Lessons From Disney: Talking to Your Kids About Positive Thinking

I wrote some blog posts for another site. Those blogs are being taken down, but because I worked hard on the pieces, I'm keeping them anyway 

Today’s Lesson: The Power of Positive Thinking
Materials:

• Movie: Pollyanna
• A Smile
• Glad Game
• Rainbow Maker

Pollyanna: a person characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
In this day, when cynicism is considered hip and cool, why is it that those who have an optimistic outlook are considered silly, foolish or square?
That is the dilemma facing Pollyanna Whittier.
In 1960, the Walt Disney Studios released the live-action family film Pollyanna, which was actress Hayley Mills’ first film role. The story, based on the 1931 novel by Eleanor Porter, is about an orphan who comes to live with her wealthy aunt (Jane Wyman) and changes the views of the townspeople.
In the film, Pollyanna, whose parents recently died, is sent to Harrington – the town named for her grandfather – which is “run” by her Aunt Polly.
Pollyanna’s hallmark is playing “The Glad Game” – as the child of missionaries, she never had a doll, but her father taught her to the finest points of the things she did have. (Even not-pleasant objects, like crutches, could become positive, i.e. because she didn’t need them.) She introduces the townspeople to the  “The Glad Game,” by taking something unpleasant and turning it into something happy.

  We looked for the good in them, and we found it, didn't we?

For example, the staff at her aunt’s house hate Sundays because of the fire and brimstone sermons at church – but Pollyanna reminds them that, once the sermon is over, “you will never be any farther from next Sunday’s sermon than you are right now.” It turns out the sermons are “suggested topics” from Aunt Polly to Reverend Ford.
              Pollyanna: Nancy, are you and George gonna get married?
              Nancy: We hope to, someday.
              Pollyanna: Oh, I am glad. I think everyone should be married. And maybe, when you do get married, Aunt Polly will see how happy it makes you, she'll be very glad to get married herself, then.
              Angelica: Glad this, glad that. Do you have to be glad about everything? What's the matter with you, anyway?
              Nancy: Oh, lay off her, Angie. She's not hurting you.
She is also given the small attic room at her aunt’s house, rather than one of the larger unoccupied bedrooms:
            Angelica: Stuffy in here. Not much of a room, is it?
            Pollyanna: But it's my own, anyway. I'm glad of that. Ooh, and the bed's soft! And it's got a lovely window.

Over the course of the film Pollyanna spreads her optimism around the town. She tries to help rekindle a romance between Aunt Polly and Dr. Chilton, a childhood sweetheart who had left town years before. She befriends an angry recluse Mr. Pendergast (Adolphe Menjou), accusing him of not wanting to share the “rainbow-makers” in his home (prisms hanging from a lamp shade). She meets hypochondriac Mrs. Snow (Agnes Moorhead) and convinces her not to worry about dying and instead to focus on being happy because she is alive.

At the high point of the film, the town bands together, with some last-minute support from Reverend Ford -  who was reminded, thanks to Pollyanna, that “no one can own a church” -  and hosts a carnival to raise money for the dilapidated orphanage (usually Polly would just give them the money).

The event is a success, but a tragic accident later that evening changes everything –for Polly, Pollyanna and the town.

Will Pollyanna be able to play the “Glad Game” when she needs it the most? Have the townspeople – especially Aunt Polly - learned enough positivity from Pollyanna to help her?

In the end, Pollyanna is about more than just a girl who always tends to find the good in everything. If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be a good story to tell. The bigger question is: What is wrong with wanting to find the good in everything? 

Playing the “Glad Game” isn’t easy. Some do it by making lemons out of lemonade, looking at the glass half-full, wearing rose-colored glasses, or always sporting a smile. But there is some good in everyone, and something good that can be found in every situation. It just might take more time than some people are willing to invest. But if you do, the pay-off will be worth it.
As Reverend Ford tells Pollyanna: “We looked for the good in them, and we found it, didn't we?”

