heartbeat. Recorded on her actual due date. 

39 weeks and 6 days

For those of you keeping track, tomorrow is officially our due date. As of this moment, there is little to no chance this baby will come today, and my optimism for tomorrow is dwindling. We tried to explain how awesome it will be on the outside, but so far we aren't seeing much cooperation. Worse case, we induce on the 30th and force things into action. So keep your fingers and toes crossed. We PROMISE, we will post here when the baby arrives.

39 weeks - ugh!

Ok, so I'm officially huge. I try not to whine too much (it's not like I can really blame anyone but myself for my condition) but man, I thought this kid would be here by now. We're so ready we're starting to think up new and ridiculous extra stuff we don't need to do to prepare because surely we must have forgotten something.

Friday was my last day of work, so now I'm just cooling my heels waiting (and occasionally obsessively cleaning things). The only place I'm truly comfortable is the fabulous glider my wife bought me. Soon I may be sleeping in it. The other day I finally hit a new milestone, I can no longer put on my own pants. I thought I'd be something way past 60 before I reached the point that I can't dress myself, but apparently I was wrong. I haven't been able to put on socks for more than a month, but this new reality is super frustrating.

So yeah, c'mon little one, it's go time!

Nesting done, ready for the egg to hatch

Freezer full of food (bought a chest freezer and filled it completely, plus the freezer in the kitchen is already full.

Baby bag packed, electronics updated with charged batteries, plenty of music and distractions.

Birth plan figured out.

Baby room assembled, as well as a ton of furniture.

Birthing class, breastfeeding, etc, all completed.

Ok, we're as ready as we're gonna get! Bring on the little one!

A few moments have occurred during the nesting process I should share.

I almost lost my shit during the birthing class. Imagine if you will, a room full of engineers/engineering types (hey, its Silicon Valley) in a birthing class. Awkward already. Then imagine them all sitting in a circle around a late-middle-age very British woman watching her squat over the floor and grunt. S had to actually about smother me to keep me from laughing audibly. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone else in there, or I'd have lost it.

If you're coming to visit us, we ask that if you're staying in the house or going to ask to hold the baby, that you make sure you're updated on your TDAP (Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis), as whooping cough is currently epidemic in CA right now, thanks to the unvaccinated masses of ignorant fools and their kids. Oh, and get a flu shot while you're at it. ;)

Any time this baby wants to come along now is just fine with me. I want my side of the bed back. (currently occupied by my wife, who has decided its more comfortable, and I'm certainly not arguing with her!)

37 Weeks

I think it's safe to say, we're pretty much ready for the main event. We have now completed 3 different classes which covered everything we supposedly needed to know about having and bringing home an infant: breast feeding, caring for the baby, dealing with seemingly never-ending crying, oh and labor and delivery. Our amazingly generous friends and co-workers held a total of 4 different baby showers for us, resulting in an overwhelming supply of just about everything we think we could ever need. We feel so blessed. Now we wait, and my preference would be for a short wait. :)

Over the last week my wife has cooked and frozen 7 quarts of stock, 5 lasagnas, and 3 mac n'cheese. She also prepped enough breakfast sausage to get us through the winter and potentially part of the spring too. She's planning on making a couple pot pies, a batch of butternut squash soup, possibly some lamb stew, and chopping beef for stew before the weekend is up. The goal is to not resign ourselves to fast food and junk out of exhaustion. I think we'll be in good shape.

Reasons I love my wife, part 1

I realized today that I don't often share the myriad of reasons I love my wife. Or maybe I do, but I generally don't do lists. So here's a bit of it.

She makes me laugh, even when I am sad.
She understands why I am sad.
My wife is the strongest woman I know. I don't mean physically, although she is much stronger than she thinks she is. She is far more mentally tough than her squishy loveable personality would lead one to think.
She's a librarian.*
I am a better person for being around her.
When I think of my wife, I speak more kindly to others. I generally behave the way I think she would, because I believe she's the nicest person I know.**
She puts up with me. That alone is pretty amazing, as some of my friends will attest. Although I am considerably more housebroken then I used to be.
Her smile is like sunshine coming out from behind a cloud. It starts as a glow in her eyes, and spreads down her face, warming your heart.
She dated (and later married me), despite my showing up to our first date muddy to the knees from playing touch judge at a rugby game.
If you ask her a question, you will get a well-researched answer. Or at least a very well thought out one. (currently this is on hold for some of us, as she's very, very pregnant and the parasite in her belly is sucking all her oxygen.)
With her I have a family.
Smart as a whip.
She balances me perfectly.
She makes me laugh, even when I am sad. (That one is doubly amazing, so it gets the first and last credits.)

*librarians are made of pure awesomesauce
**she claims to not be that nice, but when questioned, can only say that she occasionally envisions someone who is not being nice to her burning in flames. I actually believe that's one of the nicest ways to get over your anger I can think of.