The Launch of Baby Carly's Web Site

Today's Baby Carly's own web site was officially launched...

www.carlylefelarbarr.com

We hope you enjoy her site. There are a lot of photos posted already, and more will be added on a regular basis.

This will be the final post to the pregnancy blog. Thank you for following Baby Carly's journey to life!

Baby Carly's First Week

Hello everyone!!!

Just a quick blog entry to let everyone know that Baby Carly and I have had a wonderful first week together. She's an absolute angel and never cries or fusses. Sleeps all the time. And I'm recovering quite nicely from my c-section.

And Mandy is doing very well with the adjustment as well!

The pictures above are Baby Carly's "first day" photos that were taken at the hospital.

And here's a link to an assortment of other photos from our first week together.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=pd7ndcz.2ubomcen&x=0&y=-lorsp4&localeid=en_US

Anita and I will soon be working on migrating this pregnancy blog into a long-term Carly web site. The address will be www.carlylefelarbarr.com. I'll send out a blast email once it has officially launched.

That's all the time and energy that I have for now. I have to go wake up Miss Carly for her midnight feeding.

Carly's First Day

The news from the Carly Camp over at Plantation General is that Carly is already a genious. Not only has she passed her hearing exam (Jen is already insisting she get good grades by asking the nurse whether she got an "A"), but she is learning to nurse and has filled 5 times as many diapers as the other babies. She's apparently robustly healthy...

Jen is feeling great, thanks to the fantastic pain management system in place at PGH. When I called today I was shocked to hear such a chipper "Hello, Anita!" especially only one day after surgery...Jen did say there's discomfort when she has to get up and walk, which the nurses have made her do 2 times, but it's manageable, even if the walking around part is not exactly Jen's favorite part of the day.

Grandma Jody has snapped a couple more shots...one of Carly (where Jennifer swears you can see she has Daddy Storm's ears!) and one of the giant stork that is now sitting on the front lawn at Jen's place to welcome them home!

I'll be dropping by tomorrow to bring Jen a decent lunch and generally walk around holding Carly and talking silly baby talk to her! I'll take more pics then...

More news tomorrow -- Anita

Carly Makes Her First Photo Appearance

For those of you keeping up, heeeeeeeeere's Carly!

Welcome to the World!

Please welcome Baby Carly...as of this posting, only 5 and a half hours old.

Carly was born at 12:50pm at Plantation General Hospital and weighed 6 lbs, 3 oz. She was 19 inches long! Grandma Jody says she has a nice little fuzz of light brown hair and beautiful pink cheeks...

Mom and baby are doing great and looking forward to coming home in a couple of days...

Pictures coming soon!

CarlyWatch-March 28: Start Your Engines...

Hi CarlyWatchers....the big news is coming our way today! Jen called this morning and it looks like the fluid levels never went up any further, and in fact, started to go back down, so the doctor says it's time to go get Carly!

It didn't happen at 7AM as expected but the c-section WILL happen today...Dr. C has appointments for c-sections every two hours on Fridays, so all that needs to happen is to slip Jen into one of those time slots, and approximately 30 minutes later, we'll have a baby...

Jen really appreciates all of your well-wishes...please keep her in your thoughts today as she prepares to bring her daughter into the world!

More news as it happens -- Anita

CarlyWatch-March 27, Part 2

Hello CarlyWatchers...more news from Plantation General this evening!

Looks like Jen is being prepped for a 7AM c-section...the doctor will perform the tests to determine if the fluid has increased significantly...if not, Jen will be whisked right into delivery on the assumption that the fluid levels are not going to get much higher. He thinks this is likely to be the case.

But Jen's ready! Her friend Vivian has already been over to the hospital and helped Jen wash her hair, paint her nails clear and generally get cleaned up in preparation for the fact that she's probably not going to feel much like primping after surgery. Check out this pic of the pretty mommy-to-be!

I'll have more in the morning...Fingers crossed, everyone! -- Anita

CarlyWatch-March 27

Hello friends of Jen -- Anita here, again...the IV fluids have increased Jen's amniotic fluid from a 3 to a 4. Since there was a slight improvement, there was no c-section planned yet.

