Almost, but not quite yet...

We had quite an adventure this weekend. After a terrible reaction to a nasty flu bug, I ended up in the hospital with contractions and a high fever. This baby still has 7 more weeks to cook, but apparently she thought now was a good time. We are home now and feeling much better. But, I thought now would be a good time to play a little game considering the details of our recent experience. I will provide as much information as possible about this baby and you will try to guess all the details of her birth.

So - my original due date is November 12, 2008. According to the ultrasound at 20 weeks, she was measuring due on November 9, 2008. After the ultrasound this weekend in the hospital, she is measuring about 2 weeks early from her original due date, which would be October 30th. They estimate her current weight at 5.5lbs, but there is about a 13oz. margin of error on ultrasound weight estimate. The ultrasound tech did say she has a 'nice size head' which doesn't sound comforting for the mother who has to birth her. I just keep saying, 'epidural, epidural, epidural.' They also said she just has some peach fuzz on her head, no actual hair to speak of.

C was born at around 5.5lbs a week early; I was born on time at just under 9lbs. C is 6'1" with dark curly hair and dark eyes and I am about 5'9" on a good day with blond straight hair and blue eyes. C was born with lots of hair and I was bald 'til age 3. That's why my mom pierced my ears when I was a baby, which I would like to do for our little girl, but C is opposed.

I am having contractions every time I get up or move around much at all, but nothing painful or consistent. But my hospital bag is packed and ready to go, just in case she decides to express her opinion once again and say, "okay, now!" (she is opinionated like her mother, I can tell already)

Okay, here are the things you need to guess:

Birth Date:
Weight: lbs/ozs
Height: inches
Hair Color, if any:
Hours in Labor: think optimistically

For the person who has the most accurate overall answers, there will be a special prize like a personalized drawing from me on "Paint" or something even more exciting. Maybe I'll write a special blog about how intelligent and insightful you are or maybe you'll just get to bring me dinner postpartum. We'll have to see, but take a guess and see what you come up with.

A great new read

I am reading a new, fascinating book called Parenting, Inc. It has been very insightful as we begin to embark on this journey of parenthood. From her website, www.pamelapaul.com, she summarizes the book as this:

A leading social critic goes inside the billion-dollar baby business to expose the marketing and the myths, helping parents determine what's worth their money-and what's a waste Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the 'parenting' industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their children's health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims-and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services. And she interviews educators, psychologists, and parents to reveal why the best thing for a baby is to break the cycle of self-recrimination and indulgence that feeds into overspending. Paul's book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.

For any of you other parents out there that feel inundated with advertisements and marketing ploys to guilt you in to thinking you're doing your children a disservice by not providing them the best of the best - this may be a good read for you. It has really boosted my confidence in my ability or lack thereof to be a good mom without feeling guilty.

New baby niece and 32 weeks along

Baby Carly - 4 weeks old

32 Weeks and counting....

Is that me?

Okay, fine... I'll do this Corbo, but only because it's you.

The Rules: Mention rules on your blog -Tell about 6 quirks of yours -Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.

#1 I have to eat candy after every meal. Sounds like just an excuse to eat candy right? No, after every meal - I get a craving for candy. Usually Chewy Spree or Skittles, but just about any candy will do. Lately it's been Twizzlers Cherry Nibs or Starburst.

#2 I talk loudly on the phone. I mean really really loudly as if I'm trying to talk to the person who really is across the country in person, like they can hear me. My husband usually reminds me to take it down a notch or 20 when he's home and when he's not home, I'm sure my neighbors love me. So - sorry if I've ever yelled in your ear when talking to you on the phone.

#3 I hate to backtrack or retrace my steps. I know it sounds silly, but I will plan out the most efficient way to get as much laundry as possible from the living room to the bedroom so I don't have to do it over and over again. Or, if I have to run several errands in one day, I will map out a list of what order I need to go to those places in so that I don't have to backtrack.

#4 I have a box full of unread books in my closet, yet I still go to the library every week and check out a new book or two. Why don't I just read the books I have? I don't know. Maybe because I like the idea of reading a book that isn't mine, or maybe it's that I can read those books anytime - but I will only have the library books to read as long as I'm going to the library.

#5 I have a place for every thing. I very, very rarely lose things because everything has a place. I have rubbermaids, baskets, boxes, and all kinds of containers for every possible thing. It is so frustrating for me to misplace something I know I have, so I make a place for everything. Just this afternoon - I organized all of my fingernail polishes and removers in a little box on my bathroom closet shelf. Now, anytime I'm looking for anything fingernail related - it's all right there.

#6 You tell me... What are some things I do that you'd consider a quirk? Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. Quirks can be fun and interesting. So... you tell me.

I am tagging: Kimberly H, Katie J, Camille S, PMB and whoever else wants to share their quirks!