I'm Baacckkk

So I know it's been awhile, but apparently having a baby will do that to a mama. However, I'm back now and boy do I have stuff to blog about. Matter of fact, I'm planning to do it at least once a week. And yes, I must warn you that most of them will be about this sweet little bundle of a miracle that I'm acclimating to life. I'm sure once we head out doors when the weather warms up, I'll have more worldly craziness to discuss, but until then ... you get my brain on baby (or husband or family) minus what the crazies of the world have done. I do watch a few minutes of news or read a few lines of news every now & again so I may surprise ya with a few lines of WTFoolishness towards that. But yeah, this was just to let whoever out there is following & reading up on us ... that we're back.

Blog to look forward to as I get back on board (in no particular order):

• Final Four of the "Who-The-Hades"
• That Gaseous Milk
• This Beast of a Kid
• Modesty & Breastfeeding

and many, many more ... I have lots of stuff to catch you up on.

Side Note: If you don't agree with me (or any other mother) blogging, talking, etc about their child all the time, get over yourself. He's a piece of me & we spend darn near every waking hour together. AND I read that talking about him actually enhances my brain - I'm all for brain power galore!

For now ... that is all ...

I'm no Punk, but...

Good day all,
Once again, your boy has come to spread a lil bit of his random thoughts. Well actually this one isn't too random, just a realization.
I've been a father for a little over six weeks now, and the feeling is GREAT. A little nerve-racking, a little scary, but a wonderful feeling overall. But in a recent conversation with my wife, she called me a "punk" when it came to dealing with our son. Now my initial reaction was jokingly, "What-the-heck-ever", then I kinda got mad that she would call out my manhood and my ability to do for my son. Then it hit me, it was neither a joke, nor an insult, just a simple statement made by someone who saw the whole picture.

Now first - let me give you the 4.1.1. on my justification, at least what I told Kesha... I don't consider myself as being a punk, I just don't deal with the baby in the same way that she does, so I'm not used to all the things that may come with regular baby occurrences - I'm talking about spitting up/sloppering, along with holding a baby in a certain position as to limit his crying, eating when I get a spare minute (if that long) as opposed to on my own schedule, just to name a few. If I asked her to run a mile, she wouldn't be able to do it right away, I wouldn't call her a punk, I would say, she simply needs to build up to that...

In addition, I think of all the things that I do do that should be taken into consideration. Get up early and go to work, come home and regardless of what has happened for the day, set it to the side and be happy for both of their sakes. Not to mention, being the sole bread-winner, I might have to make dinner once and a while or pick it up if necessary or even (gasp) do laundry.

Those are some of my thoughts on the whole "being a punk" thing. Now, let's talk reality. This 1st part is for my fella's: Women are strong, stronger than you could ever imagine. I don't know of one person who is the same way, after their body has gone through a major transformation right before everyone who is conscious sight. Not to mention there are numerous hormonal changes, that would knock anyone off their feet. Then you have the whole "Labor" thing... That word by definition means work. You mean to tell me that you would be okay with part of your body, your genitalia area, changing over the course of (in our case) 15 hours?! Riiiigggghhhhtttt - that part right there, gives any mother an automatic pass on the punk issue for at least 10 years (that's if they've only had 1 kid). Not only that, women are forced to take time off from work because, they can't possibly be asked to go back after within a day or so of giving birth, having only Tylenol and ice to help.

I don't want to sound like a sucker, but for real, having a baby is hard work, raising a child - EVEN HARDER. The mother of my child deals with all the joy and pain that our son goes through, sleep deprivation, and a touch of soreness. When he cries, sometimes it's like ripping off a body part for her. Fellas, have you ever stubbed your pinky toe on the table or bed post. Hurt like the dickens? You wanted to cry didn't you? I know I do (unfortunately I do this often because I'm clumsy). Well, imagine feeling that way for yourself and another person. I'm not saying men are heartless, cruel human beings, it is just that we do not share the same bond that a mother shares with her child - She does have a 9 month head start on it...

Ladies - Please remember, that you do have a 9 month head start on the bonding. A lot of time you spend more initial time with the child once they are born. We, as men, are not used to all the little quirks that a baby my bring. Please don't clown us too hard for not knowing what to do. I don't know about everyone else, but I have never held a newborn until mine was born. (Ok, Coco may be an exception). But realize this, most fathers, husbands, baby daddies are different, but if they are around whenever they can be and trying to do right, then they are trying to learn and be a good father. Our learning curve may be just a bit greater.

