Lots of catching up

It's been weeks since I logged in to update my blog. I'm happy to say that I no longer hop on the computer right afterI get home from work. Now I spend my evenings on the couch watching my belly move. I've put on about 26 lbs. in the past 7 months. Baby Ollie's movements are getting stronger, and bigger. One night i had the remote control on top of my belly, and he almost flipped it over!

So in the past few weeks Chris and I have been busy fixing up the house. We have been searching and shopping for the right pieces of furniture for our living room and nursery. It hasn't been easy...stressful at times that we can't get it all in time, or find what we like. Our house was so neutral before, but now with a baby boy on the way... we're ready for some fun colors!

The Living Room Before

The Living Room After (

We started by getting new window treatments. The old ones were fading and the hardware was falling down. Then we had the walls patched up and painted. Carlos, who painted our house when we first bought it was happy to see how our lives have changed over the years. We also had a carpenter who took our left over wood from previous projects to make some benches for the back yard.



It took a little while to get used to watching tv in the main living room (which was only used when guests came over) and starting to get to know the old tv room as the nursery. We now are finally using the dinning room table to eat our dinner (within viewing distance from the tv of course.) And with some clever rearranging, we were able to find homes for most of our existing furniture.

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With so many of our friends also pregnant, it seems every few weekend there's some baby related event going on. And the weekend of March 29th, and 30th, I attended two baby showers.

The first one was for my co-worker's friend's wife Rebekah (who just had her baby today! Happy Birthday Lindalee!) It was a lovely shower where the host had us bring a bead with us. Each person had something wonderful to say about the mother-to-be as they presented the bead that will offer her strength and love for the remainder of her pregnancy and into labor. Needless to say there were lots of tears and laughter.

Rebekah in a RubyLove Reflection-Tee, reminding her to breathe.....

Fast Forward a few weeks later...

Congrats to Steve and Rebekah Czarnecki who welcomed their beautiful daughter Lindalee Rose Czarneck on Thursday, April 24th at 11:52am.

The day after Lindalee's birthday, I went with a few co-workers to visit her. It was my first time holding a new born...I was so nervous. I couldn't believe how tiny she is.

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The second shower was for our friend Rosali. It was a fun bbq in the park. The weather was beautiful and the food was delicious. We played a game where we had to guess her waist size. Both Chris and I guessed wrong. : ( We did see a few other babies there who are just adorable.


Ann and Rosali


I'm staying hydrated.


Yummy...

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On April 13th, "Grandma" Sandy came up to LA to check out a baby show at the LA Convention Center.



I found out about the show in a maternity magazine, at the time we were thinking of checking it out to see what to put on the registry...but turns out once we started looking up stuff online, we were able to do most of our research on the computer and made our selections based on customer reviews.

It was still great to check out a few things in person. We were especially excited to see the gdiapers.



Our friend told us about these earth friendly diapers with biodegradable inserts. I've always recycled and have heard about how regular diapers are bad for the environment. So with this option, not only it's made from high quality cotton that's comfortable for the baby's skin, easy to use, and it's good for the earth!

We also got to walk through the Chicco booth at the show, which Chris got extremely excited to see the not-yet-available-in store jogger. I think we kind of scared the sales guy Mark when Chris started introducing us and had me pose next to the jogger. We have already bought the rest of that collection. Chris had put together one of the smaller strollers (super cute!) and we are glad we went with the Chicco because it was so easy to carry and fold up. Little Ollie will look very cute in it I'm sure.





We then ran into a girl we went to school with who had a booth there selling really cute stuffed animals. Turns out she's also pregnant...and due on the SAME DAY I am!!! What are the chances?


Angie and I are due on the same day...but I think I put on quite a few more pounds. I blame that on baby Ollie. Angie is having a girl.

After the baby show we also checked out 2 other free shows at the convention center. One was the LA Fitness Expo where we got some sample health drinks. Then to the Green Living show where we bought Ollie little one-sies made from a bamboo cotton, and reusable aluminum bottles made by Sigg.



The long day of walking ended with us having dinner at the Hotel Figueroa next to the pool. Our feet were sore, but what a productive day we had. (Forgot to mention that in the morning we had brunch at the Grove, watched a Russian water birth DVD at the house, and made some decisions for the baby shower.)

