5/12/06 (Friday): Jason: Baby Alexandra and mom are doing great. Stay tuned for updated photos, Sally's feedback, videos and more. Stats: Alexandra Kaylei Singer, born May 12, 2006 at 12:38 am. 7 lbs. 6 oz. 20 3/4 inches long.

5/9/06: Sally: Well, it's not looking like I'm going to have this kid this week. Since I still feel fine (I'm not screaming like a lot of women to get this kid out of me ... yet.) and my blood pressure is fine and the baby's heart beat is fine and she's still moving all over the place, my doctor said that we should just wait. He doesn't want to force the labor and have me trying to push this kid out for 36 hours, he'd like me to go spontaneously if possible. So, this Friday, we are going to do two tests. A biophysical profile - an ultrasound that measures the amniotic fluid, the placenta, her movements, etc. to see how everything is doing. She gets ranked on a scale of 1-10. They're also going to do a stress test. So, if she passes with flying colors on both, we'll wait and I'll go in for another appointment on Monday or Tuesday next week and if she fails the tests, we'll go in on Friday and have the kid. I knew the second he asked me how I was feeling that I wouldn't be having her this week, but it doesn't really bother me. I'll get more of August off and I don't want to be laboring 36 hours because my body isn't ready to have this kid. But I was looking forward to only working a half week this week :-) Just remember ... our ultrasound tech said that my due date should be May 15th, so maybe she was right. On a good note, my doctor didn't think that I was having a big baby ... but I think she might be hiding a few pounds in my tall torso.

5/8/06: Sally: Still preggers.

5/5/06: Sally: Due Date: If you're wondering ... nothing is happening.

5/2/06: Sally: She's still not heading towards the light. She must really like my belly because nothing has changed yet according to my doctor. No dilation, no thinning, no contraction, no water breakage ... oh well. Our doctor said that he's probably going to induce me on May 11th if she hasn't come by then. He only lets ya go one week over. May 11th is my dad's birthday, so he really wants the kid to come on that day.

4/29/06: Sally: Well, I have finally got some swelling in my ankles. The other day when looking down at them, I thought they looked like they were broken. The swelling went away once I put them up, but it was kind of funny. Then this morning, my left hand was much puffier than my right one. It was because I slept on my left side almost the whole night (when I wasn't up watching tv for a few hours because I couldn't sleep). Took about 2 hours for the swelling to go down. Thought maybe I was having a heart attack - haha.

4/25/06: Sally: This kid moves around so, so much. I always assumed that once you got late into your pregnancy, the baby would get too big and would be sort of stuck and not move that much. Well, that is definitely NOT the case for me. At least when I was sick, I could go to bed ... now I can't even sit down for 10 minutes or lay down before she starts moving things around. Last night I had to walk around the house while watching "24" on TV because it hurt too much to sit with her moving. Then I had to stand around for a while before going to bed to try to put her to sleep. I thought I was supposed to have sleeping problems AFTER the baby came - haha. During work it's bad too because I can't always just get up and walk around for 15-20 minutes to get her to stop. I'm hoping this all means she's not a huge baby (10 pounds) - haha. But I also hope it's not a sign that she's gonna be a bad sleeper or constantly need movement. How does my water not break with all her powerful movements? That must be some really tough water ... scientists should study it!

4/24/06: Sally: No change on the baby front. She's still just chillin, moving a ton, but not ready to come out yet. Last night, or really about 4am this morning, Jason puts his hand on my belly and she's moving all around. He then says "I don't know how you sleep with her moving around like that." I guess the fact that I wasn't asleep didn't really dawn on him when he stated that :-) We had the baby shower on Saturday. It was wonderful. Check out the photos. Jason bought the cutest chairs for our front porch. There are 2 adult sized Adirondack rocking chairs and one little kids Adirondack non-rocking chair. Even though she won't be able to use it until next year, it's so cute sitting in between our chairs. I'll put a photo up tomorrow if I remember. We stained them a nice natural golden wood tone. They're just so damn cute!

