Make Room for Baby

It took some time but we finally finished the baby's room! The old "TV" room has now been transformed and includes all the essentials -crib, changing table, rocking chair and book case. Baby's clothes are arranged neatly in the closet for now. It's hard to believe that he's almost here and that if he came today we would be ready (well, the room would be). The room's theme is airplanes. We decided to let Dominic own the sports theme a while longer.

What's in a name?

After careful consideration, debate, and negotiation, we finally decided on a name for baby Harper. It's an exotic, meaningful combination of our names - Sean Pierre!

Sean comes from the Irish orgin and means gift from God. Pierre comes from the French orgin and means rock.

The Short "Version"

It's time...our bags are packed and we are prepared for anything that might happen today. We have a morning appointment, so hopefully it won't be too long before Shauna can eat again. Let's make this short and sweet - no version necessary. The baby was fully head down - ready to make his way into the world! We did have a chance to see him again. We also re-confirmed that its a BOY! The doctor doesn't expect him to make anymore turns so we should be clear from having a "version." You may have guessed our first stop after we left the hospital - yup, FOOD...the Hickory Pit right across the street.

Appointment #9 - 37 Weeks

Ok...we are feeling more ready for baby as each week passes. During our 37 week appointment the nurse performed another ultrasound to check the baby's position...again. Much to our surprise baby Harper has turned on his own! He is just about head down, but because he is a little slanted, the nurse recommends that we keep our Friday appointment for the "version" procedure (which will take place at Walnut Creek). We forgot to mention in our last post that the procedure runs the risk of sending Shauna into labor. Therefore, I cannot eat or drink after midnight...just in case. Funny how you don't think about food that often unless you are prohibited from eating...

At 37 weeks the baby...

- Could literally come at any time now
- Weighs over 6 lbs.
- Measures over 19 inches

Appointment #8 - 36 Weeks

With only 4 more weeks left to go (cross your fingers its not longer), we are now having doctor's appointments every week. This will probably make the time go by even faster. For our 36 week appointment the nurse performed an ultrasound to determine the position of the baby. Turns out he's transverse (laying sideways). According to the nurse, it is routine to schedule an appointment to have the baby turned. Yikes! This is called an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying they will try to coax the baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of the belly. So unless baby Harper decides to turn on his own, Shauna will experience, what sounds like, an unpleasant procedure next week.

At 36 weeks the baby...

- Weighs almost 6 pounds
- Measures almost 19 inches long
- Has shed most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body
- Will be considered full term at the end of this week

Hospital Tours

In August and September we took hospital tours of both the Oakland and Walnut Creek Kaiser Labor and Delivery facilities. We have primarily been going to Oakland for prenatal care. Both hospitals offered what we needed. The main differences being that Walnut Creek was a little more modern, offered a birthing tub for water births, and most deliveries are done by midwives. In the end, we are choosing to deliver at Walnut Creek. We like the environment, staff, rooms, etc. Not to mention that its around the corner from the Cheesecake Factory (where Pierre will be going to get Shauna a very nice meal after delivery). However, if Shauna happens to be in Oakland when the big day comes, we may just have to adjust our plans :)

Baby Shower BBQ - Thank you for coming!

Thank you to all the family and friends that came out to make our baby shower special! We were happy and excited to see everyone and appreciate all the love, support, and kind gifts for baby Harper! We are looking forward to sharing many more exciting moments with all of you.