Week 30

Advice Request

Our in home daycare provider wants us to provide a pack and play for her house, which we are happy to do.  We already have one that a friend gave us.  This one has a top attachment that is used for a changer, but the actual crib part does not raise up or adjust.  We want to keep a pack and play at home as well because I want to set it up downstairs as a changing/sleeping station, plus we want to have it for travel.  So we are in the market for a second pack and play.

The question/advice needed is:  What type of pack and play should we get?  And then, which one should we keep for home and which one should we send to the daycare?

How I am feeling 

I am starting to feel kind of big (eeeek!)  It started a little while ago when I would lay in the recliner and I would struggle to get myself back up again because I no longer have the ab muscles I used to have.  It was kind of amusing at first to hear me grunt and groan trying to get up from a chair, but it’s a little annoying now!  Getting out of bed even takes new maneuvering, and Lilly is only 3 pounds!  What happens when she is 8?  Or heck, even 9?  I was a big baby, so I have no delusions that I am going to give birth to an itty bitty baby.  Big or small, I just want her to be (cliché alert!) a healthy baby.  Isn’t that what everyone ultimately wants?  And if it’s not too much to ask, I want her to have big chubby cheeks that I can kiss and smush with my face; I love that!

I am also NOT comfortable on my back at all anymore.  If I lean too far back in the recliner, I start to feel short of breath and light headed.  Funny story actually, I was getting my eyebrows waxed (is that TMI for a blog???) and I was lying on my back waiting for the girl to start.  She was taking a little longer than expected and I started to feel a little dizzy.  When she was finally ready I had to ask her to hold on while I sat up for a minute and got some water.  This may sound scary, but it was really more funny than scary, even for me at the time.  This poor girl looked very confused (why is this woman getting light headed from laying down???) but was nice and didn’t mind waiting.  But I think she tried to get me out of there pretty quickly after that! 

Here is what I look like at 30 weeks:

Baby movement:

So, here is something that was not described to me in the books: “kicks” at this point in my pregnancy feel like small bombs going off in my stomach!  Is Lilly lifting weights in there and bulking up, because she is REALLY nailing me!  I had no idea a 3 pound baby could pack so much punch.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it (how weird is THAT?).  I love feeling her movements and to feel how active she is because that is really the only connection we get to her.  It’s hard after we had so many ultrasounds early on to never get to see her and get that reassurance that she is ok.  I love hearing her heart beat at the doctor’s appointments, but it’s definitely not even close to the same as feeling her move or seeing her on an ultrasound. 

Shout Outs

Thanks to Jared S for coming over to help Darren install Lilly’s ceiling fan!

 

Also, shout out to Antonia H. (my fellow mama-to-be) for getting me girl clothing that her friend had and that she did not need since Antonia is having a baby boy (and we can’t WAIT to meet Joseph soon!)

Nursery:

Remember how I said I was going to get the nursery done over track out?  Well, we haven’t done anything else yet except I did buy a touch lamp at Home Depot.  

Don’t worry though, we still have 2 more weeks of track out and I am determined to get everything settled.  So I promise by next blog, I will have some new pictures of the nursery and it will be more complete.

Labor and Birth:

I started a blog page for the members of our birthing class so we can all stay in touch.  It’s amazing how connected you feel to other moms who are going through the same crazy time that you are.  I am lucky that we also have friends who have had kids or are currently pregnant so when I have questions or need advice, there are plenty of people to go to.  It will be nice though to keep in touch with our classmates so we can see each other’s babies and maybe even get together once everyone is here J

I was also pleasantly surprised the other day when I had my doctor’s appointment.  It was the first time I was going to be seeing one of the OBs in the office and not a midwife.  At the practice I am going to, there are 5 midwives and 2 OBs.  During your prenatal care, if you are choosing to work with the midwives for your delivery, you cycle through the OBs as well, just in case there is a complication that requires an OB, that way the doctor is not a stranger.  I thought the doctor was wonderful.  He was very attentive, kind and answered all of my questions without making me feel rushed.  It’s nice to know that, even though I hope it does not come to this, that at least one of the OBs in the office is still very receptive to my birthing goals and that I am comfortable with him. 

I am also interested in attending a breast feeding class, or a La Leche League meeting before I give birth so as to make the process of breast feeding go very smoothly.  If anyone is involved in La Leche League or was in the past and has information, please share it.   