All of the tests will be repeated tomorrow...if the fluids continue to increase then we can sit and wait a few more days. It's possible Jen will remain in the hospital during this time, but we have to wait and hear more tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Jen's in good spirits, if not getting a bit bored....at my last call she was contemplating a new manicure and pedicure since the hospital requires you only have clear or light nail polish on before a c-section. So it's goodbye, for now, to Jennifer's favorite red toe polish!

Here's a new picture of Carly, face-forward...you can see the nose, an eye and the lips and cheek! Hi Carly!

That's today's report...stay tuned!

Hello from the Hospital...This Might Be IT!

Hello everyone! Jen's friend Anita here...Jen entered the hospital today, so this is being dictated by Jen to me, her official "Birthing Communications Coordinator." I'm proud to be a small cog in Jen's Pregnancy Posse and Birthing Entourage. I'll be blogging, emailing and phoning all the news as it happens over the next few exciting days...

Here's the story...
Went to Dr. R for a checkup today to specifically check on my amniotic fluid level. Normal range for the amniotic fluid is 10-20. Two weeks ago I was a 7 and today I was 3. Yikes...where is the fluid going? It certainly doesn't seem to be streaming down my leg!

So Dr. R, for the second time, took me in to the special "We've got to talk"room in his offices and told me we had to check into Plantation General as soon as possible for monitoring and IV fluids in the hopes we can get the fluid levels back up to normal. It was big news, but as I left his office we were actually smiling at the fact that we have a 35-week-old, 6 lb 2 oz baby on our hands. The last time we were in this room, we didn't know if we would make it this far.

Mom and I went home and grabbed my bag 'o stuff and went to this hospital. I'll be here at least overnight with an IV and fetal monitoring. Tomorrow morning at 8AM'ish they'll do a sonogram to check fluid levels. If they have gone up I'll be discharged and if not, I'll be having a c-section on Thursday or Friday because Baby Carly is breech. Doc says it's a 70% change I'll be having myself a baby in the next 48 hours.

What a perfect time for this to happen -- no Baby Daddy (he's in Philly on business) and no Birthing Coach (she's in Atlanta on business). But that's OK because today is also full of great news...

I've officially hired a nanny!
Nanny Charity "signed on" today and has just left the hospital after a little visit with me this evening. I'm very excited about her being Baby Carly's nanny...she has lots of great experience and we really clicked. She actually has some Doula experience, so she might just join me in the delivery room if she can.

And finally...meet the Entourage!
Speaking of the delivery room, I've finalized my Birthing Entourage and I just want to share it with you. The Birthing Entourage is the group of friends who have gathered together to help me through this special time...

Silvia -- Birthing Coach and Official Baby Protector
It's Silvia's job to be with me in the delivery room and help me keep focused. She will also be dispatched to follow Baby Carly once she is born, to be printed, weighed and cleaned up after we have spent our first few minutes together. The hospital requires this to make sure there are no switcheroos!
Vivian--Official Photographer/Videographer
Vivian is working the digital and video cameras in the delivery room with Scorsese-like skill to ensure we record all the best moments! Note to Vivian from Anita -- stay away from recording Jen's "Lady Business" -- no one needs to see that.
Grandma and Grandpa Barr -- The Welcome Wagon
The Barr grandparents will act as the welcoming committee for those who visit me. They get to tell people when to go home if I'm tired!!
Storm -- Baby Daddy-to-Be
His job is to work on making it home to see his daughter.
Anita -- Communications Coordinator
It's Anita's job to make sure you all know what is going on! She writes all the news that's fit to print!
Jill -- Stork Committee and Keeper of the Cat
Jill is having an 8-ft stork put in the front yard so that when I come home, everyone will know Baby Carly's in the house!! And of course, her most important role is that she is the official Mandy-sitter. Mandy needs love during this stressful time -- plus she can't sleep without her Milk-Treat!

OK -- that's all from me! I'm tired....Good night!

From Anita: as they say in the news biz, "More news as it happens!" Talk to you tomorrow with a Jen update.

