Surprise Visitor!

Look who came to town all the way from Texas - Uncle Bryan!!

What a fun surprise! My brother flew in for my due date weekend. So nice to be able to spend time with him. Although his nephew hasn't arrived yet for him to meet, we are trying our best to get this little man to make an appearance soon! 

 

Bryan & I

40 weeks!

 

Phil, Me & Bryan

 

Bryan & Dad

just before heading to the Browns game!

No baby, yet!

Due date weekend!

No baby, yet! But, we are keeping ourselves busy. We had a nice dinner date night on Friday, and then took the little guy to see some Christmas lights.

 

Anyone remember the house in the musical streets that does the massive lights display every year? Still going strong!

 

Last day of 39 weeks!

Any day now, little guy. We can't wait to meet you!!

Turn Baby, Turn!

December 11, 2012

At my doctor's appointment last week, I found out some interesting and mind-boggling news. After weeks of Baby Gibbs being in the optimal "head down" vertex position, at week 38 he decided to do a little tumbling act! At week 37 (a Friday) my doctor had checked me and could immediately tell he was head down, ready to go. However, at last week's appointment (a Wednesday, literally 5 days later), his head was nowhere to be found. Which left her puzzled, so she went to grab the ultrasound monitor, so we could clearly see what he was up to in there!

Well, sure enough, little man was now kicking and playing around, but facing head up! His little head was right under my right rib cage, and feet were actively kicking my lower left side. Now, I know many of you have not seen me up close in awhile, but there does not seem to be that much room in my belly! Especially for a 6-7 pound-something baby to be doing flips. However, just like his Dad, he proved he is one active little man with his own agenda.

38 Weeks ~ Our little breech baby 

With his new positioning, my doctor began prepping me with the "options" for our now breech positioned baby. All I remember hearing her say was that if he did not turn on his own very soon, we would need to schedule a C-section to get him out. Her preference was a scheduled C-section, VS. letting me go into labor naturally with a breech baby and ultimately needing an emergency C-section. The more calm environment, the better. I appreciated that thought. However, I had a feeling that if the little guy could flip this late in the game, he had to be able to flip back. Maybe he just wasn't ready yet. Right?!

When I cam home that night and shared the news with Phil, we started considering the options. Did we want to have a C-section scheduled for 12/11 or 12/14? NO. Not if he could flip naturally on his own. But if it was medically necessary and best for the baby, so be it.

Other options? We could have set up an appointment with my doctor at the hospital to perform an External Version, which essentially tries to flip the baby from the outside by pushing on the baby and your uterus. Although there has been proven success with this technique, there has also been times where the baby does not respond well to the vigorous maneuvering and his heart rate could drop, or the placenta could rupture, and we would need to be ready for an emergency C-section that day. To us, that just seemed scary. Not only for us, but it sounded a little traumatizing for such a little babe. We didn't want to put stress on him - we just want him to be healthy!

Our next appointment was set for Tuesday (12/11) to check on his progress. Therefore, we had a short window (Thursday - Tuesday) to try to get our little man to flip back naturally on his own, or else have to face the C-section discussion.

How? You ask. If you ever Google "How to flip a breech baby," oh the amount of information you will find. There are even You Tube videos out there to show you these techniques instead of just describing them. Last weekend, we were on a mission: Mission Turn Baby, Turn. We were willing to try anything, as long as it appeared harmless for me and the baby.

What did we try? What didn't we try?!

• Pelvic tilts. Getting down on your hands and knees, arching your back like a rainbow (head down) and then arching your back up like a U (head up) to try to open your hips, give the baby more room in your belly to turn, and gently "rock the baby" back into the right position. Apparently my Mom was taught this exercise at her natural childbirth class, and was surprised I didn't hear about it / was not doing it as well. I started to do these every morning, afternoon and night, for 5 days.

• Playing Music. Put headphones near the bottom of my belly, and played music, trying to entice the little guy to move his head toward the music. You would not believe how much movement we saw (and I felt!) every time we turned the music on! Little man loves to dance! Although I couldn't tell if he completely turned around solely using this technique, it definitely perked him up and got him moving! Music of choice? Although we played many options, Baby Gibbs LOVES James Taylor. Especially the song Sweet Baby James. (Thanks Alan & Ashley for the album!) It will be interesting to see how he responds to this music when he's out in the world!

• Sleeping on Right Side. Every pregnancy book you read, you hear it's best for circulation to sleep on your left side. However, I read that if the baby is positioned facing to the left side, it would be extremely difficult for him to "turn around" if I continued sleeping on this side. If I slept on my right side, this would give him more room to turn and motivation to scoot away and down from my rib cage. So, depending on which way baby is facing, sleeping on the opposite side is suppose to help!

• Exercise Ball. Did lots of hip circles on my trusty exercise ball (which, I haven't used in about 2 years), every morning and night. Also just sat on it for better posture, to help open up my hips and to relieve lower back and abdominal pressure.