Week 29

Official Announcement of Baby Girl’s Name!

Drum roll please…we have officially decided to name our baby girl: 

Lilly Rae 

Darren and I have been calling her Lilly for a while now and I smile every time I hear it.  Plus, there was a clear sign on Wednesday.  I had my students in our school’s media center and Darren happened to come in.  We started talking and he pointed to one of my students and pointed out how adorable she is.  I started laughing and asked Darren to guess what her name is, and he immediately guessed Lilly…and he was right (except she spells is Lilli).  I think that was a sign from the Universe that Lilly is the right name for our little girl, so I have stopped letting myself be scared to make the commitment and decided to just trust my gut.  Lilly Rae, we can’t wait to meet you!

How I am feeling  

I am still feeling great!  I was really busy this week with work, events after school and rehearsal, but I was pleasantly surprised how much energy I still had.  It helped that I LOVE everything I am doing right now (i.e. directing “You Can’t Take It With You”, helping organize a “Hunger Games” movie release party, having kids work on book commercials in class…etc).  My teammate said something nice to me the other day.  She said that I haven’t complained at all as a first time mom and I haven’t been dramatic about anything, when in her experience, many first time moms are.  I would surely be dramatic and complaining too if I was having a tough pregnancy, but luckily that is not the case.   

I certainly can’t complain over the next three weeks because we just tracked out, which means I have three weeks off from work.  The crazy part is that once I go back to work, Lilly should be here in 6 weeks!  It’s incredible how fast time flies!

I am also extremely excited for our upcoming baby shower, hosted by our amazing friends Michelle, Chad, Carissa and Jared S.  I am just ecstatic that my mom, sister, niece and amazing friend Jess L. are going to be making the trip here to spend this time with us!  We really have such amazing people in our lives J  The invitations that Carissa created came in the other day and I got a little teary-eyed looking at them.  Darren was even able to add his own cartoon to the back, which makes the invitations that much more special:

I have decided that I am tired of just posting pictures of me in the same exact outfit every week.  I wear the exact same outfit so I can really see the change in my belly, but I really like some of the adorable maternity outfits I have as well, so I want to show them off J  Here is what I look like at 29 weeks:

Baby movement

Lilly is obviously growing and stretching out in my belly!  Her movements have been different lately.  I used to just feel little kicks and jabs, but now it’s as if she is sliding along my belly or putting her foot or hand on my belly and waving back and forth.  Sometimes I just feel a wave of movement and I get a huge grin on my face.  She is also becoming more active in general.  I feel like every 2 or 3 hours she goes on a kicking spree.  A sign of things to come perhaps? 

Funny story: today we went to see the Hunger Games movie.  If you have seen the movie or read the books (definitely read the books if you just saw the movie because the books are AMAZING…anyway) you know that there are several sad parts.  I know this sounds crazy, but the two or three times during the movie when I started to cry, that was the time that she started moving around and kicking!  It was as if she could sense my emotion and was reacting in her own way as well.  I know, it was probably a coincidence, but I like to think that we are just that in tune to each other.

Shout Outs

-HUGE shout out to Donna B. who gave us a car load of stuff!!!!  I will post some pictures this time and save a few for next time as well.  Some of things she gave us include: a stroller, a jumperoo, a diaper genie II, and several boxes of toys, teethers, shoes and socks.  We are SO thankful for all of this:

-Shout out to Melanie H. for giving Lilly a bunch of Baby Einstein DVDs!  I know Lilly will love them, and mommy will love them too ;o)

-Shout out to Amber C., Abi S., and Kelly D. for loaning/giving me some maternity clothes!  Now that my belly is growing, it’s awesome to have a lot of options of what to wear.

-Long overdue shout out to Darren’s mom, Barb, for sending us adorable teddy bears and books for Lilly

Nursery

We bought a tree decal today!  We ended up finding one at Babies R Us and we decided to get it since we had a coupon and a gift card.  This is what it looks like in general, but this is not our wall, just a picture from Amazon:

We are going to get some of the prints that I posted last week as well and put those up around the room.  I really didn’t want a particular theme in the room anyway, so having a mix of different things is ok with me. 