Lessons From Disney: Talking to Your Kids About Self-Doubt

I wrote some blog posts for another site. Those blogs are being taken down, but because I worked hard on the pieces, I'm keeping them anyway 

Today’s Lesson: Believing in Yourself
Materials:

• One Movie: "Bedknobs and Broomsticks"
• One Flying Broom
• One Enchanted Bedknob
• Books: “The Isle of Naboombu” and “The Spells of Asteroth”
• One Black Cat Named Cosmic Creepers

To Believe – “to accept something as true, genuine, or real" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
“Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” starring Angela Lansbury as apprentice witch Eglantine Price, who ends up caring for three orphans in war-time England, flew into theaters in 1971. It was another example of what happened when Disney paired animation and live-action (a la “Song of the South” and “Mary Poppins”).

Eglantine is hoping that a particular spell she is waiting to receive from the Correspondence College of Witchcraft (and its headmaster Emelius Browne, played by David Tomlinson), will help to end the war. However, the spell doesn’t come and when the kids spot her doing some flying, she offers them a spell in exchange for their secrecy.

Too often preteens, teens and even adults fall into the “not believing” trap. It doesn’t take a spell to make a believer out of someone.

The “world famous traveling spell” – which enchants a bedknob and allows the bed to fly – takes them from Pepperidge Eye to London (to find Browne), to the mansion where Browne is staying, to Portobello Road (to find the spell book), to the Isle of Naboombu (to track down the Star of Asteroth medallion) and back to Pepperidge Eye.
Although the film, based on a novel by Ian Flemming, features several songs from Disney Legends the Sherman Brothers, the one that got the Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song was called “The Age of Not Believing.” It is a song Eglantine sings to Charlie – who is 11 going on 12 – when he expresses doubts at the bed (with its magical bedknob) actually working.
One of the stanzas that might stick with you when you hear the song is this one:

When you set aside your childhood heroes
And your dreams are lost upon a shelf
You're at the age of not believing
And worst of all you doubt yourself

Too often preteens, teens and even adults fall into the “not believing” trap. It doesn’t take a spell to make a believer out of someone.

Of course, Charlie does get onto the bed right before it takes off – apparently his fear of cats outweighs his doubtfulness.

Why is it that when we reach a certain age, we let doubt creep in? Would it make us happier if we allowed ourselves to believe that something will happen – rather than discouraging it?
It might not make inanimate objects move – but it could help make the day go better.

Lessions From Disney: Talking to Your Kids About Loyalty

I wrote some blog posts for another site. Those blogs are being taken down, but because I worked hard on the pieces, I'm keeping them anyway

Today’s Lesson: The Price of Loyalty
Materials:

• Movie: Treasure Island
• One Black Spot
• Treasure Map
• Pirate Ship
• Talking Parrot

Loyalty is a virtue to be treasured. And it might be treasure that is worth its weight in gold. But just how far should it go? These are the questions presented in the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island.
It’s a wonderful book if your kid is old enough to read, but it’s also a great film for younger ones and movie lovers in general. The film starring Bobby Driscol as Jim Hawkins and Robert Newton as the one-legged pirate of all pirates, Long John Silver, sailed into theaters in 1950. It was the Walt Disney Studios’ first completely live-action film and the first screen version of Treasure Island made in color.
In the film, young Jim Hawkins gets pulled into the world of piracy when a sea captain named Billy Bones dies at the Hawkins family inn after being presented with a black spot. Right before dying, Bones gives Hawkins a map to the legendary treasure of Captain Flint and warns him about a one-legged man.
Jim runs from the inn and gives the map to Squire Trewlany and Doctor Livesy, who make plans to head out to sea onboard Captain Smollet’s Hispanola, with Jim as cabin boy. Trewlany hires a sea cook – with one leg, Jim notices. It is, of course, Long John Silver, who hires the remainder of the crew made up of his fellow pirates. Silver has his own reasons for coming aboard the Hispanola: He wants the treasure for himself. Silver befriends Jim, also for reasons that aren’t entirely clear: Is he using Jim, or does he genuinely like him?

Was Jim so desperate for a friend that he was willing to side with a pirate to get that friendship?