• Acupuncture. Well, no, I didn't actually go see an Acupuncture therapist, haven't ever been to one and the idea of putting needles in your body doesn't seem up my alley in my current condition. However, our good friend, Mr. Mark Parr, consulted his Acupuncturist and found there are pressure points on your hands and feet, that when pressed all at the same time, help the body relax and help the baby to turn. The pressure points are on each hand, under your middle finger (your tallest finger, pressing on the palm side of your hand, where your finger meets your palm) and on your feet, under your tallest toe (pressing on the base of where the toe meets your foot, on the base of your foot). The catch is that you need two people to do this to you (you cannot do this to yourself), to be able to press on the two points on your hands and two points on your feet at the same time. However, it does relieve tension and helps you feel more relaxed!

           

• Pedicure. Phil's Mom and I went to get a pedicure over the weekend. Mainly because it was her birthday gift from us, but also because a nice foot massage does wonders for you to feel relaxed as well. And, now our feet are hospital/holiday ready! 

• Moxibustion. Moxi what? Phil's Mom read about an ancient Chinese herbal technique, where they burn these Moxa Sticks (essentially a cigar shaped incense stick) near your pinkie toenail, which is found to be a pressure point to help warm and relax the body, open the uterus and allow a breech baby more room to move around and turn naturally. However, this treatment is recommended around week 35-37 and suppose to be performed every day for about 2 weeks to help baby to turn. We had  5 days and were at week 39.  Although it seemed a little "out-there" we were willing to try anything! Couldn't hurt! However, we just didn't know where we could find these said "Moxa Sticks" to perform our own at-home experiment. Although you could order them online, we didn't have that kind of time. So, after venturing to the nearest Chinese supermarket and asking the workers there, we were directed to a Chinese medicine man's shop downtown, at Asia Plaza. Who knew?! The medicine man knew exactly what we were talking about, and we purchased 5 sticks (only $1 each). He explained how to use them (confirming what we had heard) and wished us luck! For that weekend and the next few days, Phil became my personal medicine man, waving Moxa sticks near my pinkie toes and talking to the baby to get him to move. NOTE: If you ever try this, make sure all windows and doors are open - the herbal sticks create lots of smoke and smell, therefore lots of ventilation is needed to breath. However, I must say, it is quite relaxing.

This goes under the category, "you know your husband loves you when..."

Dr. Phil, my "Chinese medicine man" 

Doesn't he look thrilled?

This past Tuesday was where we learned the verdict. Did our crazy efforts and experiments seem to work?

THEY DID!!

Although the doctor couldn't tell his positioning just by looking at and feeling my belly, once she brought in the ultrasound, she could immediately see that he was in fact, head down again! Little man turned back on his own (or gentle coaching from his parents!). He did it! He listened!!!

What a huge relief and answered prayer!

Now, it's a waiting game. Fingers crossed he stays put.

Any day now, little one. We can't wait to meet our little active guy!

Christmas Spirit

Tree is up!

Don't you just love the way Christmas decor warms up your home, brightens your spirits and makes everything feel so cozy? Perfect time of year to welcome a little one and curl up for the winter!

38 weeks!

 Our first "married" Christmas ornaments from 2009

New addition!

Ornaments from my "First Christmas"

Perfect fit for Baby Gibbs' soon-to-be First Christmas as well!

Happy December! 38 Weeks!

December 1, 2012

December is HERE!!

Christmas decorations are up, and holiday cheer is in the air. Hard to believe in just a few weeks (or days?!) we will be welcoming our little winter bundle into the world. Looking forward to meeting the little man, very soon!

Like most weeks, the past few have been very busy. Here are some updates:

• Nursery is *mostly* done. Clothes and blankets and washed, and room is organized. Just need to hang some pictures up and it will be ready to welcome him!
• Majority of major house projects have been completed (still need to post "before & after" pictures...).
• All hospital classes and tours have been completed. We now have much more awareness in the areas of childbirth, infant care & soothing techniques, infant & child CPR/choking, and breastfeeding. 
• All gear has been assembled and tested, thanks to all of the stuffed animals we've received. They have acted as our "test babies" to make sure we know how to work it all!
•  Car seat is installed in my car. We can officially now bring home the babe!

What does all of this mean?! We are ready! Or, I guess, as ready as we can be. :)

Work Ladies Lunch & Baby Shower

The week before Thanksgiving, the ladies on my team took me out for a Baby Luncheon to celebrate Baby Gibbs. We went to The Flying Fig in Ohio City and had homemade German Chocolate Cupcakes for dessert. It was wonderful to get out of the office and enjoy every one's company. Thanks ladies!

Chrystal, the fabulous baker, & I with the delicious cupcakes she made

(Yes, I had 2. One for me, and one for the little guy. They were sooo good!)