4/20/06: Jason: I think it's safe to say we're ready for this kid to enter the world. Oh joy! =)

4/20/06: Sally: I officially hate Babies 'R Us. I went to buy some nursing bras and some other cute stuff and I needed to try on the bras and clothes, but THEY DON'T HAVE A DRESSING ROOM! I was told I could change in the bathroom if I want. Yeah, please, can I put my shirt on your shitty, probably wet bathroom floor! How do they not have one. I would never buy a bra without trying it on. I was so pissed. I had a basket of things and I dropped it on their registry desk and basically told them all their store was a piece of shit and couldn't believe any woman in her right mind would buy maternity clothes there. I'm so nice :-) Kind of glad Jason wasn't with me, he tends to get ticked when I go off on people and stores that are doing it wrong. My theory is I'm spending my money there, they should fix things that don't make any sense. I'm going to Target to spend my money ... they almost never piss me off :-)

4/19/06: Sally: So Jason and I went to boob class last night or if you prefer, Breast Feeding Class. It was 2 1/2 hours of looking at and talking about boobs. Didn't really learn anything new, but it was good to hear everything. Jason did learn that a baby should go through 7-8 diapers a day after the first week. He talked about that more than the boobs :-) Had another doctor appointment. Everything is still the same from last week. I am now considered "full term" (37 weeks) and now all we're doing is waiting.

4/17/06: Sally: My mother took a bunch of photos of Jason and me. Poor Jason, he thinks our kid is screwed because we're already taking a bunch of photos and she's not even here yet - haha. Too bad for Jason -- mom and grandma like taking photos :-) Click here to see the photos.

4/13/06: Sally: Why are baby sheets so damn hard to put onto the mattress? Last night my mother got us the mattress and the rest of the bedding we needed, so I quickly washed everything and then struggled for 5 mintues to get it all on. Why are the mattress pads and sheets so tight? I know they want them tight, but it seems that they would pull from the sides and suffocate the kid. I saw this story on the news years back where a women invented these sheets that fit like a pillow case and the top of it folded underneath and attached to velcro under the bed ... I really liked that idea - I want THOSE sheets. Seems like I could never wash or dry them again for fear of them shrinking and never fitting.

4/10/06: Sally: Had my last monthly check today, from now on it's weekly. Basically I could have this kid at any time ... it could be tomorrow, could be 4 weeks from now. My doctor was checking me and he said, "Tall women scare me." And then he didn't say anything for about 10 seconds. I'm sitting there thinking that my doctor has some phobia about tall chicks. He then said, "because tall women some times hide a 9 or 10 pound baby." I better not have a 10 pound kid! 10 pounds coming out of my vagina sounds pretty painful. She's head-down (had to do an ultrasound to make sure because when my doctor first checked he was sure it was a head and then he felt something squishy ... turned out to be her hand was on top of her head). I am still showing a little "small", which could mean my due date should be a tad later or I'm "hiding" the baby in my tall body, among other things. We'll see ... I really want her to come the first week of May.

4/3/06: Sally: So yesterday Sarah and I made my belly cast. It turned out great except for my lopsided boobs. I already knew they were lopsided, but when you put them in a plaster mold, it really accentuates how lopsided they are ... oh well. Does insurance pay for breast augmentation after the baby? HAHA! It didn't take us too long to do it. Nacho kept wanting to jump up on me while we were making it (lap whore!). Sarah painted it and put on the beads and glitter (glitter at the top edge). I wanted it a somewhat darker color to try and hide my perfect boobies :-) I really like how it turned out ... now if I could only get Jason to approve it sitting on our fireplace mantel, we'd be all set - haha.

Jason: For the record, I love them equally.

3/28/06: Sally: So last night Jason and I made our own dinner. I wasn't particularly hungry and Jason was trying to eat healthy. Take a look at Jason's dinner and compare it to Sally's dinner. Kind of funny. It shows what I was talking about earlier how I don't have the most healthy eating habits - haha.

3/21/06: Sally: So, I had a pretty funny baby dream last night. I dreamt that I had the baby, but she was super small. She fit into the palm of my hand, but she was perfectly healthy and no one said anything about it being strange that she was so small. She was cold, so we wrapped a kleenex around her (since that was the only "blanket" that fit her small size). Her little feet were still sticking out, so I decided to put socks on them, but figured that one on each foot would be too big, so I took one sock and stuffed both of her feet in it. I was holding her in my hand and passed her over to Jason to hold. As I looked at him, I thought it was so strange how small she was.