To the love of my life, the mother of my son, and my wife (in this case - all the same person! ;-) Thank you for being patient with me - I do want to make sure that you both have whatever you need in order to be happy! I'm glad it was you that God sent to me and not some other looney! You're my looney and I wouldn't have it any other way...

He Wails ...

Every diaper change, he would wail & wail & wail some more! It was painful, but those wailing sessions are decreasing as we get more acclimated to this new life. He's acclimating on his own time to this side of life, but I'm confident we're making strides.

Once he's done with this phase and can hold up his head a bit better, we're gonna begin practicing EC. I'd never heard of it until I started researching breastfeeding and cloth diapering, but it's right up my alley. EC stands for Elimination Communication and is like infant potty training. Who wouldn't want to avoid cleaning poopy diapers? I'm down so I'll definitely be blogging about that adventure cause I expect some funny things to occur.

If you happen to know anything about EC or infant potty training, feel free to contact us. Oh yeah, baby sign language resources are welcome as well!

Scheduled Feeding Foolishness ...

So one of the first lessons I learned within the first couple days of bringing our lil' man home was scheduled feedings are FOOLISH! All of the nurses & docs were adamant about waking me & him up every 2-3 hours for a feeding or an attempt at feeding. And sense they disturbed us that often, I did it while I was in the hospital. Well, when we got home, I tried it for the first 2 nights ... not cool! We were ALL frustrated and so I had to make a choice. Keep disturbing our sleep or just wait until he demands to be fed (i.e. cries or gives a feeding signal). Given that he is my child and I HATE having my sleep interrupted for no reason (he wouldn't eat most times cause he was sssooo tired), I decided I'd feed him on demand instead. And what do you know ... we are so much more successful at that. We get some rest and peace of mind cause lil' man sleeps at least 4 hours between night feedings and the boy eats like a big man during the day. Oh yeah, we can do this!

... now, we just have to master breastfeeding with this cover and pumping so we can go make some visits ...

His Mama Named Him Jairus ...

So as you all know now, we were blessed with a baby boy on December 3, 2010 at 5:30pm. And oh what a great day that was! Well, we named him Jairus (J-air-us) Denard Moore. He already has a slew of nicknames, but I shall call him Jairus ... :D



On to the stories of that magnificent day:

The Wake Up:

So I was awakened at about 3:30 by a strange sensation, but I just figured I needed to use the restroom cause the baby was on my bladder - the usual. Well that was so NOT the case. I made it in the restroom, but when the sensation came a 2nd time, I couldn't move. Well, I tried, but uuummm yeah - BAD idea. the pain wasn't bad, but it wasn't cool either. Anyway, this went on for about an hour or two before I realized I prolly needed to wake somebody up cause this could be what everyone had been telling me about. So I tapped Jason just asked for the stop watch. He gave me one and asked if I was okay. We ended up just sitting in bed talking about his crazy dream while we timed the contractions until they started getting a bit closer together. Once they began getting closer, we got up to take showers just in case we needed to get to the hospital.

Let's Have A Baby:

After calling my doc's office to let them know about the contractions that had gotten a bit closer together and a bit more intense than before, we headed to the hospital to see if we'd be admitted. Now I had an appt the day before and was 2-3cm dilated and once we got to the hospital, I was at 4. Well, they decided to admit us since my contractions were so close and I'd made progress ... Nurse said doc said "Admit her. Let's have a baby today."

Hep Block:

Oh man! The nurse that put the 1st (yes, I said 1st - had to get another one later in the day cause it closed or something like that) one in took FOREVER and then she hit a slow vein so it took FOREVER to get the blood she needed. Gggggrrrr! We got through it and she apologized repeatedly so moving right along.

You Can Do It:

 Once I was admitted and they had me hooked up with the Hep Block and all the random other stuff, I was allowed to move around. I rested for a minute & ate some Jello and then I walked the halls. We had to pause every minute or so, but it was cool.Well, after walking the halls and laying back in the bed, the nurse decided to check and see if I'd made progress. I had gotten all the way to 8cm and the went ahead and broke my bag of water .... The nurse commented on how far I had come and I was still calm so she said those oh so encouraging words "Since you've made it this far, I am sure you can do this naturally!" BUT we'd made it through a shift and she was leaving me in the capable hands of another nurse who had experience with natural births ...