Ladies who lunch 

Katie, Lisa, Mary, Sue, Me @ 35 weeks, JoAnn, Laura, Diane & Tina

Seriously good cupcakes

When everyone was back in the office from Thanksgiving break, I also got another fun surprise: Gifts for Baby Gibbs! Best co-workers, ever.

Thanks everyone, we can't wait to put everything to good use, very soon! :)

Of course, when we say we are "IT consultants" nobody really knows what that means. 

Since we work with SAP software, my co-workers found this hilarious book to help the baby learn about what Mom "does" working with SAP all day. Ha! Each page tells the story in German (on the left) and English (on the right), and explains all about computers, software, and what it is I might be doing all day. Maybe after reading, he'll become bilingual, too?!

 I think this is the perfect gift not only for the baby, but for Phil and our parents to learn about what SAP is as well! ;)

Nursery Update: Birch Trees!

I have always loved Birch trees.

Something about them is so soothing and relaxing, and hopeful at the same time. When I found out that they made Birch tree wall decals, I knew instantly that I had to incorporate them into the nursery. And, when I found out that Birch trees symbolize renewal, new beginnings and protection, it seemed even more fitting.

The Inspiration:

The Birch Tree Decal Project:

Although the idea of a "decal" seems like a quick project, these floor-to-ceiling trees were definitely a labor of love. Assembling individual trunks, branches, leaves and birds felt like putting together a gigantic puzzle! However, it was a fun project for us parents-to-be to do together, and they add that special touch that we were looking for. Here's the play-by-play of how the trees came to be...

1. Apply tree trunk decals to wall. First position with painter's tape, then peel of the backing and apply to the wall once you are satisfied on placement. Very carefully. Step stool and two people required:

2. Peel off protective layer to reveal white tree trunks:

3. Arrange branches using painter's tape, to figure out placement. Then peel and stick branches to the wall:

4. Arrange and apply finishing details: leaves and birds:

Ta-da. 

We love how they turned out! This corner wall is going to be the perfect backdrop for the crib.

Now we just need to hang this adorable handmade owl mobile (from Esty) above the crib and set up the bedding. More pictures of nursery progress to come soon...

Sweet sleepy owls. 

This mobile not only looks cute, it also plays music! 

Love that it was handmade, just for our little guy.

Baby Shower! ~ 34 Weeks

November 3, 2012

The week our power went out, was also the week of my Baby Shower! Although we were planning to have the shower at our new house, with no electricity or heat, Mother Nature clearly had other ideas. Thankfully, we were able to come up with the perfect plan B, the Wyngate Townhome Clubhouse! A huge thanks to Christine for helping us reserve the space. Everything turned out wonderfully!

Baby G's shower would not have been possible without the help, ideas, planning and cooking of the fabulous GrandMamas-to-be, Mama Yale & Mama Wisch. Thank you both for putting together such a special day! You both went above and beyond. Baby Gibbs is one lucky little guy! We love you!

Also, a big thanks to "Aunt-to-be" Lindsay, for helping plan the fun games and activites (all the way from Chicago!), and for helping to set up. My favorite was the "Wishes for Baby Gibbs" keepsake! Loved reading everyone's "wishes" for the little guy - lots of laugther and tears were shed while reading over everyone's notes!

Thank you to everyone who traveled in, near and far, just to share in the special day (Chicago! Cincinnati! San Francisco!). It really means a lot to me to be able to share this huge life event with so many friends and family. And, although the ladies who could not be there in person to celebrate were missed, I know they were there in spirit! Thanks for a great day!

P.S. If anyone has any additional pictures from the day, please send my way! :)

Lindsay, Katherine, Katie & Ann

Ruth, Cathy, Deb (GMama Wisch "to-be"!) & Molly

Barb, Casey, Ashley, Meghan & Aunt "to-be" Heather

Baby G has no idea how lucky he is!

THANK YOU all for the wonderful gifts, we truly appreciate it. 

Looking forward to washing all the tiny clothes & blankets,

assembling the gear and getting the little man's nursery organized!

         

Baby Bouquet of baby clothes!

34 Weeks!

Thanks everyone for a wonderful day!

So happy my sister-in-law, Heather (a.k.a. "The Rookie Mom"), could join us!

Thanks for flying in for the special day!

Miami / former Cincinnati ladies

Ann, Katherine, Me, Katie & Lindsay

Casey, Annie, & Meghan testing out the baby gender ring game!

Somehow everyone is destined to have about 4 or more kids, all mixes of boys and girls. 

Annie & Meghan: time to get workin' on Baby Gibbs' playmates, ladies! ;)

Baby belly love!

That night, back at the hotel, it was so fun for the girls 

to be able to feel the baby move! 

Me & Mrs. Carson

Me & Casey

Baby shower favors! A big Thank You to my cousin, Kina, 

for making the delicious smelling favors of candles, lotions and soaps for all the ladies!

(My house still smells wonderful from the extras I have!)

Gifts from Texas! 

Thanks Uncle and Aunt "to-be," Bryan & Cathe!

See you soon, we miss you!