Both Sides Of Baby Carly's DNA

A few people who have never met Storm recently requested for a picture of Baby Carly's Daddy to be put up on the blog.

Above you can see both sides of Baby's Carly's DNA with baby, toddler and adult pictures of both of us.

As I'm sure all expectant mothers are, I'm so curious to see what she is going to look like. Is she going to take after one of us, or will she be an obvious blend? Only time will tell...

Baby Carly Has A Hospital Appointment To Be Induced On April 21

First things first ... Baby Carly made me eat all the Easter candy that has contributed to our gaining 6 more pounds in the past 2 weeks. Yes, I mean "our" because I've decided that she needs to take some responsibility here too. After all, she is gaining more than a half a pound a week herself. So, "we" have now gained a total of 44 1/2 pounds.

But the light at the end of the weight gain tunnel is getting brighter ...

I had a checkup with Dr. C today and we now have an appointment scheduled at the hospital for April 21 at 2:00 a.m. for Baby Carly to be induced. As of today she is head down again, and hopefully she will stay that way. But if she happens to be in a breach position on April 21 then the appointment will automatically be converted to a C-section appointment.

So April 21 is now looking like the latest possible date for her birth. But the possibility does exist that this appointment could be moved up. I'm going back to Dr. R (the specialist) next Wednesday and we'll get an update then on my amniotic fluid level. Dr. C says if my fluid level doesn't return to normal then they might have to encourage Baby Carly into the world even sooner that 4/21.

I go back to see Dr. C next Thursday, and every week thereafter until the birth.

OMG!!! I'm going to have a baby ... SOON!!! :o)

Baby Carly's Rainforest Is Ready For Her!!!

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to Baby Carly's Rainforest, and to Storm for putting all her items together well in advance of when she will actually use them.

As you can see, the rainforest is ready for her!

We've found a spot in Carly's home for each item, as seen in the picture collage above. It's pretty much her house now, which is fine with me. I've discovered that nothing shrinks a house like baby gear!

As you can see from the top picture, Mandy was an active participant in the assembly process. She thinks that all this stuff (and the nursery) is for her. She certainly is in for a big shock!

"I Don't See You Having This Baby Anytime Soon"

"I don't see you having this baby anytime soon." -- Direct quote from my specialist Dr. R today during my routine checkup.

Baby Carly is up to 5 pounds 7 ounces (compared to 3 pounds, 3 ounces a month ago), and the cerclage is still holding tight thanks to Dr. C's excellent stitch work. I was very glad to hear this after having some pretty intense and painful contractions this past Saturday around 5:00 a.m. I was worried that these contractions might have loosened up the stitches, but that is not the case.

Anyway, Baby Carly continues to grow fast. Her growth rate is now in the 68th percentile (50 being average) compared to the 64th percentile a month ago. She's growing just slightly faster than 1/2 pound a week.

She was in a head down position for the last 2 visits with Dr. C, but today she was breech. I'm now 33 weeks pregnant and her position at 35 weeks could influence if Dr. C wants to do a scheduled C-section. It all depends on which position she ultimately gets stuck in when she finally runs out of room. My uterus has expanded tremendously for her, but it can't expand forever!

My Mom came with me to the ultrasound today (her first time to see both Baby Carly live on the screen and the ultrasound technology in use period) and I learned that as the babies get bigger the ultrasounds get less cute. For the first time I didn't get any souvenir photos.

It was much harder to see anything that looked really "baby like." And Baby Carly did not help at all because she was facing my back and would not turn her head no matter how many times I poked her and changed positions. My Mom was able to see bits and pieces like the beating heart, hands, internal organs, etc., and she did get to hear the strong heartbeat.

The only thing that was new or different in today's appointment was the fact that Dr. R said my amniotic fluid level was a little bit low. He said not alarmingly low, but low nonetheless.

He instructed me to start drinking more water. MORE WATER?!?!? I already have a bottle going at all times and feel like I'm going to float away. I'm already going through more than a roll of toilet paper a day.

Ok. More water it is. Whatever is best for Baby Carly.