Pant Like A Dog:

So we're moving right along and I'm told to tell the nurse when I was ready to push. Well, I got to that point, but I hadn't quite gotten to 10cm ... ooohhh boy! This is where everything went haywire in my head. I was told "I know you want to, but you can't yet. Pant like a dog to get through it." FOOLISHNESS! Yeah yeah, I'm at 9 & 3/4, but seriously?! That's not too far away is it? Man, I lost it ... The nurse was sssooo patient with me though and my support team was great too. It took some time, some sitting on the birthing ball, a hot shower, and some laying on my side ... but we made it to pushing time .... woo hoo!

He's Here, He's Here:

Pushing took minutes and it was such a relief to just be able to do what my body was telling me to do. I'd been told that it would hurt the most when the head crowned, but honestly I don't even remember them having time to tell me the head was crowning. I pushed a few times and he was here ... oh how great it felt to be relived of that pushing sensation. Then  they laid him on my chest and I was immediately in love with him. Then I looked at my husband and my love for hm grew that much more. We made it through and not once did he leave my side & not once did I threaten or blame him ... I didn't even claim the popular "I'm never doing this again" .... We made it with our love still in tact; we made it with our love even greater than it was before we embarked upon this journey! Yay Team Moore!

Well, that's all the stories of the day that I have to share for now. Stories of our adventure with lil' man coming soon ...

Labor & Delivery: J.A.M v2 Style

So from day 1, I've been all about positive experiences. I claimed an "easy" pregnancy and I refused to absorb other folks' not-so-great experiences. Well, I know it paid off! Not only was the pregnancy a "breeze", but so was labor & delivery. Yeah, I said it ... And I've decided that other women need to stop scaring folks - it ain't right!

Now don't get me wrong ... I'm NOT saying it didn't hurt. There was some pain. It was uncomfortable at times. There was a LOT going on at others. But my overall experience was great! I'm sure it had a lot to do with the following:

1. We have a great support team! Big Ups to "The Grands" (my mama & J.A.M v1) for being there with us all day; your presence was appreciated more than we'll ever be able to express. I needed the jokes and conversations to keep me focused on the prize. Thanks to the GA fam and all others for your txts and calls throughout the day to encourage me through the process. Thanks to our extended MI fam for being there for our special delivery; I was very happy to see all of your faces.
2. We had an excellent nursing staff! I'm convinced the nurses & doctors that took care of me were the best folks at St. Joe's. They were all very encouraging as we walked the halls.
3. We had a nurse who was familiar with natural births and she was very patient with me once I got to the stage of almost giving in to the meds (story to come). 
4. When it was time to push, the nurses and docs moved extremely fast (didn't seem that way at the time, but they did), they all introduced themselves and even stated how they saw us walking the halls, they all explained what was going on and what they were doing when they needed to do something during the process, and they were all very encouraging during those few minutes of pushing and the whirlwind that followed once baby made his appearance.
5. Again we have an excellent support team! Big Ups once again to those that came in and txted us once the whirlwind and all was over and done with. It gives my heart great joy to know that you all were out there rooting for us during that time. We love you all much!

Now technically, I think there's a 6th reason, but it may just be me. I feel that going into this expecting to have some pain, but being positive about it helped. However, I know that everyone has a pain threshold so I'm just gonna go with maybe I just found out that mine is higher than I ever thought possible. Saying that I remember two phone calls that came a few days before baby's debut. Ebe called and told me how "cocky" I've always been and how I better not be letting other people's horror stories get to me. And my godmother called to just cause she was thinking of me ... These two calls definitely helped as well cause I needed to be reassured in my ignoring of horror stories and somehow my godmother has a 6th sense when it comes to me so I knew it wouldn't be long.


So this was all just to say that when your time comes around OR someone you know is about to embark on the parental journey, stay positive & be encouraging!

... on to the stories of the day

We Welcome Mr. Jairus Denard Moore

Ladies & Gentlemen - While most of you know, just to make it official - We have a baby...  I wanted to do the whole "Lion King" thing holding up the baby and all, but my wife frowned upon that mightily. But it's all good, I'm more excited than you could ever imagine.  Here are all the stats as requested by so many:
5:30 pm
7 lbs 13 1/2 oz
20 Inches long
Mommy & Baby are doing great, just tired, but more to come as time allows, but as for now, thank you all for your well wishes...


