Chris is a dear husband and will make a wonderful father.  He’s a lot like my dad in that he wants to purchase the very best money can buy when it comes to important things.

He loves Consumer Reports.  Often, a high price tag on something [as far as he's concerned] means it’s quality.  We’ll have it forever!  My dad always tells the story of buying his Pioneer receiver in the early 80s.  It was top of the line, several hundred dollars.  Worth-every-penny.  My parents still have it running the sound system in their house.

I wonder if this logic applies to baby strollers.

Chris got very animated the other night when he told me the kind of stroller he wants.  It slices, it dices, it juliennes!

We live in a concrete jungle.  I don’t know that we need an “all-terrain” stroller.  But, this is what Chris thinks is best for us and our baby.  He’s read a lot of reviews and our friends bought a Bugaboo second-hand and mostly like it (their complaint is that it’s bulky).  It’s great for Wash Park, I imagine–from the sidewalk to the grass with no bumps for baby.

But when I saw the price tag I gagged.  This price does not even include all the “attachments.”  It’s like a Kitchenaid mixer.  I guess, when it comes to strollers, I was thinking more Graco than Bugaboo.

So then I thought about my dream transportation for baby.  I told Chris all about it (hey, we can both dream, right?)

They call the Silver Cross Balmoral Pram the “Rolls-Royce of prams.”  It is $4,400.  That would be approximately 1/100th the cost of an adult-sized 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

Wouldn’t we look so posh pushing this pram in Cheesman Park?

However, the pram may take up too much precious space in our small living space, I think what we actually need is something more like this little sling for Baby Stroh.  Looks like it’s pretty easily foldable.  We’ll put it in the coat closet when it’s not in use.

Updates to follow on what we actually purchase!

As of this past Friday I am 31 weeks along.  I thought it would be fun to do one of those surveys I keep seeing on pregnancy blogs.  Some of them share information like, “total weight gain.”  I’m not answering that.  I have posted a photo though, you can take a gander!

Size of baby? Baby is over three pounds and about 18 inches long.  Long, skinny baby!
Maternity clothes?  Oh yes.  I’m pretty much exclusively wearing maternity clothes.  I’m happy not to stretch out anything from my former belly-less days.
Sleep?  What sleep?  I drift off and wake up.  Drift off, wake up.  I am generally up and raring to go at 2 or 3 in the morning.
Best moment this week?  I was sitting in a meeting and I felt baby move.  I pushed my hand on my belly to get it out of the spot where it landed and the baby pushed back!
Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my stomach.
Baby Movement?  Baby is ON THE MOVE.  I’m trying to count kicks each evening when I turn into bed.  Generally, I’m feeling and seeing ten movements well within one hour.
Food cravings?  I’m loving potato chips, cereal, cottage cheese, raw vegetables and soup.  ’Tis the season for Fudge-Covered OREOs as well.  Lucky me!
Foods you’re avoiding?  Since about week 14, I’ve been steering clear of pickled beets and anything with Indian curry.  Even typing that made me feel a bit queasy.
Gender?  It’s a surprise!  But…we think it’s a girl.  We’ve thought it from the beginning.
Labor signs?  None (thank goodness!)
Symptoms?  I’m tired after long days at work.  I’ve also started experiencing some fairly major heartburn but taking antacid helps.
Belly button in or out?  [This is one of those bizarre questions, but I'll answer for inquiring minds] In, and un-adorned without the ring that’s been in it since I was 18.  You were right, Momma.  I regret the piercing.  It’s left a fairly ugly scar.
Wedding rings on or off?  On!  No swelling to speak of.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy!  Excited to meet this little babe but happy to be just a couple right now too.  Apprehensive about labor and birth.
Excited about?  Visiting with family this coming week!

We signed up for birthing classes at the hospital where we plan on delivering months ago–in typical Bridget planning mode.  We scheduled around C’s original date of surgery.  But then we had to reschedule when his surgery was pushed off to a later date.  And then one more time when the surgery was again pushed off.