My activity restrictions remain the same ... just keep walking and standing to a minimum and no lifting. I'm glad that I'm still allowed to drive and don't yet have to be confined to the bed.

I see Dr. R again for fluid assessment in 2 weeks.

Cheers!!!

8-Month Belly Shot

I officially look like I swallowed a soccer ball now.

I've had multiple strangers in public inform me that I'm having a boy, because I'm carrying so low and all in front. Based on all the pinkness going on in the nursery, these comments would stress me out if I hadn't had so many sonograms to confirm from every possible angle that Baby Carly is indeed a girl.

Routine Checkup With Dr. C Today

Dr. C today told me that he's very pleased that we are successfully passing the week #32 milestone today. He said we've come a long way from the day at the hospital when it put the cerclage in at week #17.

The good news is that Baby Carly is still in a head down position, which is the same as the last appointment. All fingers crossed that maybe she is stuck this way, because this would decrease the chance that I'll have to have a scheduled C-section.

The bad news ... yes, you guessed it ... was the scale reading. I've gained 4 more pounds in the past 11 days. One pound for every letter in the word c-a-k-e. The nurse who weighed me was kind enough to say "your baby is growing really fast now."

So I'm up to 38 1/2 extra pounds now. My only comfort is that in this week's People Magazine I read that Isla Fisher (the red head who played Vince Vaughn's "stage 5 clinger" in Wedding Crashers") gained 55 pounds during her pregnancy with Borat's baby. And she's only 5'3".

In other news, I had a 3-day spell of "really puffy feet" since my last checkup with Dr. C, but the swelling has gone down and I can see my ankles again. Dr. C said not to worry about this because all the extra blood has to go somewhere. When it happens he does advice that I elevate my feet above my heart.

My next appointment with Dr. C is March 20. After that I'll start seeing him weekly.

Baby Carly's Car Seat Gets Inspected Today

I've read recommendations that the infant car seat should be installed in the car by week #32, just in case. Today I am exactly 32 weeks pregnant and I'm happy to be able to check this off the list.

The Plantation Police Department does car seat inspections twice a month at the Toys R Us, so I went today for an inspection. It's a good thing that I did, because the officer's first reaction to opening the car door was, "Oh, this is all wrong."

They helped me re-install it correctly, so now we are all ready for a safe journey home from the hospital for Baby Carly. I can't wait!!!

Storm's First Impulse Purchase For Baby Carly!!!

While Storm was shopping at IKEA today he bought this cute and soft stuffed hippo for Baby Carly. When he brought it over this evening he was pleased with how well it matches the Jungle Luv theme. He also pointed out that Baby Carly has a stuffed giraffe and a stuffed elephant, but that there was a hippo void in the nursery that needed to be filled.

"It's my first impulse purchase for Baby Carly!" he proudly announced when he presented it to me.

I'm sure she will love it! I sure do. It's perfect.

April 29: Significant Date For Both Baby Carly And Carly Simon!!!

Howie just informed me that Carly Simon and Baby Carly already have something special in common above and beyond having the same first name ... they now have the same "release date!!!"

See below for the latest "news" posting to www.carlysimon.com ...

THIS IS SO COOL!!!

New Carly Simon Album - Release Date 4/29/08

Carly will be releasing a new album entitled This Kind Of Love on the Starbuck's label (Hear Music) on April 29, 2008. This will be her first album of all original music since 2000. Inspired by and subtly infused with the rhythms of Brazilian music, This Kind of Love explores a wide swath of emotion-romance, reflection, melancholy, anger and humor. It's at once one of Simon's most personal albums as well as one of her most stylistically diverse outings. The CD is co-produced by Simon, Frank Filipetti and Jimmy Webb and features 13 tracks: This Kind Of Love, Hold Out Your Heart, People Say A Lot, Island, How Could You Ever Forget, Hola Soleil, In My Dreams, When We're Together, So Many People To Love, They Just Want You To Be There, The Last Samba, Sangre Dolce and Too Soon To Say Goodbye.

A Big THANK YOU To Lilly Howard From Baby Carly!!!