Onboard, when Jim overhears Silver planning mutiny he is told to keep being friends with Silver, so he can learn more.
“Stay friends with him?” Jim says warily. “Yes sir, I’ll stay friends with him.”
Jim’s loyalty to both sides becomes increasingly difficult and, while maintaining loyalty to Smollet, he still doesn’t want anything to happen to Silver. As cutthroat as Silver is, he really has a friendship with young Jim. When the ship makes its way to “treasure island,” and battle lines are drawn, Jim is given the map and told by the doctor to use it to save his life if he needs to.
When Jim is stabbed in the arm during the fighting, Silver expresses genuine concern (after taking the map from him). He keeps the other pirates from attacking Jim and says he is “taking care of him proper.” He waves the white flag to bring the doctor to the fort, telling the men he will trade Jim for the map (they don’t know he already has it). And he parlays with the doctor, telling him: “You could cut my good leg off before I lay a finger on [Jim].”
When the doctor comes to rescue Jim, Jim says he can’t leave because he gave “Long John” his word.
Now that Silver has the map, will he find the treasure – and, if so, will he get away with it? Will Jim help him or stop him?
Was Jim so desperate for a friend that he was willing to side with a pirate to get that friendship? When loyalties are tested, why are we drawn to one side over the other? Will the lure of friends always win out over the stability of parents?
In the end, Treasure Island is more about a hunt for a treasure, than the treasure itself. It’s about loyalty, friendship and the legacy you hope the leave. And - just like the black spot – once you are marked as a friend (or an enemy), it is a hard label to lose. Ay matey!

The First Sick Day

Well it was bound to happen - we sent Danielle to day care and, on her second week, she picks up a cold.

We're not totally sure if Adam gave her something as well, or if she gave him something as well.

I had emailed the doctor several times when she started getting a cough and was told not to worry unless she got a fever or threw up.

Wednesday of that week, Adam took her to Urgent Care after he picked her up from daycare. They told him the same thing. So, that night, when she had a massive spit up, I got a 911 text from Adam while I was at a mahjongg tournament.

I met them at urgent care, which, of course, was closed by then. So it was off to the hospital. Since their Urgent Care was closed as well, we ended up in the ER. At the end of the night they found she had .... a cold.

Saturday night hiits and she is still coughing and congested - but it's a wetter cough (fun). So it was back the hospital - and we missed the pediatric Urgent Care by 7 minutes - seriously? 7 damn minutes and our co-pay goes from $20 to $100!

So it was back to the ER - and, this time, the doctor took an X-ray. There was no radiologist - but the doctor said there might have been a little haze. As a precaution, we were given Amoxicillin (at least it smelled better than the Poly Vi Sol we've been giving her).

We were told to come back the next day as a follow up.

Of course, the next morning - Adam, who had been starting to feel like crap, sounded like the Walking Dead. So, as I took Danielle to Peds Urgent Care, Adam went to regular Urgent Care.

Her diagnosis: Possible Pneumonia
His diagnosis: Severe Bacterial Bronchitis - and a Z-pack

If either was sick, I  could have going to work... well...work, but with two sickies, it was up to mommy to stay home a good chunk of the week.

I couldn't leave the house because Adam couldn't hold or feed Danielle - and until Adam felt better, he couldn't leave the house either. Luckily - several places deliver in our neighborhood.

A little over a week later - both are A-OK. Adam still has some cough drops; Danielle finishes the last dose tonight. And mommy never got sick (yay!).

Being sick is no fun, but being well in a house of sick people sucks!

Hail to the Princess!

When a princess arrives, she does it in style!
Our princess Danielle arrived three weeks early via semi-urgent C-section.

We went to the doctor for my NST and ultrasound. The tech told us she was measuring at 4.8 and that we would need to talk to the doctor.

So we went up to Labor & Delivery where they told be to put on a gown and get in a bed. I thought that was odd - why would I need to change just to meet the doctor?

Dr. Martin came in and said we would be delivering. I asked if this was a go to work and come back and deliver thing, I had a couple of meetings and Adam and I had driven separately to Kaiser. He said no... I wouldn't be leaving the hospital without delivering. Adam and I were stunned - we thought we had three weeks more to prepare. A baby! That day!

They took my vitals and said I could have the c-section right now or they could induce and see what happens. I said, let's see if induction does anything... it didn't. However, it did give me some contractions that lowered the baby's heartrate - so off to surgery I went.

