Is it time yet???

Okay, let me get this down before I lose it all...

When will baby be here?

Because I have opted for a VBAC, it is important to get the due date as close as possible. I MUST go into labor on my own. There will be no induction. We want to be sure we don't go "overdue". Things do change in an instant though, and it's all up to BABY and the temporary housing unit he currently lives in. After today's appointment, I've been given orders to start "pep talking" the bambino into which end goes up. We don't want another breech position!

According to MY (using online sources) calculation, the due date is 4/3/07.

Calculation by ultrasound with Dr. A on August 27, 2007, the due date is 4/13/07.

Calculation by ultrasound on November 19, 2007, the due date is 4/3/07.

Calculation by LMP (not normal anyway) and very unreliable by Dr. P's "wheel of dates", the due date is 4/16/07.

Recalculation of 8/27's appointment measurements by Dr. P, the due date is now 4/8/07.

Knowing that it can take up to two days for "sperm to meet egg", that calculation's due date is 4/10/07.

Are you getting it? Rudy can be very "analytical" about things, being a Civil Engineer, and has this fascination with numbers. But he doesn't know about these numbers! In fact, I'm sure he'd be impressed in my anal ways I have kept track of things during the months of June and July! I'll spare the details!

Heck! When will the baby get here?

Some lady in the waiting room today asks when I was due...I just answered, "April". Her response was "Oh gawd, you gotta long way to go!" Gee, I didn't think so!

One day a couple weeks ago when Dominic, Donovan and Rudy had a holiday, I got home from work and Dominic says, "Mommy, did the new baby come out of your tummy yet?". Oh gosh! Isn't a bit early to be asking? Poor thing. He's not the only one anxious I guess.

So, we KNOW we're having a boy. What we don't know is when HE will get here. Want to take a guess? Play along! (...but you have to guess time of birth, length and weight too!)

Here are those long awaited "pictures" of the little squirt from last week's BIG ULTRASOUND:

Here he is!

Need help here? Baby's head at right is looking at you;
the furthest camel-like hump from the word "BOY"
is the determining gender factor; and can we assume
(like in the above photo) that that is his hand nearby?

He is pretty cute! (verified by Grandma Gertie). And today, Dr. P couldn't get over his cute nose!! What? How can she tell? MUST take after MY nose if I do say so myself! What'dya think?

A Great Day for a Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Mom (aka Grandma Gertie)

and

Rudy (aka Daddy)

We celebrated these two special birthdays on Thanksgiving while the family was around. Mom made pumpkin pie for that day, so I managed to prop up some candles in it for her. I bought Rudy a "Strawberry Fields" cake so he wouldn't feel left out. Special birthdays for two very special people.

A (Birth) Day at the Park

Who would have guessed a birthday party at the park near the end of November would turn out on such a nice day? The sun was out and the Tryptophan-laced kids were ready to blow of some cooped-up energy in celebration of Cousin Andrew's 4th Birthday. It was a Monster Jam!

Hug a pole, but never stick your tongue on it!

Bianca , just hangin' around.

Just swingin'.

Evidently, Dominic was having such a good time, he was rarely around for the camera.

Run to Feed the Hungry

I've done this "walk" for the past few years now, and believe that Kristie and I have made it an annual tradition to drag the kids out on a crisp, cold morning into a crowd full of hungry people. Okay so we do this FOR the hungry..meaning this morning's race and walk will benefit the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. A great way to start the holiday season by contributing to an organization that helps others in need. It also helps us by thinking we've earned that slice of pumpkin pie after our meals later in the day.

Last year Kristie and I had this wild-brained idea that IF we could RUN the 5K, we'd certainly get to be in the fast lane and avoid all the slow, meandering walkers. Imagine running with kids in tow! It was a great idea, and well, this bod is not in any condition to attempt such feat. But, what is wonderful, is that my 11-year old niece was excited to partake in her first 5K alongside her Uncle Mike (who after many donuts being in law enforcement, should be in shape!) Mistakenly, the 5K turned into the 10K with a wrong-way turn by both participants. And they still beat us to the finish line! Way to go Bianca!! She's now left us in the dust.

I brought the wagon this year instead of the stroller with a little bit of fear the kids would hop out. They didn't! The entire 5K was seated in the wagon, cozy under the blankets and content with Power Rangers and stuffed animals.