Dear Lilly,

Today I heard my Mommy squeal with delight when she opened a package that your Mommy sent in the mail. She told me that the box was filled with adorable clothes and shoes that you used to wear, but apparently you have outgrown them. They must feed you well.

That is so nice of you to let me wear them now. Well, not exactly "now" as I haven't been born yet. But I understand that your clothes have already been washed in Dreft (whatever that is) and ironed and hung in my closet.

My Mommy tells me that you are a really cute girl and that your Mommy has great taste in clothes. Lucky me!

She also tells me that the outfits are in many different sizes so I'll get to wear "Lilly clothes" for a long time to come. Cool!

A big THANK YOU to you and your Mommy for the handmedowns! I'm sure Mommy will send you pictures.

Give your big brother Mikey a big kiss from us. I look forward to the day when I'll get to meet your family. I'm sure we'll be fast friends!

Love,

Baby Carly

Will Baby Carly be an Aires or a Taurus???

I just posted a poll to guess what Baby Carly's sign will be ... Aires or Taurus. If you want to make your guess known and share your theory with everyone then feel free to post a comment to this blog entry with your name.

Be sure to read about today's doctor's appointment before making your guess. I have been telling people that my doctors felt I was likely to go between weeks #35 and #37, but now they seem more optimistic that I'll go at least until week #37.

For anyone who wants more scientific data to calculate your answer, on 2/12 my cervix was 5.4 centimeters long and was sealed "tight as a drum." My due date is 4/29. The cervical cerclage (internal stitches) will be taken out at week #37, which would be approximately 4/8.

Click on the following link to read the highlights of the characteristics of each sign...

http://www.pixieplots.co.nz/zodiac-traits.php

Celebrity Aireses include Diana Ross, Elton John and Timothy Dalton.

Celebrity Tauruses include Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand and Queen Elizabeth.

Had To Face The Scale Today ...

Today I had a routine checkup with Dr. C, which meant that I had to get on that *@#! scale of his!

I was afraid ... very afraid. After all, I've had at least one piece of yellow cake every day since my shower.

Much to my pleasant surprise the scale was my friend now for 2 appointments in a row! In the past 2 weeks I've gained only 2 1/2 more pounds, putting my total weight gain at 34 1/2 pounds. That's 4 weeks now of reasonable weight gain. Woo hoo! I celebrated with a skinny cow.

And speaking of skinny ... my doctor flattered me today with a 5-word phrase that sent me out the door with a smile. Those 5 words were "because you are so thin." The context? As I was laying on my back with my belly exposed he told me that he could see the position of the baby "because you are so thin." Dr. C certainly has a way with pregnant women.

So the position ... Baby Carly is now head down. Of course there is a chance that she could have already moved from this position, but I'm hoping that at some point she gets stuck in my smaller than average uterus in a head down position so that I don't have to have a scheduled c-section.

Everything with the appointment today went really well and Dr. C is more optimistic than ever that I will make it to week #37 or beyond. Just a couple of appointments ago he said "I just want to make sure we get you to week #35.

Next Tuesday marks week #31. Hard to believe that pretty soon Baby Carly is going to make her way out into the world. I'm going to make sure that "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" is on the birthing playlist.

My next checkup with Dr. C is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4.

I've Always Wanted To Have A Baby Shower!!!

On Saturday, Feb. 16 Anita and Silvia threw me (and Baby Carly) a baby shower at my home in Fort Lauderdale.

I have always wanted to have a baby shower, but you have to actually have a baby to get one.

My day had finally come and Anita and Silvia threw me the shower of my dreams. Everything was perfect and wonderful and awesome and very much appreciated!!!

The weather was perfect and most of the shower took place in my back yard. I was really excited about having the shower at my house so that I could give tours of Baby Carly's finished nursery.

Thanks very much to everyone who was there to make this day so special for me. There were about 16 people there, including both my Mom, and Storm's Mom, who flew in from New Jersey.