3/19/06: Sally: I would like one full night of sleep before the baby gets here. I haven't had a full night of sleep in two months. She really likes to do her aerobics during the night. She moves all around for hours and her kicks/punches are so powerful, that I can't sleep through it. I can look at it as practicing for when she gets here, but I don't think I need to practice :-) She is such a mover and a shaker. I don't think she's head-down anymore because of where I feel all the movement.

3/13/06: Sally: Overall, my weight is just fine, but since I have only been gaining weight for a couple of months, I have gained a lot. My aversion to food has basically gone away and I'm hungry a lot. Unfortunately, I eat like shit most of the time - HAHA. I have really never liked veggies and healthy food. I have a very limited food palate, so I end up eating crap (as Jason will point out). I figure I'll gain 40 pounds by the time she comes ... yikes! My back and left hip already hate me, wait until another 15 pounds gets added. Other than my belly getting bigger and bigger, everything is just fine. My measurements are perfect and she's in the head-down position already, so that's good. Only about 7 weeks left to go.

3/10/06: Sally: Well, we have decided to give up on finding daycare until after she's born. It's too frustrating to do it now. Hopefully looking for something this summer will be better. I would say about 10% of the people we called, said they didn't know right now and to call them in a few months. Another 5% had an opening right now and the last 85% were full. I thought getting a head start would be best, but it just sucks. So, I'm not going to worry about it until after. I think I have gained a lot of weight this last month :-) I got on the scale about a week ago and couldn't believe it. I am waiting to see how much I really gained at my appointment next week. I haven't gained much of any weight in my legs, arms or face, but the belly is getting bigger :-) I told Jason the other day that I really feel like a pregnant woman. Anyone who see's me would know I was preggers, although with some of my clothes, it's a little harder to tell. It's tough to get up from laying on the floor. It's quite the sight, Jason just laughs when he watches me do it.

3/3/06: Jason: I finally figured it was time for me to help out on the in-home daycare search. I printed up a bunch of listings of registered daycare places in the Eagan area (near where we work). When I was getting ready to call I wondered to myself "how often does the husband do the calling for daycare". The first place I called, I asked for the wrong person. Oops. So I said I had the wrong number and hung up. Luckily, I was rid of my nervousness with the second place. Thankfully, somebody finally said they had an opening (see Sally's post below on our luck thus far). As I told the woman on the phone "my wife and I are not sure what to do next because you are the first person to say you have an opening". Of course, she has a "first come, first serve" rule, so we'll just have to see if she still has an opening in a few months. Nonetheless, it's a start!

2/28/06: Sally: I am starting to feel defeated in regards to finding in-home daycare. I have called about 30 people who do in-home daycare and NONE of them have openings. It's very draining and disappointing.

2/25/06: Sally: Added some photos of her bedroom. The drapes aren't completely done yet, I have to hem them, but after we put up the cornice board on Saturday, I got antsy and wanted to see how the drapes would looks. They'll be a little shorter ... hopefully I finish them before she's 2. We think the room has enough stuff in it (well, Jason does - haha). Don't want the room to feel cluttered.

2/22/06: Sally: Jason is right, her room is finally coming together. I find myself just sitting in her room some times. It's weird to think that in about 10 weeks or so my daughter will be sleeping in there ... it's very smile inducing :-) I really want her room to be done. We moved the furniture around again after we got the chair and it's much better now. Just need to finish the curtains (I'm a slacker), get bedding, paint the mirror and hang a couple more photos and the room will be done. It seems like forever before she'll be here. This wait is 10 times worse than the wait we had before our wedding.

2/21/06: Jason: Our little girls room is finally coming together! It's kind of cool to look in there and see the crib where she'll be sleeping, the table where we'll change her (yuck) and the chair where we'll rock her to sleep. Not to mention all the cool girlie accessories we have in there for her! She's really a lucky little girl to have Sally and me for parents.