Number 7623 is ready!

The turkey hat was cute while it lasted!

The 10K-ers, BEFORE the race.
(Bianca was just as smiley afterward;
Michael was "whooped")

3 out of 4 participants had a great time!
(Amy, Peyton, Sydney and Kristie)

Just passed the 1 mile marker, 2 to go.

Even Elvis showed up on this big day!

This must have been the sign that Bianca and Michael misread!
(...and on they went with the 10K!)

It took us nearly 15 minutes just to pass this sign!
(I want my time adjusted!!)

Someone's getting sleepy...

Supermom: (n) Being able to multitask effectively
while in total control of multiple kids.
(Kristie with Sydney; Dominic and Peyton in the wagon;
Donovan helping with a push from behind).

Sydney finally decides to lend a hand...just one!

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Bring on the mashed potatoes!!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Finally! The Results are in....

...we're having a BABY!

Today was the BIG ULTRASOUND day. This is where a "technician" (as if I'm a car!) will closely study parts, bones, structures, etc. of the growing fetus. For example, the length of the femur (thigh) bone determines the actual length of the baby and will help to determine the "right on track"ness of the baby (sorry, short on smart words!). They look at heart chambers, kidney function, spine structure and MORE. It's usually a 45-minute session of constant "wand"ering about my tummy, while the technician does his/her job taking measurements and pictures for the doctor to assess. There is absolutely NO conversation held between the tech and myself...until the task at hand is complete. Not required certainly, is the gender determination! If we WANT to know, they will gladly tell us and show us "the goods" or lack thereof. There are no guarantees! My neck is kinked from staring at the monitor the entire time. I watched closely as the tech labeled parts and zoomed closely at others. My first "freak out" was when there were technical difficulties and the computer had to be restarted. Wow! That was a scare, as the tech put a towel back over my stomach and put the wand back in its place. FREAK OUT!!! (Again, NO words were exchanged.) Finally, we got back on track and things underway. My mom and Rudy waited the grueling 45-minutes out in the waiting room, until they were called back to join me and BABY......

My initial reaction to the news? NUMB

Rudy's reaction? "We're DONE. That's it!"

Mom? She was nearly out the door on her way to HomeGoods for some "must have" baby boy treasures. (Not so fast, however, as I found her circling around downtown trying to find Folsom Blvd.) I finally called her, met her at a very healthy McDonald's and rerouted her in the right direction....hopefully!

And a few minutes later? Okay, so we are a bit overflowing in the testosterone department. I'm not sure what to think. To tell Dominic he will not have a baby sister named "Maddie" will just kill him! He will have yet another sibling to fight over his Power Ranger toys with. There will be plenty of battles in our household for sure.

There will be no girls under our roof. Thankfully, we have the four-legged one! There will be no frills, no dollhouses, no ballet slippers, no patent leather mary janes, no playing dress-up, no Barbies, no princess crowns...and the list goes on!

Well, that now narrows my name selections down to 5 of the 15 I had. Yes, who would have thought we'd have to agonize another BOY name? Here we go again!

I'll post pics later, of course. What are the chances of having an April Fool's Baby? Would it be our luck? -- They have moved my EDD (estimated due date) up a few days to 4/3/08. We'll see how it goes!

Turkey Day is Coming!

I'm a little turkey, I love to play

I'm very hungry, I eat all day
When I see a hunter, with a gun
Then, I know, it's time to run!

~As sung by Dominic, translated by Mom

Pass the Popcorn, Please!

We tried "Popcorn Night" again. It's been a while since we've enjoyed it without rehashing the events that took place during the last attempt at eating popcorn. It went smoothly this time. Although sharing the same bowl was a bit difficult, so Donovan eventually got to have his own bowl (on Daddy's lap)!


No other special events were planned for the boys this weekend, however the next couple of weekends will be crammed! Dominic's 2nd to last game was this morning. He played goalie once again, and loved it. No pics this time of him. But there's...

...always the spectator!

I'm not sure on how the term "foochie" (phoochie?) came about, but it's an Avila-used term to express "stinkiness". And Donovan has learned the correct usage and proudly shows it...

Look Peyton...no shoes!

School Pictures...

...just ain't what they used to be!

Can you believe that's MY child?

What did I just say?