The spinal worked great. We were in the room at 5:55 and she was delivered at 6:22 - I was in recovery at 6:45. I did, however, throw up - thanks to a combo of eating late and a gross grape antacid they had given me (adam was a trooper and cleaned me up). They also had to drug me at the end because they couldn't stitch me up (the pressure was terrible and they were moving my organs around a little too much).

Danielle Ruth was 3.14 and 17.5 inches long!

She was so cute - but she would need to spend the next 20 days in the NICU where they would be feeding her additional calories and helping her grow.

Her organs are fine and she is really strong - she just needs to eat more.

As for me, I am officially a cow. They started having my pump the first night and we have about 80 bottles in the freezer - plus several at my inlaws.

We brought her home on Sunday and are getting used to having a baby in the house, and she is getting used to us!

We are so in love :)

So I have gone from a hopeful Jewish mom to be ... to a Jewish Mom!

And I love it!

It's in the Bag

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go....I'm standin' here outside your door

Well, I'm not standing outside the door - but my bag is packed.

When I was at the doctor this past week, I learned that once I hit 37 weeks, they won't stop labor. I'll be 37 weeks on Monday, so I figured it was time to put things together.

Because Kaiser considers 35 to be high risk - and I'm 34, they also won't let me go past my due date. This means the matzo ball can arrive anytime between tomorrow and March 18.

I have everything I need for me set in the bag: robe, nursing bra, nursing PJs, toiletries, sleep mask, chargers, speakers, hair ties, slippers, breast pump and other mom-to-be fun since I have no idea where I will be when I need to head to the hospital (I'm HOPING it happens at night or the weekend before). Pillow is in the car.

We still need to put matzo ball's bag together - which pretty much consists of an outfit (which is at my aunt's house), and a nursing boppy - which I received from a coworker and is currently in a Target bag under my desk at work. The car seat bases are in both cars (we will likely take Adam's car to the hospital).

So for not being able to have a lot ready - we're sort of there. Physically at least. Hope the kid has a good sense of humor - because I sense a lot of screwball moments in the first few days.

And Then There Were 30

I'm estimating that my last day at work will be March 15. Of course, we plan and God laughs. Between now and then, there are still a few things to do. Believe it or not, even though we aren't doing anything to the nursery until the matzo ball arrives, there are still several things I can do (not enough to warrant working from home, but still thinks I need to scratch off my list).

First up: We are getting the car seat base installed tomorrow. When Adam and I were babies, we were lucky if the car we were riding in had a seat belt - let alone a car seat. Rather than going to the DMV at a time that is convenient for neither of us (no Moorpark CHP, 3 p.m. on a Tuesday is NOT feasible), we are having a woman come to the house and give us a lesson in car seat safety (I just hope she doesn't quiz us).

Next: We have to finish up Lamaze. One of the Lamaze classes was canceled, so I'm not sure when we're going to be able to make it up since the Thursday after is Infant CPR. It's been informative, I just hope I've absorbed enough information to make it work when I go into Labor.

Then: Select the newborn photographer. This was actually made easier thanks to Stephanie who recommended Evie's photographer - and it is totally within our budget. Timewise, the photographers like to take pictures when babies are 5-7 days old - which will land us the day of Passover (or at least earlier that morning). The good news is she'll come to the house, so at least the family will be around.

So these are the next three on the list -- the list I've been trying to tackle to the best of my ability. I know we'll have a bunch more things to scratch off once she arrives, but at this point, anything that keeps my mind off the waiting is a good thing!

Relax? Are You Kidding?

When something the size of a watermelon comes out something the size of a bagel...how in the world can you remember to breathe?

You have to have someone remind you - in my case, my husband.

We have been in a Lamaze class for the past two weeks where we are learning not only about labor and delivery, but how to recognize contractions and when to call the hospital. Most importantly, we're learning breathing and relaxation techniques.

I plan to try to put them to use on the 45 minute drive from our house to the hospital.

I'm a stressed-out person by nature. As much as a try to relax with massages, facials, pedicures and manicures ... I am a type-A worrywart planner. There is so little I can control once I go into labor (outside of the lights and music), that I feel the only other thing in my control is the pain management. And while I inherited a pretty good pain tolerance level from my father - why push it?

During the last Lamaze class, the teacher made an imaginary line indicating how we felt about epidurals. One side of the line was: "no drugs, ever, don't even mention it." The other end of the spectrum was "drugs from the minute I come in to the hospital."