Holla!!!
Jason "Proud Daddy" Moore

No Baby Moore... Yet

Good day all,
Just a brief note for those of you interested - We have not had the baby yet. We've experienced some close calls, but none leading us to leave the home. As we get closer, I will keep everyone posted.
By the way, since Kiddo has chosen not to make their appearance yet, everyone who guessed it would be a November baby is out (no one guessed for the 30th, so I can say this definitively). Don't worry, everyone still have a 50/50 chance on the gender of the baby seeing as no one knows (NOT EVEN MOMMY & DADDY!!!).
Now, even though I have not posted a guess, my personal opinion is Dec 10 (I just like the logic that Karensa used). But Mommy has expressed to Kiddo that whenever they're ready to...
"COME ON DOWN" (my personal ode to 'The Price is Right' - she didn't say that at all...)
So, until Baby Whatsit is here, Mommy & Daddy will continue to field questions from the masses. If you haven't guessed yet - it's not too late:
www.ExpectNet.com,
Game name: BabyWhatsitMoore (a Grandma Moore nickname)...
Holla y'all!

And We've Dropped ...

So although many have speculated as to whether I have dropped or not, it was confirmed last week that Kiddo's head has indeed dropped and settled for his or her journey into this side of the world. However, Kiddo's passage way is not quite ready yet so we're still waiting. As of Wednesday, I'd only dilated to 1cm even though effacement is at 70% and Kiddo's head is at the 0 station. In a nutshell, Kiddo is due any day now. From the way the doc asked if we had the number to call if labor happened, I got the feeling that she didn't expect me to even make it to my appt this week. We shall see. We're ready so it's up to Kiddo now a far as we're concerned.

... I know this is a short post, but really I don't have much to report. I'll make up for it though. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about my labor & delivery experience, but I will not be providing any tmi or horror stories. Horror stories are deterrents and just make future mothers fearful and too anxious. TMI stories are just uuummm tmi- if we're that close and you really wanna know, I suppose you can ask, but seriously I doubt you rreeaaallllllyyy will want to know.

Oh well, off to nap - woo hoo! Today is officially my first day off from work until further notice and I'm taking full advantage of it ... blog about this transition will follow after Kiddo's arrival.

Don't be mad, if you're not the first to know...

Good peoples of every where! How's your Monday going?
Mine, pretty well considering, it is Monday. Well, I have another situation that I have come across in my "Pre-father" days. A lot of people have been coming up to me, all extra excited "for me" (another topic all together) and requesting that I let them know IMMEDIATELY once the baby has arrived.
Now, y'all know me, I'm not gonna keep this a secret, this is probably gonna be one of the biggest and proudest moments of my life. But at the same time, there is a pecking order that is gonna be followed. I'm not saying that I won't tell you (in the general sense) about the baby being born, but there's a good chance, that you won't find out until some hours have passed...
Of course my wife will be the first to know, for obvious reasons, then the Doctors/nurses, and who all is in the room, including myself. After that Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles.
** Side Note **
Definition of a Grandparent, Auntie and Uncle
Grandparent - Parents of Jason & Akesha, also to include those that had a hand in raising Jason & Akesha. So, that eliminates a number of people.
Aunties & Uncles - Blood relatives (first), those that grew up in close relationship and spent a significant amount of time with Jason & Akesha (Second). I have some friends that I've known all my life, literally, that are my brothers and sisters. We've went camping together, ran schemes together, got in trouble together - These are my folk! (If you were in our wedding or helped out, in some manner, then you are family!)
Now, if you aren't one of the above mentioned people, don't feel bad - not everyone is gonna be, but that doesn't mean we don't love you, it just means that we have a different relationship.

Back to the message at hand - After the initial notices have been made, we will then allow everyone to know - (A quick way to find out, if you're not on the Family list is to follow me on Twitter... jdmoore7)

From there the notices go out as time allows, but never-the-less, it will be made public knowledge as soon as we can get to it.
But just remember:
Don't be mad, if you're not the first to know!

Countdown ... It's Official!