Here is a link to the photos I've received from Anita, Silvia & Storm's Mom. If you have any trouble getting to the pictures from this link just let me know and I'll email you a private invitation to view them.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=pd7ndcz.5m60dhs7&x=1&y=ydk9wj

I feel so lucky to have the love and support of such wonderful family and friends. I will cherish the memories of my baby shower forever!

Welcome Message to Sally and Sam CdeBaca

Dear Sally and Sam,

Welcome to the world!!! (I'm not sure I'm actually qualified to say this, since I myself am still in the womb, but whatever.)

My Mommy tells me that you were both born on Feb. 13 in South Carolina (wherever that is) and that you are twins. I didn't know what "twins" are, but Mommy explained that's when 2 babies have to share a womb.

I looked around and there's no one else here in my womb, so I must not be a twin. (I think I just heard Mommy sigh in relief.) I can't imagine how crowded it must have been in there for you guys. I guess this means that you two will be "close" your whole lives. That's cool!

Mommy said that you are both healthy and cute and lucky that you were born to great parents! Congratulations on scoring Amy (DeMasi) and Billy CdeBaca to take care of you. I hear they are great people and that you'll be loved and adored and will want for nothing. As it should be!

I'll probably come out in about 6-8 weeks. Let me know if you have any tips for how to maneuver through the birth channel. I really want my birth to be as quick as possible so that my Mommy doesn't have to hurt for too long.

When I get here we'll be close in age, so I hope we get to meet someday because I'm sure that we'll be fast friends. I understand that we have some other future friends coming along soon after me. Baby Ella is scheduled to be born to Jennifer (Lee) and Stuart Hall in May, and Baby Tori is scheduled to be born to Kristi (Whitt) and Kenny Vega in June. Let's all get together some day and have a party and make a big mess and a lot of noise!

Congratulations again on your "birth" day, and be good babies for your new parents. Make sure they get a little sleep every now and then.

Love,

Baby Carly

Baby Carly Growing Fast! She Now Weighs 3 Pounds, 3 Ounces.

I had a scheduled checkup with the specialist Dr. R today and he said that everything looks great with both baby and cervix!

No changes in my cervix from 4 weeks ago, and in this case status quo is the best possible news.

Baby Carly has changed quite a bit in a very positive way! 4 weeks ago she weighed 1 pound 13 ounces, and today she weighs 3 pounds 3 ounces!

Dr. R said that she's not on track to become a "giant baby" but that her growth rate is accelerated above average. A development percentage of 50% is average and she was 64%. I'm not telling you this to be a premature "bragging mommy". I'm just reporting the medical facts of the case.

Anyway, Dr. R said the fact that she is growing this fast is good news because of the likelihood of an early arrival.

Baby Carly was sitting upright in a breach position today with her legs once again crossed. The above sonogram picture is a bit tricky to make out, but basically you can see her face sideways and she has one of her hands pressed to her right (lower) cheek.

My next checkup with Dr. R is scheduled for March 12.

Gestational Diabetes Test Results

Dr. C called today to give me the results of the gestational diabetes test that they gave me on Friday.

He said, "Jen, your glucose is better than mine!"

I celebrated by ordering a piece of chocolate peanut butter cookie dough cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory this evening. It was YUMMY and I ate nearly the whole thing.

For the rest of the week I'm not going to eat anything worse than a Snackwells cookie.

Anyway, gestational diabetes is an interesting phenomenon when woman who have never had diabetes before, or who wouldn't normally be at risk, have high blood sugar. They they think is a result of the hormones from the placenta blocking the action of the insulin impacting the mother's body's ability to regulate the glucose levels.

4% of pregnant women get gestational diabetes. Thankfully, I'm not one of them. I'm in enough low percentage categories, thank you very much.

Baby Carly's First Handmedowns = My First Baby Clothes Laundry!!!

CHECK IT OUT!!! Baby Carly scored BIG today with her first batch of handmedown clothes, compliments of my friend Lori who used to work at GSK.

There was about 15-16 outfits in the bag, most of which are 3 months with a few 6-9 months. There is not a single stain or tear or mark on any of these clothes, and the outfits are adorable!!!