She then had the husbands position themselves on the line based on what they felt their wives would want. Then she asked the wives to position themselves and see if the husbands got it right. Adam had it spot on: Drugs from the minute I come in to the hospital. We then joked if the line extended out it he would have stood there representing: Drugs for the last five weeks of pregnancy.

We have two more classes left, including one on Valentine's Day. I will do everything possible in these next five weeks to keep my stress and blood pressure levels down and my relaxation up. History dictates otherwise....

Like I Care - Part 2

Previously, I blogged about the day care issue and what we would do since my work day care isn't an option.

The good news is I made some inquiries and - thanks to Google - found a day care center not too far from where we live (and really close to Adam's office).

On a Friday afternoon, we toured Tutor Time and had a chance to meet with the director and see the infant room. Unfortunatly, there were no infants there - but the room set up was very warm and safe (booties over shoes are requires), with each child having his or her own crib (parents would supply sheets, diapers, change of clothes and any toys). They feed and change and play with the children - with the ratio being one teacher for four infants under 1 (when they reach 1, they go to a different room). It means I can leave some bottles of breastmilk and they will make sure she is not only fed and changed, but they write it all down so we know every day what she did and when.

Also, the cost per week was far less than getting a nanny and stayed within our budget. The hours - we could have her there until 6:30 p.m. - was also very appealing.

We really liked what we saw, but wanted to see how it would look with kids in it. Since we were both off on MLK day, we came back and - lo and behold - four children were there. The boys were sleeping, the girls were eating. All were older than matzo ball would be when she starts, but they all looked happy, healthy and clean. Pop music was playing on the radio.

We filled out a form and gave a $100 deposit to hold our place for June.

The whole thing is kind of exciting - and I really hope she likes it!

Pregnant at Epcot - An Experiemental Trip

In early December, I spent a crazy 2 1/2 days at Walt Disney World for the opening of the New Fantasyland. As a result of that trip - I ended up writing five pieces of content (a dessert gallery, a multi-page feature on Fantasyland, a sectional on Disney Parks, and an article on the new Senses Spa) ... which in retrospect is insane.

Yesterday, the last one was published as part of the Blog on Disney Baby - and it is one I'm the most proud of because it is very me.

Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it:

http://www.disneybaby.com/blog/pregnant-at-epcot-a-guide-for-moms-to-be/

Editor's Note - As of 1/25 - the article has 269 likes and 4 comments. So thank you to anyone who has liked or shared it.

Like I Care!

So today - being the diligent mommy-to-be that I am - I called the daycare at my office to set up a tour. We have been on the waiting list since I was six weeks pregnant.

I was told:

1) They don't give tours unless you get accepted

2) The odds of me getting into the daycare were slim as they only had 18 slots for infants and they've been totally full since they opened. But that's OK because, the Disney Day Care Center is nothing like "it's a small world" nursery. My kid can get a more immersive Disney experience at home than at Disney Day Care - that's pathetic.

3) There was a Disney resource called LifeCare that would help me find other options.

So I contacted LifeCare and their people are finding me day care resources near the office and near the house. I'll have a full list next week - not bad.

This is tough - I found two Tutor Times that take infants (yay!) that are near the house. La Petite Academy doesn't take them until 2 years. I'm hoping to take her to TAE three days a week for preschool when she turns two.

I'm hoping we can tour soon them soon and find out what they cost- but this is so hard. Do I take my kid somewhere? Do I hire a nanny?

I've checked out nannies on care.com (I'm hoping we can do a daily rate and not an hourly rate or 1/2 my salary could go to this person).  I do need a babysitter for evenings, but a few hours at night a few days a week is not the same as 40-50 a week. And then there is the taxes/IRS thing.

And I thought childbirth was a pain in the butt.

Her Royal Highnesses Bedroom

We aren't getting any furniture delivered to the house until the mtzo ball is born. However, we treked out to Buy Buy Baby today and for our dream nursery:

The color is cherry and the knobs are square (it matches our bedroom set).

We also found a fabulous glider...

I hope the little princess likes it. :)

Naptime for Grown-Ups

I haven't always been a fan of naps. My father once got a call when I was in kindergarten that, instead of napping, I was reading to the other children. He didn't see why that was a problem.