Sat Nam

For Valentine's Day Chris bought me 10 prenatal yoga classes at Golden Bridge Yoga, a studio in Hollywood that Madonna and Cindy Crawfort used to work out of when they were pregnant. I had been thinking about getting back to a more regular exercise routine, and maybe start practicing meditation. So it was the perfect gift at the perfect time.

The yoga studio is also right next door to a 24-Hour Fitness. So on Saturday, Chris dropped me off at yoga and he works out at the gym. The class goes from 11:30 to 1:00, so we still have the rest of the day for other stuff.

The studio is a huge warehouse space that they put in wood floor and large sky lights. All the walls have old buddhist images of gods and goddess. You almost feel like you are inside a temple except there are children running around with yoga mats after getting out of their mommy and me yoga classes.

I found my way to the classroom in the back, set up my mat right in front of the stage so I can see the instructor, who turned out to be a baby nurse at the hospital where I'll be delivering.

"Today, our focus is on Happiness"

That was how the class started, followed by gentle moves, and a lot of chanting and singing. It wasn't the yoga work out I was used to, but enjoyed the relaxation and strengthening of the mind. And while we're supposed to focus on our "third eye" the spot between your eye brows, I was imagine little Oliver cheering me on when my muscles were too sore from holding a pose for too long. I reminded myself that just like giving birth I can't just give up. So I took a few deep breaths and pushed through.

It was a great experience and I'm glad I have the next few months to get in shape.

Between having a great doctor, a doula who offers that exact support I need, the yoga classes, and Chris's care and love, I feel very lucky to have experienced a very wonderful pregnancy so far. And I'm looking forward to someday taking Oliver to the mommy and me yoga class.

Sat Nam ("My identiy is Truth"...a mantra that we say at the end of the yoga class)

Meeting our Doula

Our "homework assignment" from our last doctor's appointment was to think about how we want the birth of the baby to be. From day one I knew I want it as natural as possible. I have an image in my mind of myself laughing...at how ridiculously painful it'll be. And after reading about how the body needs the pain as a way to know what to do to help moving the labor along, I know the key during these next few months is to learn not be tense or fear the process.

I started to look into alternative methods of pain relief such as self hypnosis. I was also interested in the water birth after hearing from my friend whose 4 kids were born that way without any medical pain relief. But since this is my first time, Chris and I felt that it would be best to give birth at the hospital. And this is why when we interviewed our doula Octavia, I knew we found the right match for us. A doula who believes that you can labor at home in a birthing tub, then deliver at the hospital.

Octavia was referred to us from our doctor who we love and trust. I typed in her name in a web search and was able to find a lot of great reviews about her from her past clients. After talking to her briefly to set up an appointment, she came over to our house the following Saturday afternoon...with her deep pink hair and funky glasses. She looked a little bit like a friend of mine so immediately I felt comfortable around her. As she begin to explain her background and services, I felt strangely excited about giving birth, and that was exactly what I was hoping to get out of hiring her.

Octavia has a medical background in helping AIDS and cancer patience with pain relief without medicine. She uses massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy with her clients. And sometimes even music and uses visualization. She also said something that Chris and I both wanted, which is to create an environment where we'll be "present" throughout the experience. She also had a lot of great things to say about our doctor, and the nurses at the hospital where we'll deliver the baby.

I was feeling more confident and excited about what sounded like a wonderful spa treatment, except I'll leave with a baby! We ended the interview with me saying "Let's do it!"

"The Big One" - 20 Week Ultrasound

On February 26th, Chris and I were very excited to go to our 20-week ultrasound. So excited that I think Chris barely slept the night before. We got ready and followed the direction on his iphone to the doctor's office. This isn't our regular doctor. Dr. Silverman's office specializes in a more advanced ultrasound which we're be able to see all the organs even better. The "Big Ultrasound" is supposed to give us a lot of information about the health of the baby. And since I've been feeling him move, we were curious about what we'll see on the monitor this time.

Getting to the office took a while. The GPS system on the phone had trouble with finding San Vicente, a street that has North, South, East and West, all within blocks from each other. When we thought we had found the place, it turned out to be an optometrist's office...we were a bit puzzled, and once we figured it out, a couple u-turns later, we were finally where we needed to be.