As you can see from the top picture, there's even a onesie with a giraffe on it. Baby Carly's Mom has turned into quite the giraffe freak. And there are 2 outfits with little monkeys, which is Storm's favorite. Couldn't be any more perfect.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO LORI!!! (She's also the one who got me the free crib and glider that you see in the nursery pictures.)

I've already washed these clothes in Dreft (Mary ... thank you for telling me that you shouldn't wash baby clothes in regular detergent!) and ironed them (yes, really) and hung them in Baby Carly's closet. Definitely the highlight of the day.

A Week Of Baby Classes

This week I went to Plantation General Hospital for 4 baby classes.

1) Baby Care Basics (feeding, bathing, diapering ... basically your Baby 101)

2) Breastfeeding

3) Baby CPR

4) The Happiest Baby On The Block!

I took pages and pages and pages of notes because I want to get it all right for Baby Carly. Here are some of the interesting tidbits that I learned.

-- Babies don't cry much in the first week. It kicks in strong at week 2 and peaks around week 6.

-- If you play a couple of songs over and over for the baby before birth they will recognize and be comforted by these songs after they are born. Can you say playlist!?!? I've selected 3 Carly Simon songs that I'm now going to play for the belly every day for the rest of my pregnancy, which are "Tranquillo", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Hush Little Baby."

-- Babies lose weight when you first take them home (hopefully moms do too) and return to their birth weight around 10-14 days.

-- Use a toothbrush to wash their hair.

-- Wine in moderation while breastfeeding is fine. Really!?!?! I made the teacher repeat this one. She said yes it is A-OK to have an occasional glass of wine while breastfeeding. That is very good news!!! I hope Baby Carly likes red.

-- If babies are breastfed their poop doesn't stink. Talk about incentive!

-- The Baby CPR procedures were changed in 2005 for the first time in 40 years.

-- I learned the 5 S's of baby comforting which include swaddling (to mimic the womb environment which they are used to), the side position (their "feel-good position"), shushing, swinging and sucking. They gave me a 2-hour DVD on all of the above that they said I should watch 6 times before Baby Carly gets here.

So I'm all done with my baby classes. Now I have about 2-3 months to study for my final exam!!! I hope Baby Carly will give me an A+.

Today The Scale Was My Friend!!!

As I was leaving my appointment with Dr. C today I felt like I was as fabulous and glowing as the pregnant woman above. Why? Because I've only gained 4 more pounds in the past 3 weeks!!! This is good news when you go 12 weeks in a row of gaining an average of 2 pounds a week.

My total weight gain is now at 32 pounds. I do miss running and Beach Boot Camp.

They test all pregnant woman around 28 weeks for gestational diabetes, so I had that test today which involved drinking a really sweet drink and then having blood drawn an hour later. I'll get the results of that test on Monday afternoon.

I didn't ask how many calories were in that drink. I wonder why I couldn't have just eaten a half pint of Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream instead???

Also because my blood type is RH negative I had to get an injection of RH immunoglobulin today, which prevents my body from developing antibodies that could attack Baby Carly's blood. If she is born with RH positive blood (Storm's blood type) then I'll get another one of these shots soon after I give birth.

Since I'm now in my third trimester I start seeing Dr. C every 2 weeks now. My next checkup with him is scheduled for 2/22.

7-Month Belly Shot

I'm 28 weeks pregnant this week, which officially marks the beginning of the third trimester!

I personally don't see much of a difference between my 6-month and 7 month belly shots. Do you?

My photographer paid me a compliment during our photo shoot. He said, "I don't think your butt has gotten any bigger since last month!" May not sound like a compliment to you, but it was music to my ears!

I guess we'll find out for sure when I step on Dr. C's scale on Friday. I don't weigh myself in between doctor's appointments, so I have no idea what to expect.

I'm going to put the over/under at 5 lbs. I have tried very hard in the past 3 weeks to be good. If I've gained 4 lbs. or less then I'll be happy. If I've gained 5 lbs. or more then I'm going to throw in the towel and drive to the nearest Krispy Kreme and eat a donut.

Baby Carly's Nursery Is Ready For Her!!!