I think the first time I learned to love naps was in college. I'd have super-early classes that would require me to wake up at 6:15 a.m. so I would have time to get breakfast in the dining hall and walk across campus to probably the farthest spot from my dorm. I would come back and take a cat nap after lunch prior to my afternoon class.

When you hit "the real world" naps don't happen as much. I try to nap on the weekends, and I am one of those people that falls asleep in the car and on planes during takeoffs and landings.

But never have I enjoyed naps as much as I have since this pregnancy.

I wake up at 7-something for work - and usually go to sleep around midnight (without coffee this is kind of an incredible thing). But this week, while working from home because of the holidays, I've been able to sneak in a cat nap each day - and it feels amazing.

I was so sleepy when I was in Walt Disney World earlier this month that I actually fell asleep on the Universe of Energy - it was all I needed to keep going for the day at Epcot after taking the redeye from Los Angeles to Orlando.

I've heard that once the baby comes, everyone says that mom should sleep when baby sleeps. Not sure if I can sleep on command, though. The nice part about naps is that your body tells you when it is tired - not the other way around.

And, of course, I would give anything for a mocha. :)

Top of the Third

For Black Friday, I treated myself to an ipod Touch (gen 5). I hed out as long as I could, but it had a better camera than my phone, plus Facetime (so I can talk to family in Chicago).

It also allowed me to download several baby-centric apps - including a kick count meter, a "How Big Is Baby" tracker and a "How Much Longer Do I Have?" tracker.

Not sure if the pregnancy has gone fast or slow at this point. Adding in the IUI time at the beginning, I feel like I've been pregnant since late May.

Today I hit a milestone: I have reached my third trimester! One app tells me there are 13 weeks remaining. Another breaks it down for me: Two months, 27 days, 21 hours, 7 minutes and 40 seconds (otherwise known as 89 days).

On the radio the other day, they were giving away concert tickets to an event on March 19. I heard that and smiled. And in my head I thought about where I would be on March 19.....

The Fruit Salad in my Womb

Every week the bump tells me how big the baby is when compared to fruit.
For example, this week - 24 - Matzo ball is the size of a cantaloupe.

So for those of you following this blog who have never heard of this happening... here's more details about the fruit salad I've been carrying since June:

Week 24: Cantaloupe
Average size: 10.5 inches, 12.7 oz.
Nipples are sprouting, and face is fully formed!

Week 25: Cauliflower
Average size: 13.6-14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Baby knows which way is up and which is down now…

Week 26: Lettuce
Average size: 13.6-14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Eyes are forming and will soon start to open

Week 27: Rutabaga
Average size: 13.6-14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Baby’s showing brain activity…

Week 28: Eggplant
Average size: 13.6 -14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Immune system is preparing for the outside world...

Week 29: Acorn Squash
Average size: 15.2-16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb.
Baby’s hiccupping in there…

Week 30: Cucumber
Average size: 15.2 -16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb.
Baby’s strong enough to grasp a finger now.

Week 31: Pineapple
Average size: 15.2-16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb.
All five of the senses are working…

Week 32: Squash
Average size: 15.2- 16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb.
Sleeping and waking cycles are establishing...

Week 33: Durian Fruit
Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lb.
Bones are hardening…

Week 34: Butternut Squash
Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lb.
Baby can recognize and react to simple songs

Week 35: Coconut
Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lb.
Hearing is fully developed…

Week 36: Honeydew
Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lb.
Hearing is fully developed…

Week 37: Winter melon
Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.
Baby’s inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.

Week 38: Pumpkin
Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.
Baby might have an inch or so of hair already.

Week 39: Watermelon
Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.
Baby’s flexing his limbs in there.

Week 40: Jackfruit
Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.
Full term! Baby's finally ready for the outside world...


*Pregnancy weeks are counted from the last menstrual period.
***From week 21 on, measurements are taken from head to toe.

Cabin for Two (and a Half)

Adam and I spent last week on a Babymoon. We celebrated his birthday, our 5th anniversary, and our last vacation pre-parent onboard the Disney Wonder to the Mexican Rivera.

Cruising when you can't enjoy the coffee drinks or the drink-drinks is interesting. Luckily, Crystal Lite now makes Mojito and Appletini flavored mix-ins.