Right now we are also on the lookout for a second pack-n-play that we can leave at our daycare provider’s house.  If anyone has one they want to sell, or sees one that’s a great deal, let us know J

I am really looking forward to getting the nursery ready this track out.  Hopefully in the next three weeks I will have a lot of new pictures to post as we work on it! 

Labor and Birth

 We had our second and final birthing class at the Birthing Well in Raleigh, and it was excellent.  The instructor may have been drinking decaf yesterday because she seemed a lot more pulled together and organized, which works better for me.  She gave us a lot of incredible information about the different interventions that are available and what the risks and benefits are to all of them.  I appreciated the information because even though our goal is to not have any medication or medical interventions, we are also realistic to the fact that things do not always go according to plan and it’s important that we are informed about all of the options so we can make an informed decision should the situation arise (though I really really hope it doesn’t). 

There was one part of our class that, I have to admit, scared me a little.  We did a “mock” c-section where she had a dummy on a table and then assigned some of us to be doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists…etc in the operating room and stand around the “mom”.  Then she talked us through what happens, including showing us the many layers that the surgeon must get through in order to get to baby, and then she had myself and another mom-to-be (we were the OB 1 and 2 in this exercise) pull a baby doll through a slit in the mom’s hospital gown.  Not an easy task!  The “incision” was small and the baby needed to be twisted and turned, and yes, I know it was a doll, but it kind of freaked me out.  Then I was upset to learn that mom can’t even hold the baby because her arms are splayed out and often strapped down.  I really want to hold Lilly as soon as she is delivered and have skin to skin contact with her to start the bonding process and encourage breast feeding, so the possibility of not getting to do this really upset me.  I was also getting a little queasy thinking about a surgery. 

It was really nice being surrounded by other moms and dads to be who were also hoping to have a natural childbirth.  Sometimes people make me feel a little nuts for making this choice, so the support was great.  It was also nice to hear the instructor reinforce that I am making a great choice, but also respecting the process as an individual experience that needs to suit the individual needs of each couple.  I just felt really good after the class and I am so glad we did it.     

week 28

Advice Request:

-What are the “essentials” to bring to the hospital besides the obvious?  Was there anything you wish you had brought that you didn’t?

How I am feeling: 

I really like being pregnant.  I think I am waiting for the other shoe to drop to and to feel miserable or sick or a number of other symptoms I have heard of, but I have just been so fortunate that I have felt great.  Do I wish I slept a little better?  Yes, but that seems to be getting better.  Strangely enough, opening the windows and getting fresh air the past few nights seems to have helped.  I don’t know why, and it might just be a coincidence, but it’s something at least.  Although living in North Carolina, I will obviously not have the luxury of keeping the windows open at night up to my due date.

I had my first Big Mac tonight.  Strangely enough, it had nothing to do with a craving, but Darren had bought a Living Social deal a while back for 5 free Big Macs and fries from McDonalds and since it was St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to also get Shamrock shakes.  I will say, I don’t really see the big hype around a Big Mac.  The Shamrock shake however, was delicious.

I realized last night when a friend I had not seen since I announced my pregnancy asked if she could touch my belly and mentioned that I was probably sick of people touch my belly, that no one except for Darren has in fact touched my belly!  And then strangely enough, Darren and I were out walking Maggie tonight and we met up with some of our neighbors and one of the ladies asked if she could touch my belly.  I thought it was funny because literally no one has asked or attempted, and then twice this weekend I was asked.  Maybe people feel weird?  It doesn’t bother me (with friends of course), so don’t be afraid to ask J  It was so nice seeing our neighbors tonight.  They were very sweet and excited for us about the pregnancy.  It was nice to talk to them since we hadn’t seen them in a while.  It was also nice because the ladies were very sweet and loved my belly.  Well…a couple of them joked that they hated me because my belly is not that big yet, but there is still time!  Speaking of belly…

Here is what I look like at 28 weeks:

Baby movement:

She was really moving and shaking last night!  One of her kicks actually made me flinch!  I was lying on my side like a good mommy-to-be (which apparently she does NOT like) and she was doing somersaults or the backstroke or something because Darren and I both felt these waves of movement over my belly and then she was kicking up a storm.  I love it!  It is hard to fall asleep with dance dance revolution going on in my belly, but it is so worth it. 

