Time for serious preparations

We are at t minus 2.5 weeks until Peanut's c-section. Classes are over, grading is done, and my remaining administrative tasks (associated with professional connections, not school) are only filling a part-time slot in my life right now. My semester-long sabbatical has officially begun.

Finally it is time to enter into Babyland!

We are well outfitted for Peanut's arrival already, but everything is in disarray, and we really need to do an inventory to see what we are missing. We have begun to tackle the nursery, which had become random storage. We removed everything and cleaned it thoroughly. Lizz's fabulous murals are in good shape, so all we needed to do was gently clean the walls. Furniture-wise, we added a couple of storage pieces to what we already had, so that we could accommodate cloth diapers and diapering supplies, toys, and some clothing.





Both of our carseats are hand-me-downs; one is new enough that we can still use it, but the other one may be past the safe six-year mark. Earlier this week we pulled the seats apart to clean them. And of course when any soft, ergonomic surface appears on the floor, guess who has to give it a try...

The home stretch (35 weeks)

I would never have imagined such a smooth pregnancy for Peanut; every week she aces her biophysical exam, looks fabulous on the ultrasound, and impresses Sue (the ultrasound tech) and Dr. Baer. The polyhydramnious has subsided. Last week Sue announced that Peanut was head down and had dropped. This latter fact does not have any bearing on Peanut's delivery, as our little one will be arriving via trapdoor; however, it is reassuring.

On the other hand, this has been a difficult pregnancy for me physically. The hiatal hernia makes me feel like I have been punched in the stomach all the time, so I am out of breath and almost never hungry. There is also the usual pregnancy stuff: sore hips, acid reflux, sleeplessness, and other common things that I won't mention. Every week I say to Dr. Baer, "She looks done enough to me--let's get her out". And he laughs.

We bought a fetal heart monitor (not a Doppler or an ultrasound, just an amplifier), because the days when Peanut does not move much throw me into anxious fits. It was around this time with Liam that my blood pressure started to really spike, my body started to swell, and my former OB started to talk about inducing labor. I recall that time as my "naive period", when I could have done something to save Liam if I had known what was to transpire. And guess what: my feet have officially started swelling. I think it is time to break out Jon's blood pressure cuff and stethoscope.

A new cousin for Peanut

My sister Lisa and I discovered we were pregnant about eight weeks apart from each other...and both of us with a girl. As you can probably imagine, Grandpa and Grandma Larsen are beside themselves with excitement at the prospect of having TWO new grandchildren at once.

Faith Randall Carlson entered the world in the early afternoon of April 28, 2009. She weighed an impressive 8 lbs., 11 oz. She is a miracle in and of herself, because she was conceived when her father Kevin was in kidney failure and waiting for a donor kidney. Her middle name, Randall, is an homage to Kevin's brother Randy, who provided Kevin with one of his kidneys last December.

Faith with Lisa, settled in for a Mother's Day nap.

Faith and Kevin sharing a moment together at home.

Welcome, Faith! We hope to introduce you to your new playmate in five weeks...or sooner.