So yeah, it's officially less than 2 weeks until D-Day for Kiddo and the parents-to-be are as ready as we're gonna be. Now of course we're saying 2 weeks, but according to everyone and everything that we've read, Kiddo could arrive any day now. A coworker of mine believes that babies come when they're ready and when mommy is ready ssssoooo I've begun to tell myself and Kiddo that daddy and I are ready. I needn't add any pressure on myself or Kiddo that would prolong Kiddo's stay in my body. {Yes, it may be because I'd like it [my body] back, but still ...} The sooner Kiddo arrives, the sooner we can get to the real fun. Yeah, I said fun! We're not going into this thinking crazy because I do believe that if you put that stuff out in the ether and it will happen. So positive thoughts and beliefs only around these parts. You can say what you want, but I'm not wishing any of that foolishness on us. We will have a calm & happy baby ... and I'll repeat that to myself and Kiddo even when he or she is fussy. I've already began it too so since I'm the resounding voice that Kiddo hears, I'm pretty confident that this kid will arrive fully understanding how things will work. Now, we may have to make some adjustments on our part so that things do go off with as little foolishness as possible, BUT still ... we'll get through this unscathed! That's all I have to report today because we're pretty much on autopilot with the doc, but if any new developments come about ... I'll be sure to keep updating things here.

Keep in mind that Kiddo could arrive any day now so the arrival blog (completed expansion project #1 #2 - considering #1 was the uniting of mommy & daddy) will certainly come awhile afterward unless some how I'm miraculously full of energy after labor. However, I'm sure that daddy will announce it via mass text, twitter, and facebook ... so uummm yeah!

Big Ups to the MI Baby Shower Committee

The MI Baby Shower is occurred this Saturday and it was great. I'm not big on the whole baby shower concept because they're usually pretty corny, BUT the MI Baby Shower Committee did an excellent job! I had a great time & the vibe was that all of the guests did as well ... woo hoo! I tell Kiddo all the time that they're already very loved and they have "councils" of people who will love them, guide them, and spoil them forever and ever. I'm sure she or he hears me too because I ensure that there's a kick right before or after I say it. But yeah, this shower definitely proved that and so I wanted to definitely give a shout out to the committee. Also, thank you to all who attended, gave gifts, gave some love our way, etc ... I'll post pictures and whatnots as soon as I can.

The GA Baby Shower will take place after Kiddo's arrival so I'll keep you all posted on that too for those down that way. The GA Baby Shower Committee will set a date after Kiddo's arrival.

In Other News:

We had our last Childbirth Education class this past Tuesday and it was quite an experience. The class itself was very informative and our teacher was very laid back and completely honest about what to expect. Plus, she's had 7 kids (including a set of twins) so I'd call her an expert in the childbirth department. Anyway, we watched a DVD that really had us a bit uncomfortable. It was a DVD with 5 birth stories and the video camera was all up in the process. We actually saw the babies coming out for the 4 that had vaginal births. I mean I was in the room for my Coco-boo's birth, but I didn't see all of that because of our angle and I figured that'd be the angle this camera would take ... ooohhh was I wrong! I don't consider myself a squeamish person, BUT I do know that I'm more modest than most and I didn't enjoy seeing the birth process from that perspective. Funny thing is I had considered allowing my birth to be recorded, but I always thought it would be very the perspective of the support person who doesn't move from my side. Oh well ... Due to St. Joe's configuration, we may have to skip that!

Kiddo News:

Anyway, I don't really have any updates on Kiddo because we haven't had any more (nor do I think we'll be getting another) ultrasound. The doc at my last appointment did say that the baby was in the proper position. However, she also said that Kiddo could always turn again since there's still a bit of room. Kicks are pretty impressive these days, but I contribute that to the fact that room is running out and so pushing on mommy's tummy from all angles may be more enjoyable these days ...

Baby Update

So we're embarking upon the last 2 months of our little expansion project and all is very well! I must say that it has been smooth sailing and I am believing that Jesus will continue to have mercy upon me for the next few weeks of this pregnancy. The great thing about it all is the massive support that we have surrounding us and the fact that we know that Kiddo will be genuinely loved unconditionally by us, the Fam (immediate & extended), and our friends. We thank you all for that.

Updates Below:

"Whatsit's" Update: We still don't know whether Kiddo is a girl or a boy. Seriously, we don't know. Our doctor doesn't know. There's only one person that might know and I couldn't give you the lady's name if my life depended upon it. Plus, I don't think it's in their records either because they don't want to slip up and tell us. I suppose, technically, we could sue them if they told us when we specifically said we didn't want to know. We know everyone is anxious and we're getting very anxious to meet Kiddo ourselves. Quite frankly, I am probably the most anxious because I am beginning to get some of the uncomfortable symptoms (ie. feeling very, very heavy, being out of breathe from doing the simplest of tasks, etc), but I'm not complaining because overall it has been smooth sailing.