The people in the officee were all very nice. Our technician joked around with us about them being able to record on DVDs because our other doctor only uses VHS tapes. Then the recording started and we saw Oliver, now about 10 inches from head to heal, and weights about 12 oz...looking even "more like a baby".

As the technician slide the machine around, she explained where the baby's head, arms, body, and legs are. It all made sense now where I was feeling the punches and kicks. Oliver was being very shy, had his hands over his face most of the time. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of his little face. And even saw him open his hand and move his fingers!


BABY DOOLEY 20-Week Ultrasound (Episode Two) from Chris Dooley on Vimeo.

We were relieved to hear that everything looked great, and the blood flow and heart are strong. He has fluid in his belly which shows he is swallowing properly. We even saw a 4D image of him...which was a little freaky looking, but still very interesting to see. I sometimes get more facinated by the technology than the fact that the most facinating "machine" is me and my belly!

It was a great doctor visit. We later found out that their office is one of the top ultrasound facilities in the country! Because the doctors work with the companies that developes the ultrasound machines, they get the latest model to use in their offices. We heard that people pay a lot of money to have their ultrasound sessions done, luckily we were able to get this referral.

We are looking forward to the next ultrasound to see how much he's grown!

New Baby Site

Chris and I have started a new blog/website for all things baby. From photos of the baby and me, to products we've researched and liked. So from now on I'll keep my entries more about my experiences and feelings and leave the rest to the other site. So check out how it is nowadays with the Dooley's!

Let's get movin'

I think it was on February 8th that I first felt a new sensation in my lower abdomin. It wasn't pain, not gas, just a tiny little rumbling felt from the inside. I started to pay more attention throughout the day, suspecting that the tiny baby finally has enough strength to kick hard enough for me to feel.

My belly now feels bigger than ever. For the first time someone I didn't share the pregnancy news asked me "So how far along are you?" instead of just assuming I just had a big lunch.

My congestion and allergies has gotten worse too, even though all the books say that will happen. They don't tell you that you better hold your belly tight when you sneeze or it'll feel like it's going to pop. It really doesn't help when I sneeze at least 4,5 times in a row. And starting to get bloody noses from the constant nose blowing. I purchased a second humidifier with warm mist (The first one with cool mist felt more like a cold fan, I needed the visual of mist actually coming out to believe it's working). It seems to be helping, at least the bloody nose seems to have stopped.

As the days went by, the baby's movement seemed more obvious. I was able to hold Chris's hand to the belly and wait for the next kick. It's funny to imagine how the baby is trying to get comfortable inside.

Maybe next time we'll actually be able to see the movement from the surface of the skin! That'll be wild.

16-Weeks Ultrasound...The Movie

After waiting 4 weeks for our latest doctor's appointment, and one trip to Target to pick up a VHS tape (which I found out you can't just buy one, we now have four 6-hour-long video tapes and no VCR to play them on) We present...drum roll please.....the 16-Week Ultrasound movie. (please turn off your cell phone, thank you!)


BABY DOOLEY 16-Week Ultrasound (Edit) from Chris Dooley on Vimeo.

How amazing was that! I can't believe it's grown so much...well, then again I've put on about 10 lbs.

The last 4 weeks has been good. The nausea went away shortly after 12 weeks. My energy level is pretty much back to normal so I feel like I can be more productive again. The only craving I had for red meat (cooked well-done) has subsided. And my mind is working clear enough to tackle some of our bills and taxes that have been somewhat neglected over the past few months due to my "baby brain".

The only thing that hasn't changed is the number of times I need to go to the bathroom. It seems the extra room the baby needs is exactly where my bladder is. I get up as often as 4 times in the middle of the night. And to help with getting more comfortable at night. I bought a body pillow with an ultra-suede cover to hug when I go to sleep. The latest challenge is to only sleep on my side because sleeping on the back isn't good for the blood circulation to the baby. So I'm pretty much sleeping in a pillow fort.

Chris and I have also been diligent with our morning walks up to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, even when it's 35 degrees out and foggy. We've found that we function so much better throughout the day on days when we do get out of bed when the sun is barely up. The hot drinks and a warmed up butter croissant are great motivators.

We're scheduled in a few weeks for the "BIG" ultrasound at another facility. It'll be a more powerful machine that will check all the organs and blood flow for the baby. We hope you'll come back for the sequal.