2/16/06: Sally: I have always thought that when you were pregnant, your baby was about as big as your belly was. But now I know better. My little girl isn't even close to my belly button, she is sitting so low in my abdomen that I keep thinking a hand or foot is going to fall out of me - haha (I do know this isn't going to happen, but it sounds funny). So what the hell is in the rest of my belly? I guess it's my organs and intestines that have been displaced and other fluids. Where she is sitting, it's not even that far pushed out. Being pregnant is weird.

2/14/06: Jason: It's kind of weird to think that this will be my last Valentine's day with just one sweetheart. That is if our baby turns out to be a girl as was predicted by our ultrasound, as we are told is 95% accurate. So, as I was saying, next year I will have two sweethearts, as I guess a daughter should be just that to her father. Obviously there are differences, but I'll have two sweethearts nonetheless. What a lucky husband/father I'll be! =)

2/14/06: Sally: After calling a bunch of in-home daycare places, I have decided that I should go into business for myself. All the ones I called that live somewhat near where we live were full. Only one said that MAYBE she could, but needed to ask this one family if they were going to have a kid. It's such a pain in the butt finding in-home daycare.

2/13/06: Sally: OK, I know I am supposed to gain 25-30 pounds during my pregnancy and so far I have gained about 12 and I still have 3 months to go, but I have been gaining at least a pound a week. It bothers me a little because they say you're supposed to gain a pound a week in the last month of your pregnancy, but I seem to be doing it now. I know I am not overweight by a long shot (some women I know gained over 50 pounds), but I think my 5 day a week pizza habit needs to slow down a bit - haha. Oh well, at least I'll have the summer to get the weight off (famous last words).

2/5/06: Sally: I was almost in the most horrific traffic accident yesterday. If I would have hit this car (he would have been at fault), I would have probably killed him and I would have been severely injured. I was going about 50 down the road when some retard pulled out in front of me. All I thought about the whole time I was screaming while slamming on my breaks was "do you think the baby would live?" My heart was pumping after that for some time. I think I gave myself a little whiplash because my neck was sore for the rest of the day. It was one of those times where you can't believe you weren't in the accident. We were so close to hitting. Glad we didn't though. For some good news, my friend Karina got engaged over the weekend ... I predict a baby sooner than later ... haha ... just kidding Karina.

2/3/06: Sally: I wonder if Jason is sick of seeing me looking at myself in the mirror while I rub my belly? HAHA. The whole baby experience is so strange. The fact that there is a human being inside of me is so weird. She's still doing a lot of moving around. There is a spot that she kicks/punches that must be right on a nerve because when she hits it, it shoots this terrible, lighting-like pain across my belly. It's quick and sudden and it hurts. Oh ... birth will be so much fun - haha.

1/30/06: Sally: Added new 6th month photo. You can really see the curve in my back. I'm not sleeping well at night. My back hurts and she likes to kick for an hour or so around 2am. They need better things on TV at 3am ... I'm sick of watching infommercials. Jason was taking my belly photo and I was poking at my tummy, check out the impressions on my belly (I'm making a goofy face). We bought a crib this past weekend. Not a super expensive one. Neither of us felt the need to put a lot of money into a crib. They all meet certain standards and requirements and they only use it for 1 1/2 - 2 years and then you have to buy a big kid bed (even if you buy a convertible crib, everyone I know has ended up buying a big kid bed). Some people may say we should have waited to see if someone was going to buy it for us, but Jason and I are the type of people who if we want something, we go out and get it. Also, I like things done in advance, not at the last minute ... waiting around isn't my style. No one hinted they may buy it for us, and I don't want to buy a ton of high-priced items all at one time just before she gets here.