She is still relatively quiet during the day, which is good.  But lately in the mornings she has been sitting really low and making me feel like I have to pee constantly.  It’s a little problematic when you are a teacher because I don’t have the type of job I can just go to the bathroom any time I want.  Luckily I usually don’t have to actually go, I just feel like I have to, so I can make it through my classes.     

Shout Outs

I am so excited because my mom, sister and niece are going to make a trip down here to see us in April for our baby shower!  And the icing on the cake is that my girl Jess L. is also going to come!  It’s a long trip for them, so they get a huge shout out for this!

 

Nursery:

Our amazing friends Jared and Carissa sold us their glider rocker with ottoman!  I absolutely love it!  As soon as I sat in it, I told Darren I might start sleeping in it because it is so comfortable.  It is so nice to know that I have a comfy place to spend those many hours during late night feedings.

I am also looking for a touch lamp as a nightlight so I can easily turn in on and off without fumbling with a switch.  Carissa and Jared have one and I think it’s such a smart idea.  However, I cannot find one that does not look like those old, gold Tiffany style lamps.  So if anyone has seen them anywhere, please point me in the right direction.   

We are planning to move the furniture around and figure out what we need for decorations over track out.  I am still on the fence about the tree decal.  I really love some of the art I found on Etsy like the ones below and I am now thinking of using these as inspiration for the décor.  How cute are these???

Favorite Names:

Sorry to disappoint, but I have still not been able to 100% decide on Lilly.  Am I nuts?  Haha.  I know I love the name and Darren is completely sold, but the thought of this decision is so daunting!  I know there is no rush, and I should wait until I am sure, but in the meantime we refer to her as Lilly and others are welcome to as well.  I really do think it helps me to hear the name.

Labor and Birth:

We had our first day of our two-day childbirth class today.  It was in downtown Raleigh…on St. Patrick’s Day…with the parade down the street.  Luckily we arrived early enough and left late enough to avoid any traffic.  However, Darren and I ordered lunch from Roly Poly sandwiches and we had to cross the parade route to get there and back.  We waded through the sea of green and made it fairly easily, but I was definitely a little bit nervous that we weren’t going to get by. 

The class was great.  I was a little uncertain at first because I thought the content was lacking in the beginning and the instructor seemed like she had a few too many cups of coffee, but things were much better after lunch.  We rehearsed various laboring positions as well as some focusing and relaxation techniques.  It was really helpful because I was able to try out positions that I either didn’t know about, or didn’t think would work for me and I liked them.  We also learned more about the different stages and phases of labor, which was helpful to get details about since I am planning to labor at home as long as possible until we hit early active labor. 

She also had some very helpful visual aids (nothing graffic!) that helped us to see how the positioning of the baby is so important in labor and pushing because of the different angels of baby’s head and mom’s body.  That might not make sense, but it was very interesting to learn.  We also watched a video of various women going through the different stages of labor and then (skipping the actual birth) we saw an elated mother holding her baby and him latching on for the first time.  I couldn’t help it, I cried!  The instructor asked me if my tears were from fear, but I told her it was very emotional to see that.  It is amazing how well nature has prepared both baby and mom for this experience.

I am really looking forward to next week’s class and learning more. 

Week 27

Advice Request:

-Foam or Coil crib mattress?  I have read about a lot of mattresses lately and was leaning toward foam, but I don’t know.  Please share your thoughts/experiences.

How I am feeling: 

Hello third trimester!  It is hard to believe that 6 months have passed and in just 3 months our little baby girl will be here!  I am still feeling really good!  I think I need to come up with a more clever or interesting answer for this question because it is definitely asked of me a lot (not that I mind).  I keep waiting to feel nervous or scared about having a baby, but that hasn’t hit yet.  I am sure it will at some point, but the only thing I feel is joy and excitement at the thought of Darren and I being mommy and daddy.  It’s lucky for me that I will be very busy over the next few months to keep my mind occupied otherwise I might start to get nervous.  It may sound weird, but I’ve felt ready to be a mom for a long time, so this just feels right to me, not scary. 

I am more nervous about the preparation aspects than giving birth or being a mom.  There is definitely a LOT of planning involved in bringing a little one into the world.  (see my experience with registering below). 