As you can see from the pictures above, Baby Carly's nursery is all ready for her!!! As you can also see, Mandy thinks I bought that rug for her. She loves to hang out in the nursery.

It was my goal to have the nursery ready before I went into my third trimester, just in case my bed rest is upgraded to code red and/or Baby Carly arrives ahead of schedule. As of today my pregnancy countdown clock (just like those Y2K countdown clocks ... remember those?) shows exactly 90 days until my due date, so I made my self-imposed deadline.

Actually, I should say that WE made the deadline, because I certainly couldn't have done it without a lot of help from Storm and my Mom and Dad!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!

And thanks as well to my friend Lori, who used to work at GSK, who is the one who scored the free crib and glider for me. How cool is that?!?!?

Plantation General Hospital Tour

Tonight my Mom and I went on a tour of the Labor & Delivery Dept. at Plantation General Hospital, where Baby Carly will be born.

PGH is exactly 4.65 miles from my house and it is a "level 3" hospital for babies, which means that type of infant emergency would be handled there. Babies born here do not have to be flown to other hospitals ... this is where they fly the babies that need emergency care.

It was nice to have a delivery nurse answer all my burning questions...

1. Do the delivery rooms have stereos/speakers set up for MP3 players? - The answer was no. They have CD players but they are not MP3 compatible, so you have to bring your own iPod speakers. An experienced mother at this point made the comment "the last thing you are going to want to do is change the music on your iPod between contractions." Well, duh! That's why I'm going to create a birthing playlist in advance.

2. If I'm in labor for a long time, can I order room service? - The answer was no. They suggested eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the car on the way over.

3. Can I use my cell phone in the delivery room to call all my friends to proudly announce "This is my moment! This is my miracle!" - Once again, the answer was no. No?!?!? I was really expecting a yes on this one ... I can't believe they won't let you use cell phones from the delivery rooms!

Strike 3. Oh, well. At least now I know what the delivery rooms look like and exactly what they are going to do to Baby Carly after they take her away after the initial hour of mommy and baby bonding time.

I also saw Dr. C today and I have gained 28 pounds. With 3 months still to go. Eeek gads!

Dr. C told me not to worry because he says I'm not allowed to do any of the activities that burn calories. Easy for him to say. He's not the one who's going to have to lose all this weight!

I am proud to announce that I resisted the free cookies and juice that were offered at the hospital as part of our maternity tour.

Dr. R. is "Super Pleased" - Baby Carly Yawns

The top picture of Baby Carly's profile at her ultrasound photo shoot today at Dr. R.'s office. The bottom one shows her mouth open while yawning. We caught her yawning about 3 times and it was super cute!

Dr. R. said he was "super pleased" about how my cervix looks 2 months after the cerclage surgery. The cerclage is still very tight in place, but even better is the fact that the walls of my cervix on the internal side of the cerlage are tightly pressed together. 2 months ago there was a visible gap with fluid inside so this is a huge improvement.

In simple terms, the cerclage isn't having to work too hard at this point to keep Baby Carly in.

Dr. R. attributes my activity level (or lack thereof) as a major contributor to this progress. It was nice to hear that all of my sitting around on my ass is working!

What was also nice to hear is that I'm not the only one in this body gaining weight. Today Baby Carly weighs approx. 1 lb 13 oz., compared to just 15 oz. a month ago.

She is also in the 54% percentile, which I'm told means that her body measurements, weight, etc. are 4% above average. That sounds good ... a little bit above average, but not too much. We want her to be a healthy size, but not necessarily massive, for obvious reasons.

They did comment that her legs look long suggesting that she will be tall, just like both her parents.

My next appointment with Dr. R. is scheduled for Feb. 12.

Tomorrow, I have to go see Dr. C. and step on that @*&! scale of his.

6-Month Belly Shot

All I can say is I'm not looking forward to stepping on Dr. C's scale in 2 days. My legs are in desperate need of some exercise that has to wait at least 3 1/2 - 4 more months.

After Baby Carly is born I'm going to rename this blog "Think I just had a baby" and I'm going to put up a series of photos of me shrinking back into my size 6 pants!!!