Halloween was one-of-a-kind: I went as a Bun in the Oven and Adam was the Bunmaker. We were even finalists in the "group" category for the costume contest.

I guess my pregnancy brain wasn't as much of a hindrance, though, as I ended up coming in first for 7 trivia competitions (a mix of Disney and non-Disney).

Although the emotions did get to me - I cried at all four production shows and a commercial they showed in the staterooms called "I am a Princess."

Adam made friends with a family at a neighboring table that had a 3 year old and a 13 month old. He was so good with both of them - making them smile with his Swedish Chef imiations. He's so looking forward to being a dad.

What made everything even more special wasn't dwelling on this being our last cruise as two - but thinking about all we would do onboard when we are three (we even stopped by Flounder's nursery). The Matzo Ball did cooperate - no sea sickness at all. Good girl!

Team Pink or Team Blue?

On Friday morning, Adam and I had our anatomy scan - which is a really scientific way of saying: we found out if we were having a boy or a girl.

We got to Kaiser at 7:15 for our 8 a.m. appointment and went in to see the tech. When we walked in to the room, I handed the tech an envelope

I decided I didn't want to just be told what it was, I wanted it to be revealed.

So the day before at work I printed out two phrases:

"Beautiful Beautiful, Beautiful Beautiful Boy"
and
"Thank Heaven for Little Girls"

I cut both to the same length and put them in an envelope that, on the outside I wrote, Baby Fischer.

I asked him to keep the right one in the envelope and toss the other. Then we would open it after the appointment.

He took pictures of the matzo ball for an hour by running the scanner up and down my belly (thank goodness they warmed the gel) and had us turn away when he focused on the "gender shot." It was so cool to see matzo ball look like a baby - kicking and moving arms around.

At the end the tech said he'd get the report to radiology and be right back with the envelope.

We cleaned up, took the envelope and headed down the hall.

We opened it up and had our answer:

We both started crying.

Ironically, that night we had the yahrtzeit for my Bobie. She would have been thrilled.

I was able to reuse the envelope when I got to the office to tell my coworkers. Why just say it? Make it magical!

P.S.The organs were all beautiful and the OB emailed be that the scan was 100% normal :)

Shop til I drop?

I'll be the first to say I hate clothes shopping.

I do, however, like shopping for things.

Usually.


Lately though I get minor panic attacks when I pass the baby aisles at Target. There are 7 bazillion things there and I have no idea what the heck I need.

I'm fairly certain my mother didn't use even half of that stuff on me. Would getting something ake me a better mother? Would not getting it make me a worse mother? What do I really need and what is just fluff.

It's like when we got married.

Yes, chair covers are pretty - but are they really needed? Don't forget to pick up the marriage license! Comfortable shoes? Check!

You knew what was needed and what wasn't. It was for 5-7 hours - tops.

This is 18 years and, as we are too often told - the development early in life can affect everything else... blah, blah, blah.

Will this child be loved?
Absolutely!

Cutest nursery ever?
Yup!

Which breast pump is best?
No frickin idea.

We'll likely start registering in December. Last time I did this we ended up with 12 beer glasses on the registry. I have to remember to watch Adam if I hand him the scanner.

I Had a Dream....

They say sometimes our answers come to us in our dreams.

My biggest question: Are we having a boy or a girl?

A little more than a week from now, we'll have our answer.

Last night I had a dream I was playing with a toddler -- a little girl.

We'll see soon enough if it is true or just wishful thinking.

Allergy or Cold? Same Difference

One of the best parts about being pregnant is when you have a cold - you can 't do a damn thing about it.

I'm kidding.

It sucks.

After waiting on hold 45 minutes to have a nurse ask me when my last period was - um June! - and if I was dizzy - no - I was told there was really nothing they could do and I should get a humidifier.

That's it.

No Nyquil or Dayquil. No nasal spray. No nothing.

I have armed myself with Vicks Vapo-Rub, Vitamin C drops and a new humidifier.

This sucks... and if my food aversions weren't bad enough, I now have a built-in appetite suppresent.

Let's hope the humidifier gets the job done .

Maybe I can meet someone who can create a cold pregnancy line - we will make millions