Here is what I look like at 27 weeks:

Baby movement:

My favorite thing is when I am sitting in bed reading at night and I prop my book on my belly and she literally bounces my book!  She definitely has some strength now and can get even a 500 page hardcover book rocking and rolling!  I also love when I can see her little nudges.  Her movements are so much bigger now (yes, I know that seems obvious since she is bigger…but remember, “mama in training” here).  Sometimes I actually gasp out loud and then laugh when she kicks.  It doesn’t hurt but it just feels so strange. 

When I went to the doctor the other day, I had to do the glucose test.  Not as bad as I thought.  The little bottle of juice was kind of like super sweet Hawaiian Punch, and thanks to some good advice, I made sure it was cold and I was armed with a straw.  Anyway, I had to leave school right when my free periods started in order to get my blood drawn and make it to my 2 o’clock appointment.  At 1:50 I was in the waiting room waiting to be seen.  At 2:50, I was at the reception desk asking what was taking so long.  I think it’s pretty good that I made it a whole hour without complaining.  So finally, the nurse manager took pity on me and took me into the back, even thought he midwife I was supposed to see wasn’t ready quite yet.   As soon as she placed the heart monitor on my belly I heard a big “BOOF” and felt baby girl kick exactly where the monitor was.  The nurse laughed and said she was a healthy, active little girl.  I laughed to myself and silently thought, No, she is getting back at you for making me wait an hour in the waiting room!  Hehe.  My little girl already has some of her mom’s personality.      

Shout Outs - Registering

Huge shout outs to Carissa, Michelle and Amber for giving me so much advice about registering!  Registering is definitely a strange experience.  I was warned ahead of time how overwhelming it can be, so luckily I came armed with lists from both the internet and Michelle to make sure we had something to go off of and were not just wandering through the aisles trying to figure out what was actually needed and what was a waste. 

It actually turned out to be pretty fun!  We looked at a lot of cute stuff, and though we didn’t register for much cutesy stuff (mostly the stuff we really need), it was fun to think about wrapping our baby in that really soft blanket, or sliding her tiny feet into the little ruffled socks. 

We toiled about where to register for a while, but finally decided on Target, Babies R Us and also Amazon.  Since neither of our families live locally, we wanted to give them a very simple way to shop if they so desired.  Plus, Amazon’s prices and selection is amazing.  I was able to find everything I couldn’t find at Target or Babies R Us at Amazon, and I did a lot of price comparing to make sure we registered for an item wherever it had the best deal.  It was a little challenging to coordinate and make sure we didn’t have duplicates, but I am nothing if not organized, so of course I created a spreadsheet to help with this.  Maybe a little overkill to some, but it really helped me to make sure we covered everything and that we had a variety of items at a variety of prices at all three places. 

 

Nursery:

Décor is the next step!  We are trying to figure out if we want to get a big tree wall decal or not.  I love the idea of it, but I don’t know if it’s too much.  I have also heard from quite a few people that the trees can be a pain because of all the leaves/flowers.  I know my amazing Aunt is painting a couple of things for us, and I happen to have a very talented artist for a husband, so maybe we’ll just stick with their talents instead.  It’s a tough call though.  More to come…

Favorite Names:

The other day a friend of mine referred to baby girl as Lilly and then apologized because she remembered that we hadn’t settled on a name yet.  I of course told her it was not a big deal, and in fact, I liked hearing someone else call her Lilly.  I really love the name.  It helps me to hear it and know that I won’t get sick of hearing it…or saying it over and over!  It’s not official still, but I think Lilly Rae is a pretty safe bet at this point.  ;o)

Labor and Birth:

We have our birthing class next Saturday and the Saturday after that as well, so I am looking forward to that.  Darren is reading a lot about natural childbirth right now and it’s amazing to hear him talk about it now and to know that we are completely on the same page with this experience.

Recently I have started thinking about the details of our birth like what we will do with the dog when we have to go to the hospital, how much video and/or photography I am comfortable with, what items we need to bring, what I want to wear and how we will get the word out once baby girl arrives.  I guess knowing it’s only 3 months away makes it all seem so much closer and more real and, being the planner that I am, I want to be prepared.

I have also started thinking about help when we come home.  I know I will definitely welcome any help we can get and I know our moms want to come and my girl Jess offered to come as well.  It’s so nice and comforting to know we have that support even though our families and some of our close friends live up north.  I also know that we have amazing friends who are tracked out during that time, so mommy and baby will hopefully not be cooped up in the house all day every day ;o) 

Week 26

Advice Request:

-This isn’t really advice as much as I think it’s just fun to talk about:  What was the strangest thing you craved during pregnancy? 