Kicking Updates: Kiddo kicks me all the time these days and I feel like she or he is attempting to get out some days by simply pushing through Mommy's tummy. Some times there are these quick jabs that catch me off guard that feel like Kiddo's having bad dreams like Mommy & Daddy (we have both hit each other from bad dreams). I suspect this kid will be a wild sleeper; I was when I was a kid so it's cool; a lil throwing of covers and rolling off the bed to the floor won't hurt them too much.

Registry Updates: So we've registered finally and it was quite a bit of work. I must say that it was very overwhelming st times because we had no idea or where to even start. Then, we had issues with what to actually register for and how much. This process has confirmed what I've always thought of this whole process; it is not for the weak of heart, spirit, or mind & it is not something people should be all willy-nilly about either. I'm convinced that at least after the first one, one should be a bit more careful about all of this because I know that actually raising Kiddo (especially in these modern days) will be more than just a notion. So uuumm yeah, registering is done, but feel free to inform us of things that we may need to consider.

Nursery Updates: It took us some time, but Kiddo's room is finally beginning to resemble their own space. The couch is gone now and the crib has been put together by 3 if the most important men in Kiddo's life. Big thanks to Daddy, Grandpa, & Uncle Johnny. We've also started putting the clothes and stuff up in the closet along with the books and stuffed animals on the bookshelf. [Side Note: Babies bring out the softy in me ... these clothes and other baby stuff is just sssssoooo cute! End of Side Note]

Childbirth Class: We had our 1st one last night and it wasn't as bad as I originally thought; it was actually very welcoming and informative. Our classmates are all due around the same time as us as well so we're sure we'll see them around when we're up there for delivery. Also, it was great to know that we're not the only ones that love surprises ... Woo hoo to the surprise baby parents-to-be!

End of Updates

So that is all for now. I will attempt to add more pics soon for the out-of-town fam so you can see the belly growth. I'll also start snapping pics of Kiddo's room as it is in progress. I'm leaning more and more towards being excited nowadays, so yeah ... until next entry!

Are We Friends?

Sssoooo ... as many of you may know, I value my friendships more than most. It take me quite a while before I call someone my friend and years matter not to me. You can be a lifelong associate and I'd be just fine with that. I am secure enough in myself and I have a big enough family where friends are not a necessity. BUT I have been blessed to have some great friends surround me. [Now there is usually about a 4 year turnover for such a title, but never-the-less, they are generally GREAT friends during those 4 years.] And, I can't lie, my associates are usually pretty good folk too - I just have a hard time letting too many folk in my bubble.

I bring this up because I have noticed that some how, with the pregnancy, I have some new "friends", but I missed the memo informing me of it. People want to touch me without asking as if they know me like that. I would think that's a violation of my bubble. Who do you think you are? Yeah, I was warned about you belly rubbing, wannabe friends with the new prego lunatics, but it is still not cool with me. I appreciate those who ask, but they're the ones I'd consider at least an associate. But boo if we just barely speak to one another on Sunday when you happen to pass me at church, don't act like now we're friends. I still don't know you and probably still have a hard time even remembering your name. Honestly, I may not even LIKE you so touching me is a huge NO-NO in my book.

Sounds mean eh? Well, I am not trying to be mean. I'm trying to be real here because let's face it - I'm not the only one that does not appreciate unwanted touches from randoms. Yes, I may be pregnant, but that does not make any part of me (including my belly) public property to be touched at will. Please sir, please ma'am ... keep your grimy paws to yourself. You didn't touch me before so please don't touch me now. It's very awkward especially since I've been working real hard not to be that evil prego lady. I could be that way because apparently people just write it off as the pregnancy, but I don't think being pregnant gives me a right to be rude so I won't. BUT you randoms who have decided that now is the time to be my "friend" ... be forewarned.

• I don't want you to place your arm around me like you know me.
• I don't want you to take my hand and squeeze it while looking into my eyes; it's weird and you're not my husband so it's not acceptable.
• If we didn't hug (even those random polite hugs) before now, please spare me; it's awkward enough trying to maneuver a normal hug with the normal folk I hug.

These bullet points are just a guide so please read between the lines and most of all understand touching me is just not cool whether I am with child or not. I have no idea where your hands have been. Also, since I missed the memo that we were friends, don't be upset when I start correcting you about these unwarranted actions. I'm thinking of polite ways to do it as I type this.