1/27/06 (4 am): Jason: So I woke up this morning (note the time stamp on the left) and, amongst other things, I had baby on my mind. I wonder how I will be as a father ... will I be the "cool" dad that our child is proud to intorduce to her friends? More importantly, will I lead our kid into being all that she/he can be (yeah, I know we're supposed to be having a girl, but just in case that 5% chance of the ultrasound being wrong comes true)? Some random thoughts on the baby ... we do not have a name picked out yet, but we are having fun trying out the few we have narrowed it down to ... I have felt the kid kick numerous times, which is pretty cool for me ... when will it finally become a reality ... can't wait to be a dad ... do we really even know what we're getting into? =)

1/26/06: Sally: The other day I decided that I would pretty good in a bikini right now. I mean, I'd have a big belly, but there wouldn't be any jiggle in the midsection. No love handles, no flabby abs ... it's all nice and taut now. Too bad it's winter.

1/23/06: Sally: My back has been killing me and I'm not even that big yet! My two bad disks probably aren't helping the situation. Jason has been giving me daily back rubs ... that's right, he loves me. She has been kicking up a storm. The doctors ask that you see how long it takes for you to feel 10 movements (kicks). It shouldn't take longer than 2 hours. On Sunday, it took 45 seconds. I'm sure she'll slow down as she gets bigger, but she lets me have it every once in a while. My placenta is next to my back, so that means she's closer to the top of my stomach, so I can feel her a lot more. Jason has been able to feel her kick many times. He even puts his face on my belly when she's kicking. Yes, I know ... we're total dorks.

1/19/06: Sally: I just bought the best pair of maternity jeans from Old Navy. They actually have "long" pants. I have decided that they should market these types of jeans to everyone, men and women, pregnant or not. They're great! I am going to break these bad boys out for Thanksgiving dinners, X-Mas brunch and any other big meal ... that way I don't have to unbutton my pants after I eat too much. I also don't have to worry about making sure my fly is up ... these pants don't have one. No need to worry if I have gained a pound or 10 ... they just expand with me. Fantastic!

1/17/06: Sally: So I just read a list of foods that pregnant women are supposed to avoid ... all I have to say is that our little girl is screwed. I have eaten about half of what's on the list - haha. I do feel that American doctors are a little over-protective and maybe that's not really the right word to use. Some say you're not supposed to give your baby/kid spicy foods ... what do they think they eat in other countries where spicy is a way of life? Give me a break!

1/16/06: Sally: Had a check-up today. Everything looks good. The report from the ultrasound says everything is right where it's supposed to be (size, amount of fluid ... that kind of stuff). All my other tests have come back w/ normal results ... so no need for an amnio. We think the doctor is going to change the due date to a week later since the ultrasound came back with a baby at 19 weeks instead of 20 weeks. They have me at 24 weeks now and a due date of 5/5, but they might change my due date to around 5/15. Doesn't really matter to me ... I look at it as more time off in the summer :-)

1/11/06: Sally: This little girl is kicking up a storm today at lunch. I guess she was hungry ... I went about an hour and half longer than normal before I ate lunch. Last night, I must have rolled a little too far on to my tummy because I woke up around midnight after being kicked the hardest she has ever kicked. She gave me a few of them to wake me up and roll me over. I guess she doesn't like being squished ... haha.

1/5/05: Sally: I think she's mad at me because I'm wearing pants that are probably a little too tight around the lower belly. She's moving all over the place and hasn't stopped for 3 hours now :-)

1/3/06: Sally: Jason finally got to feel the baby kick on Dec. 30th. We sort of cheated by waking her up in the morning. We poked and prodded my tummy until she started moving around - haha. I have been able to feel her for a while now (late Nov./early Dec.). When I look at myself in the mirror now, I look preggers. Before I thought I just looked fat. Now the round baby tummy is starting to show. New Year's Eve was really the first time I thought I looked pregnant in clothes. I was wearing a somewhat tight sweater, so that contributed to it, but still. Well, we're half way there ... still can't believe that J and I are going to be parents one of these days :-)

12/21/05: Sally: Well, I have already started shopping for our little one ... didn't take long after we found out the sex. I am decorating the room in an Indian/African theme. I really like the rich colors from India (Indian photo1 | photo2) and the animals from Africa. I am not into the pastel/light baby colors. I want deep and rich colors. Poor Jason, who hates shopping, has to come shopping with me to keep me in check. I have really only bought 3 or 4 things (which were all on sale), so it's not that bad. I'm sure I'll do more shopping after Christmas :-)

12/19/05: Sally: It's a girl. We found out this afternoon. They're 90% sure. The ultrasound technician thinks our due day should be a week later since the baby seems a little small for 20 weeks. Everything looks good. It even looks like she has my chin ... which isn't a good thing - haha. All the vital organs were there and looking how they're supposed to look. We got a bunch of photos (they're basically the same photo, but some have her mouth open). We're so excited! Jason gets to have a daddy's little girl and I get to have a girlie-girl - haha. Now it's time to decorate her bedroom (as Jason lowers his head and shakes it back and forth).