-We are registering next weekend, so if you anyone has any additional advice about that, PLEASE send it my way.  I still find the process very overwhelming since we are basically “guessing” what we need. 

How I am feeling: 

I am feeling really good overall.  This week felt like a long week and I was pretty tired, plus my eyes have been a little bothersome.  My left eye had a twitch for a while, which has now migrated to my right eye and my left eye instead was sporting a burst blood vessel for a few days.  From what I have read this is due to stress and lack of sleep.  I really don’t feel that stressed, but I know I am not having very restful sleep.  My lower back pain is still bothering me when I sleep, but I think it is getting better now worse, so that is a plus. 

I had a few cravings last weekend, which I happily indulged in!  After Darren and I left On the Snap where we had dinner and played pool, I really wanted a root beer float, so we went to the store to get some root beer (we already had ice cream).  And while I was at the store, I really wanted an angel food cake!  So I bought the mix and made one.  I have to say, angel food cake is SO easy to make (the mix and water…that’s it!) and it’s such a nice sweet treat with some cool whip and fruit.  It’s fat free, too ;o) 

Here is what I look like at 26 weeks:

Baby movement:

Because I have to sleep on my side, I have started sleeping with a pillow to support my growing belly.  The funny part is when I sleep on my side, baby girl is positioned all the way on my side so when she moves and kicks, it feels like she is on my hip!  It’s very weird!  This morning when I woke up and felt her kicking, I was actually freaked out how far over she felt and I had to get out of bed to look at my stomach!  She has also felt like she is sitting really low this week.  I don’t know if this is TMI or weird, but there were times this week when she would kick and I would feel like she was jabbing a foot or fist into the birth canal!  I know she’s not, but I am used to feeling her kicks on my stomach, not that low. 

Shout Outs

HUGE shout out to Chad S. for coming over last weekend and helping Darren paint the nursery!  Also to Michelle S. for letting us steal your husband for the day J 

Shout outs to everyone who has said I am “cute” this week also!  I don’t always feel cute pregnant, so the boost in confidence is really nice!

Nursery:

The nursery is painted!  I am so excited.  The light green came out so well and I am so happy with our choice.  It brightens up the room and already looks beautiful with some of the pink accessories we have and the beautiful dark wood furniture that we have.  We still have a ways to go with decorating, but the pictures below at least show the next step in this process.  I took these pictures at night, so the room looks a little darker than it is, but you get the idea! 

Favorite Names:

This is the question I am asked the second most (with “how are you feeling?” definitely my most frequent question).  We are still trying out Lilly.  I love the name and I love having a name for her when I talk to her, but I am so NERVOUS about this decision!  I think I am more nervous about the name than childbirth.  It’s such a permanent decision.  I just want to make sure it’s a name I want to say hundreds of times a day and that I will still love it.  I am guessing we’ll make the final decision in the next few weeks.

Labor and Birth:

I am getting excited for our birthing class which starts in two weeks.  I think it will be great to meet other couples who are going through the same thing and also to get some new and helpful information about coping with labor.  We are also going to be touring Wake Med Cary over our next track out in April, so I am excited to see what they have to offer.  I have heard great things about their facilities for women who want a natural childbirth. 

What I am reading:

I have been reading Baby Bargains and also Baby Gizmo after the recommendations from friends on this blog.  I am trying to get prepared to create a registry and these books have both helped me know what we need and then what particular products might be the best for us.  There are SO many baby products out there and it is so scary because it feels like every day there is a new recall on a product that is a new baby death trap!!!  No pressure on parents or anything…sheesh! 

I also just borrowed The Womanly Art of Breast Feeding by Diane Wiessinger.  I literally just picked it up last night, but I am very excited to learn more about breast feeding because I feel very strongly about breast feeding from the first moments of baby girl’s life until, well as long as it works for both of us!  I know a lot of women do not think breast feeding past a certain age is acceptable, but I don’t think you can put a number on it.

I am also proud that my husband is reading Husband Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley (founder of the Bradley method of natural childbirth).   The very first night he read it, he was already marveling on how much he learned and how much Bradley’s method makes sense.  It’s great to both read the same book and be able to discuss our ideas about baby girl’s birth together.  Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to the experience.