We’re now signed up for a four-week childbirth preparation class pretty much on the edge of the end of this pregnancy and I’m having minor heart palpitations thinking about not knowing a thing about labor (except for what I’m reading) until this baby is ready to pop out.  I imagine most of my worry about the late date of this class came from a Yoga Sculpt class I took last night–which is supposed to be relaxing.  There was a wee little infant with his momma in the class and she mentioned he’s five weeks old but came THREE AND A HALF WEEKS EARLY.  So this morning, while the rest of the world is sleeping, I went online and tried to get into express classes and condensed classes and even the six-hour class that gives you “just the basics” as well as a tour of the labor and delivery unit at the hospital (we’ve only seen labor and delivery triage so far after the car accident.)  To no avail.  Every class is full until the end of January.  We’re due February 14.  I can’t push it that much.  I’m keeping our third original class dates.

But I just can’t take Childbirth Prep and consider myself ready.  What happens AFTER this baby is born?

Luckily, there are other hospitals in the area (lots and lots of them).  Most are just as full as our hospital when it comes to class sign up.  But I’ve found a gem after some searching around.  As of this morning at 2:30 a.m., I’ve signed us up for two other classes – Baby Safe (CPR and basics on keeping your baby right-side up) where there was ONE SLOT LEFT at a hospital close to our house but not where we’re delivering THIS SATURDAY and then a breastfeeding class at the tippy end of January at the same foreign hospital.  Chris will wake up to two Google Calendar invites after the Sandman leaves him in the actual acceptable morning hours.

Holy crow.  I wonder what I’ll be worrying about Friday morning.

Thank you for prayers, meals, good vibes.  Thank you for emails and snail mail and phone calls checking up!

Chris is doing really well.  We had a post-op appointment with Dr. Nemechek last Wednesday and he’s pleased with Chris’s progress.  He took off the steri-strips that covered the incision. Chris has a pretty gnarly scar under there.  However, the scar is expected to fade into a small line with continued use of Vitamin E cream over the next nine months.  He’s now switching between ice packs and heat to keep blood flowing during the healing process.

On Saturday night we went to C’s work Christmas party at Shanahan’s.  It was great to meet out with everyone and to load up on some delicious steak (I’m slightly anemic and on an iron supplement, so I’m sure my body appreciated this…)  Chris, I think, appreciated the socialization of a night out with co-workers.  One more week at home to rest up and continue healing!

This morning, just like yesterday morning, C’s surgeon called to see how he was feeling and if he had any questions in recovery at home.  Then, he shared some wonderful news with us.  The pathology reports are back and there is no sign of cancer in any of the lymph nodes removed during surgery!

We were discharged from the hospital last night and are resting and relaxing this holiday at home.  Chris said the only thing he wishes he could have taken with him from the hospital is the bed.  Because he can’t sleep on his side or stomach due to the incision site for several more days he has to sleep propped up at about a 40-degree angle.  We’ve got pillow mania going on in the bedroom right now.  But I’m happy to report Chris is definitely on the mend and had a good night!

He’s still icing the incision (“more ice than no ice”) and keeping ahead of his pain with medication (“you can switch out the narcotic for a Tylenol if you like…”).

This morning I am thankful for our partnership.  It’s incredible what you find out about your mate when he or she is sick.  Chris is grace under pressure.  Even in pain, he remains loving and thoughtful.  He keeps saying, “thank you” after I fill up his glass of water or his ice pack.  He is an incredible patient.

I am thankful for the wonderful nurses we had during our short stay at Porter Adventist Hospital and for the hospital itself. Steph, Riana, Sam and Renee were the day nurses I saw the most of on the oncology surgical floor and Chris had two others at night, plus a very plucky respiratory therapist named Jerry!  Everyone was friendly and helpful — right down to the barista at the cafe.

It is a wonderful, comforting feeling to know how supported we are by friends and family.  We received many encouraging emails, calls and text messages.  We were visited by family and close friends in the hospital and know we’ll have more visitors at home in these next few weeks!

Our health continues to be on the top of my list for what I am most thankful for.  The “c” word is scary.  We’ll have full pathology reports back on Monday from the surgery, but so far, so good.  Several of the lymph nodes take out with Chris’s thyroid have tested negative for cancer and we’re crossing our fingers that the rest do too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[source]

C’s surgery is being rescheduled to Monday, November 18 due to C exhibiting slight cold symptoms this morning.  We’re halfway between bummed and relieved.

It’s cold and snow is expected in Colorado today, so a postponement until C is in tip-top shape isn’t the worst thing.  We continue to be thankful for good health!

The weekend was relaxing and the weather was wonderful.  We dressed up for a costume/bowling birthday party on Friday night as Juno and Paulie Bleeker.  Such fun!