Now that that's out of the way, maybe I should put a forewarning out there as well. Once Kiddo arrives, please don't take the liberty of ASSUMING that you can touch him or her. That's rude especially if we're not that cool (and if you don't know if we're that cool or not, just ask - I'm pretty good at being honest - but be ready for an answer of "no"). And please, please, please, please, please don't kiss Kiddo because we don't know where your lips have been. We will be teaching Kiddo to do "cheeksies" with people. Yes that's made up, but it works just fine and is just as intimate as a kiss. Think of it as a cheek to cheek kiss. That's what I do with the babies right now and will teach Kiddo to do with other folk. I happen to think it's not cool to kiss a baby on the face if you're not family so take that into consideration when approaching us about Kiddo. Also, everyone can't hold our kid ... Kiddo is NOT a doll so please don't pick up and pass around as such. This is serious business and we don't want Kiddo being okay in every one's arms. Kiddo will start early discerning who to be okay with because some folk just ain't right.

I'm pretty sure I could go on and on about this because of how strongly I am against people assuming they should hold and kiss on all babies, pick up every lil' kid they see running around, etc. And I love kids, but I have to get to know people before I ask to hold their baby or before I will pick up their child. I respect folk's boundaries especially children because they have to know when a person is out-of-order with them. There will surely be other quirks concerning Kiddo as time goes on, but just know that one main rule governs:

Don't be inappropriate with your touches! 

Side Note: If you're reading this, you're probably not one of the randoms referred to in this post, but I just had to get this out of my system.

Baby Update

Yesterday, we went to our monthly Obi-1 Appt and here's the update: We're all good! Heh heh heh ... Seriously, doc said that everything from the most recent ultrasound was very good and we're still on track with the due date (be sure to get in your guess). We listened to Kiddo's heartbeat and doc said it sounds healthy. She let us know that since we're all (baby, mommy, & daddy) happy, she's happy, and now we're on auto-pilot. So a little over 3 more months to go ... And I'll post pics soon for the GA (and other out of town) fam to see the belly growth. I've been lazy about taking pics, but I'm gonna do better.

Kicks & Hiccups

And it’s alive … just kidding! But that is really how I feel now that we can feel Kiddo kicking and whatnot (hiccuping I guess). And it seems every week Kiddo gets stronger and I can feel the movements more & more. It’s an amazing feeling. And here I must admit that I’ve never understood all the hype about the baby kicking, but I do now. It’s like nothing else you’ve ever felt … in a good way. And to see the look of excitement on Husband’s face when he feels it makes it that much better. Even when he tells me he felt Kiddo kicking while I was sleeping, I can hear the amazement, joy, & overwhelming love coming through his pores. It’s great! So that is all, just to let you all know that Kiddo is doing very well and I am doing pretty good myself. We’ve been eating & sleeping on a more regular schedule. And now that I have a bike, I’ve been doing more than just walking. I stretch quite a bit too cause I read that it helps with the aches. Other than that, I’ve been resting and propping my feet at least half an hour or more so the feet swelling does not get the best of me. Speaking of  swollen feet, that is one thing I could definitely do without. It’s terrible sometimes, but if that’s all I have for now, I’m good. I’ll just continue to ignore Husband when he looks at me and says, “Hulk, smash!” Heh heh heh … oh well.

And now a special video from one of our sponsors ... enjoy!

Me & The Prego

Ultrasounds

1st Ultrasound ~ 10 wks

2nd Ultrasound ~ 11 wks

2nd Ultrasound ~ 11 wks

3rd Ultrasound ~ 20 wks

3rd Ultrasound ~ 20 wks

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

Or NOT! So most people think that that's my modus operandi, but is it really? I'm so tough that many would believe my husband if he was to say I beat him? Really now?! I mean don't get me wrong "I'll kill him dead before I let him beat me." And some may read this and wonder why I'd even put it out there - let people think it right? Well, some times a woman needs her soft moments - and this is one of mine (there may be quite a few over the next 7-8 months):

I am absolutely fearful of becoming somebody's mama!