**WARNING: Therapy blog post ahead!**

There's been this "running joke", I suppose, between myself and a certain Architect that frequently calls our office. He's a fun, humorous, very nice guy (in his sixties). We deal a lot with his firm and currently have 2 projects underway with him. He often calls the office and will ask to speak to either of the two Project Managers handling the projects. I know a lot of people's voices over the phone without asking who they are...I've also been known to recognize those thick-accented salesmen who try to weasel their way to The Boss. Can't get past me!

The running joke? I'm not sure how it started, but after my maternity leaves in 2002 and 2005, I was often questioned (by this Architect) upon my return, "You're not pregnant, are you?". As if I were pregnant all the time? Perhaps, during the rare moments he stops by the office to see me in person, I was full-blown pregnant? I think he saw me more "out in the field" during my 2002 pregnancy, as that's where my position with the company was at the time.

Funny how he suddenly stops asking me this question and I've now gone 17 weeks without him bringing it up. I remember thinking way back then, "What do I say now?" My typical, "Uh, no!" answer would be a LIE if he ever asked me. I even told The Boss about the "running joke" between the Architect and I. Now I wish I remember what smart remark he told me to tell in return. I sort of forgot about "the joke" and figured my typical answer was boring him.

Fellow bloggers, after 17+ weeks into this pregnancy, I got hit with "the question" this afternoon. My response? ...was "Um, no!" I almost completely fell out of my chair. I LIED! Did you hear that? I LIED!!!! (gasp) I couldn't tell him...I'm not sure why, but knowing that the rest of my office doesn't know my "baby bump secret", I didn't want to say anything there for anyone to overhear. Did he know? I was searching on the computer to retrieve some information he was requesting, when his "question" really threw me for the loop and I scrambled to find the words to say. I said "Um, no!" ....Did I just lie?

After hanging up the phone, I immediately went to Terra's office (who does know) and told her my sins. She gasped too! We both sort of chuckled about the conversation that took place. And now we're both wondering, "does he know?" The only possible way of him finding out is through The Boss, and the only time they've been in contact with each other is during the flight over to Reno for the jobsite meetings (of which Terra was also aboard plane). Why would I be a topic up in the air? While it is possible, I think it most likely isn't. My boss has not told anyone, and it's just a coincidence that our old "running joke" came back alive during the few seconds I was given to look up something on the computer.

Yep, the verdict is in:

I LIED!!!! Now how do I get out of this mess?

Therapy session done. I feel much better now. I hope I don't lose sleep over this!

Exciting Baby News....and FREE!!!!

Okay, how many of you are going to scroll down this post to see what's so exciting? It's like going right to the end of a good book...be spoiled without reading the in-between. Well, look no further....

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE HAVING!!!

...that appointment isn't until the 19th. Keep waiting.

Should I put a countdown ticker at the top of my blog? (tee hee!)

The good (and exciting) news was hearing baby's heartbeat again, having an excellent blood pressure reading of 120/70, having lost weight rather than gain... and getting a flu shot! Yep, exciting! I got a flu shot...and it was FREE!!!! How so? Well, as unusual as California Health Care Coverage is, my OB visits are "no copay needed" and to get a flu shot in the SAME office made my flu shot absolutely FREE! Oh, and a "mercury-FREE" flu shot at that! (How many times can I say "flu shot" in this post?)

Another exciting moment was when I made my appointment for the next visit. Because there are many doctors in this office, the chances of getting the one you want to deliver you are slim, so it's good to know them all and give them a chance to know you, as ANY of them could be ON CALL at the time baby decides to make its arrival. Because we watched my blood pressure very closely while pregnant with Donovan (not that it was in danger), Dr. Parsi wanted to be sure I was under her care for the majority of the office visits. I didn't mind - I really liked her. So, nearing the end of the office visits and the upcoming arrival of Donovan, the unthinkable happens and I'm sent over for a C-section because he was in a breech position. Dr. Parsi, on-call at the time, performed the surgery and was wonderful during (perhaps it was my anesthesia?) and even post-partum. She made me a nice incision (if I do say so myself) and said that with any more pregnancies, a VBAC would be no problem. Despite the fact I had to undergo the C-section, I still am fond of her and was saddened to hear of her moving to the Bay Area for practice. Today I found out that SHE'S BACK!!! I can't wait to see her at my next appointment and re-hash my VBAC options.