12/14/05: Sally: It's snowing like crazy here and no one will let me go sledding!

12/12/05: Sally: One more week until we get to find out the sex of the kid. I don't think I'm gonna make it. The anticipation is killing me.

12/7/05: Sally: I'm so fricken ticked ... I can't go skiing.

12/5/05: Sally: My morning, noon and night sickness is finally over. I am oh so glad. It's just the worst feeling ... feeling sick all day for months and months and there is nothing you can do about it. A couple of days before Thanksgiving it started to subside and now it's pretty much gone. My food palate has started to expand some, but not back to where is was before baby. Still haven't eaten a hamburger or steak. It won't take long now for me to gain those 50 pounds - haha. A couple more weeks and we get to find out the sex. I am terribly excited. I don't care if it's a boy or a girl ... I just want to know what it is.

11/25/05: Sally: Thanksgiving was very good. I got to eat turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, plain stuffing and pumpkin pie. I have been feeling better lately, but I have been getting headaches at night. Went to the doctor today, every looks good so far. I'm at 16 weeks along. We get to find out the sex at our next appointment - I'm so excited (oh yeah, Jason's excited too). We found out that Jason has positive blood and I have negative blood, so that means I have to get 2 shots to protect the kid from Blue Baby Syndrome - that's not the medical term, but I can't remember what it's called. Since we have opposite blood types and the baby will probably have positive blood, my body may try to "attack" the baby thinking it shouldn't be there. So I have to get one shot at 28 weeks and another just before I give birth. I told Jason it was all his fault I had to get shots - haha. I hate shots! I had never heard of this problem until now. The doctor said that it's been basically wiped out since the 70's, when they started giving these shots.

Jason's Take: Baby, Baby, Baby .... what about Jason? Sally says she can feel the baby moving some inside her, but I can't quite feel it yet when I put my hand to her tummy. Bummer. Oh well, it will come soon enough. Take note of the weight I have put on ... I consider it a form of reverse osmosis where the weight Sally is suppose to be putting on is actually coming to me. =) Editors note: it's actually normal for the woman to lose weight in the early months of pregnancy.

11/14/05: Sally: My favorite meal of the year - Thanksgiving - is only a week and a half away. I really, really hope that I have my appetite back by then. I'll be so bummed if I can't eat any turkey, corn, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie (the stuff I always look forward too). Really, really bummed!

11/7/05: Sally: Got my Cheez-It's ... yummy!

11/6/05: Sally: I saw a commerical for Cheez-It's ... god, I really want some now.

11/1/05: Sally: Three months along and still sick morning, noon and night. I don't throw up, but I feel nauseous all day long. I have to eat something almost every hour. After about 3pm, I am sick and tired of eating, so I stop eating and then don't eat dinner and I feel like complete crap and just want to go to bed. I usually end up in bed around 8pm, if I'm lucky I can make it to 9pm. Jason has been such a good guy throughout it. I am not a happy camper at night and he has dealt with it very well. I have lost about 10 pounds since I first found out I was preggers. I figure I'll gain it back here in a bit, plus about 50 more - haha. We had our first ultrasound on my birthday - October 28th - and it was like taking drugs seeing it. I couldn't stop smiling or thinking about it all day. The kid (and only 1 kid) was moving all around, doing somersaults in there. He/She/It kept putting its arms above its head - which is funny because now that I am preggers, I find myself sleeping with my arms above my head, which I never did before. Strange. Kid is also only about 2 inches long right now. Jason spilled the beans at work and I think it was because he got excited about what he saw on the ultrasound - which is cute. Next appointment is in 4 weeks.