You may be questioning why and how it's possible if you know how much I love children. Let me explain. Other people's children are just that - other people's children. I am not held responsible for your child in the long run of things. I can spoil them and give them right back to you. Even the few I have permission to discipline - I can discipline, but your kid doesn't hold it against me cause I can be less strict than you and they don't live with me. Aside from these things, I also wonder if we can even afford children. I've spent time with other people's kids - them jokers want everything. Not that I'll give my kid(s) everything, BUT I want to at least be able to provide the basics. My other issue stems from my own younger days in which most people know very little, almost nothing about. No I wasn't abused in any way, BUT it wasn't the most pleasant some days. And out of those unpleasant days grew my fear of having a child especially a daughter. I can't imagine going through that again from any angle!  Now my mom and I have a pretty good relationship, but back then - oh it was no secret that we had many, many issues. With all that said, I'm sure I'll be okay, but don't be surprised when sometimes I don't respond as excited as you may think I should about this. I'm seriously scared out of my mind! I also have a great support system so I'm really not as concerned as I would if I had any other family surrounding me and this baby. I am looking forward to this wonderful journey into and through parenthood ... woo hoo!

- End of Soft Moment -

Mother's Day & The Gift of Life

We had all of these elaborate plans and none of them quite worked out, BUT everyone was still pleased with the news in whatever way they received it. I have never experienced such a sense of emotional excitement. I mean when my husband proposed to me, I was excited & all, but I didn't have to hold the news in for any length of time. But this news, we held it in for almost a month and the anticipation had built up so much that once we told - it was like a rush! Not to mention, each response was different in their own little way. Our excitement has escalated greatly and we can't way for that day ...

Original Plans

(Blog that was to be published originally)

About a month or so ago, we found out that we were pregnant. No, we're not joined at the abdomen, BUT we shall share in this joy and pain that comes with childbearing. There are certain things that we both must stop for the next 8-9 months and he will ultimately be the one to have to deal with my emotional ups & downs, my random cravings, any sicknesses that may occur, and the inevitable breakdowns that will occur. So yes, we are pregnant!

Originally we had decided to tell everyone around my birthday, but as the days went by we knew we couldn't hold it in that long. Too many people were invested in us and especially us procreating so we finally settled on letting the secret out on Mother's Day. Oh what a day it would be! We'll definitely post the many responses soon since I won't actually post this until Mother's Day so that the surprise is not ruined.

Now because we are special, we can't just tell folks. Oh no. We had to come up with something even if just for a few. So here goes what we are going to do:

His folks have been hinting at grand-kids for some time now and the funniest hint was when his mom mentioned filling in her mantle of Christmas stockings; I just had to do something with that. So of course her gift will be a Christmas stocking with a lil poem to remind her of that hint. We'll be at dinner with his dad and sister so they'll find out then as well. My folks aren't necessarily as vocal, but I'm sure they'll be just as excited about the next generation. Each of them will get a poem based on my relationship to them delivered on Mother's Day as well.

Now the most interesting thing will be who opens their card first and calls me to verify. And if we can keep it on the low until we can tell the rest of the folks we know, that will be even better. The children will lead the way right? Heh heh heh ...

What Really Happened

The only person that received a poem was the original Mrs. A Moore. I wrote a few stanzas in her card so she'd be able to take it all in. It's her 1st grand and she's been hinting all along so had to do it up for her. After she finally read the card and began asking questions, Jason had to fill in his dad and sister so they'd know what was going on.

As for my family, I called them and told them beginning with my mom. She tried to play it cool, but she ain't fooling anybody. Everyone was quite excited and each response was special in it's on way. There was a lot of screaming in my ear and a lot of reassuring that I wasn't kidding on my part. Also, there was a lot of "What did you just say?" after me asking "You ready to be an auntie/grandma/grandpa/etc?" Funny!

After reaching as many fam as I could had to call & email the chosen fam (ie. special friends). One that I have to say wins for just the most classic response is from one of my lil ones. She's been asking for months now when the baby is coming. Pokes me or rubs my stomach every time she asks (btw she had poked me earlier in the day). This girl screamed the most excited scream ... I felt like I'd just given her $1 Million seriously. Then she started in with her requests and statements. Got a rattle for the baby. Don't care if it's a boy or girl. Can I go with you to the doctor? Can I hold the baby standing up? I mean this girl was going a mile a minute. Those are just the things I could remember from it, but I'm sure as the months progress, the list will become longer. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share one of the best Mother's Day Gifts that I think I've ever given anyone in my life. This baby will be the 1st grandchild on both sides ... shall we say spoiled?! YES! But not spoiled rotten; I will not have that. I am looking forward to this next journey in life and where it shall take me ... take us.