Temps in the mid-sixties led to a leisurely Saturday of packing up some of the guest room (future nursery) and naps on the sofa.  Chris was better at the packing up portion of the day and I was better at the naps.  We dropped some things off at C’s mom’s house and went to Hickory House for bbq – delish!  Sunday afternoon we had family portraits with C’s mom’s family and got makeup done at Bobbi Brown in morning.  In the evening we met for Sunday dinner at Lala’s Pizza and Wine.  A lovely end to the weekend!

I need to get the photo of US at the costume party…must bug the birthday girl.  But this will do for now.  Here’s what we looked like (but we’re a LOT older!)

I started writing a draft for this post on Friday after we had friends and family over to make fun posters for the day of C’s race…which went off Saturday morning…unfortunately without Chris.

There has been a lot of interest in Chris running this race.  It’s his first half marathon and he’s been training for 12 weeks with Christopher.  I asked Chris what he wanted for a carb-loaded dinner on Friday evening.  He requested his mom’s goulash.  So I did the best thing I could think of and had her come over and make it (she actually offered first–thank heavens.)  I have a hard time making other people’s recipes…and definitely don’t mess with someone’s mom’s recipe.

So on Friday night we had Christopher, S&P and Dale and Dianne over for goulash and poster-making.  It was a success!

The posters were funny and loving and cheering.  Some were just for C and some were for any runner.  One of my races was really fun because there was this girl who held up a pink poster mile after mile (she was riding her bike along the course with the runners).  The poster said, “Your butt looks GREAT!”  I loved it!

I had visions in my mind of holding all these posters up for Chris along the course and giving him lots of extra boosts of energy!

Saturday morning came around and we were in good shape.  Running (pun intended) right on time.  We got in the car to pick up Christopher for 8 a.m. so we could get to the race by 8:30 in Golden.

I was driving west down 12th Avenue and I stopped at all the stop signs, and at all the red lights.  And then I stopped at the red light at Clarkson and in my head it was not a red light but a stop sign at a four-way intersection and there was no one driving north.  Except there was someone driving north.  And that car slammed into the front driver’s end of our car and it was…not pretty.

[Ouchies.]

Of course, the first thing I did was burst into tears and freak out about what a terrible mother I’m going to be.  Luckily, no one was hurt and no air bags deployed and both cars were able to be moved out of the intersection.  In the hour it took a Denver police officer to arrive on scene, Christopher and S&P came to keep us company.  This was my first accident (with another car, if you’re picky about that and/or remember me in college).  The whole situation took a long time to resolve.  After we were done with the initial parts of taking care of an accident–getting ticketed, having cars towed, exchanging insurance information, giving reports, agreeing on what happened, we went out to breakfast.  I then spoke to the claims adjuster.  We drove over to the tow yard to give our permission to release the car to the insurance agency so they can start repairs on it this week.  After that, we wondered what on earth we should do, because our day was already a little off kilter.  We decided to shop for baby stuff.

When we got to The Right Start, Chris said, “I think you should call your OB, just to make sure they know you were in an accident this morning.”  I agreed that it was probably an important part of the story of this pregnancy so I called the doctor on call and she told me she was concerned that any sort of trauma could cause the placenta to remove from the uterine wall and in fact, cause the baby to be in distress without me knowing it.  That got us moving…

We ended up at the hospital for the rest of the day.  The baby’s heart was monitored and my blood was drawn and lots of tests were taken.  At 5:30 after watching several episodes of “Flip This House,” we got the good news that everything looked fine and that we were free to head back home.  We ate some leftover goulash and promptly went to bed.  As I was headed to dreamland, I said to Chris, “This day just did not go as planned.”  He said that was an understatement.

Sunday morning I took a walk with Katie and while we were rounding Cheesman Park, Chris shot me a text and said he was going to go for a run.  That run turned into Chris deciding to run a half-marathon all by himself!  When I got a second text from him he said he had four miles left!  When I realized he was doing this, I rushed to get some of the posters and set up shop at on the side of 12th Avenue to cheer him on as he finished.  I let Christopher know that Chris was running his own half-marathon and Christopher was just around the corner and stopped by to add to our cheering section!

Obviously, the weekend ended up just as it started on Friday night — wonderfully.  We’re so grateful no one was injured in the accident and I’m thrilled Chris had the gusto to run his race on his own a day late.  There’s no stopping him!