Interesting Collaboration

Non-baby post:

A few weeks ago while flipping through channels, I landed on Country Music Television (CMT) and a show called Crossroads which pairs musical acts from different genres together so they can play songs from each others' albums. It's the musical equivalent of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, where two flavors are mixed. A very cool concept. The first one I ever saw was Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers and I have to admit it was great (yes, I'm old and like both artists.)

More recently I found this grouping, which was surprisingly also musically delicious:

Skinny B*tch

In the past, whenever Helen mentioned the name of, or saw a particularly svelte woman - be they celebrities, strangers on the street or even friends, she would say 'Skinny b*tch. I hate her!' in jest (I think.)

I bring this up because as we near Norby's due date, Helen hasn't really gained that much weight. This comes as a surprise since when she was first pregnant, she was eating so much that I thought she was training to beat Kobayashi at the 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island.



Since then, though? Barely any additional poundage on her tiny frame. Granted, she got sick for a bit and also has had to watch her diet because of the gestational diabetes, but the fact that she's stayed as skinny as she has while keeping the baby healthy is something about which I think she's pretty happy. Another thing that probably makes her happy: now she's the one people call a skinny b*tch (with a bun in the oven.)

Humble Pie

I was taught to be humble when right and to admit when I am wrong (good rules to live by as a husband.) So far, when it comes to third trimester troubles, I have been totally off base. My bad, Honey.

Everyone told me when Helen was in her final three months of pregnancy, it was going to get ugly - worse than the first trimester. I expected, high-pitched screaming, mood swings and uncontrollable sobbing. I also thought Helen might be a bit moody, too.

So far though, she's been great. Of course, now I've jinxed it and tomorrow she's going to go off on me like Chris Farley in this clip (this is for you, Karen):

Is There An 'E?'

The name of our baby girl has become a source of interest among a few of our friends. If you've been following this blog from the beginning you know that Norby, which is a derivative of 'Norbit,' is the nickname we've given our daughter so we don't have to call her 'she,' 'it' or 'baby' all the time.

We've decided to keep the real name under wraps until she is born for a variety of reasons, which has spawned requests from friends asking Helen for hints, the first initial (which Helen has told to a few people) and even resorting to trickery to find out our little Winglette's name...

The other day, our friend Charles said to me, 'Hmmm...that's a really interesting name for a girl. How'd you come up with it?' I hesitated and in my mind wondered 1) If I had slipped up and told him but forgot or 2) If Helen had told him but neglected to tell me she had. Playing it safe, I stayed silent and waited for him to say the name - but he never did. It turns out he didn't know it and was just baiting me to see if I'd say it for him so. Sneaky!

The funny thing is, after calling her Norby for so long, I have a feeling I've outsmarted myself and will continue to call her that even after she is born and has her REAL name of...

Baby Shower #2

Helen's parents' place was the site of Norby's second baby shower. The turnout was impressive, the food was delicious and the presents people got Norby were extravagant. Thanks to all who attended and special thanks to those who helped set it all up (Michelle, Christine, Yuni, Helen's folks, Helen, etc.)

What's been funny is that at both baby showers we've had, Helen has either alluded to or straight-out said, 'I can't wait to see the presents people got ME!' When I've tried to correct her and say the presents are actually for our baby, she tells me I'm wrong. I just shake my head and laugh.

I suppose that's the least one can allow a pregnant woman - to let them believe these 'parties' are for them (not the baby) and have friends and family fawn all over them for the day. It's probably like a birthday or wedding. And if Helen is 1/10th of the attention seeker I am, then I know she's loving it.

Back to School

It's been a few years since I've been in a classroom, but I went back recently for the hospital's 'baby safety 101' class. Helen and I got to play with a pretend baby and learned some useful stuff like how to administer CPR to an infant. I especially liked the role-playing part, where we asked if the fake baby was OK...to the fake baby.

The three hours flew by and I took notes like a madman, scribbling like a nerd in a high school mathematics class. But it was worth it, in the 1% chance we'll ever have to try and save Norby's life.

BTW, the part where we spoke to the baby ("Baby, are you OK?") kinda reminded me of this classic Dave Chapelle routine where he also speaks to a baby (warning: graphic language)

Great Expectations

In a recent post I wrote about the 'guide to fatherhood' book Tricia bought for me. The one takeaway I got from it so far is that it is a common mistake for new dads to think their baby will look beautiful (and clean) once they are born, when in reality the newborn will be slimy, splotchy, bruised, have a conehead, and basically look more like an alien that's been in a minor fender-bender than a human being.



I blame Hollywood for this. The book says new dads are accustomed to seeing these perfect babies come out all pristine, awake, smiling and cooing on the big screen, but that those kids in the movies are actually about four months old.

Armed with this knowledge, I will try my best to temper expectations in the delivery room, so as not to be shocked when I meet Norby for the first time.

Off topic: I have a coworker, Jordan, who I think kind of looks like Ethan Hawke, the actor in the movie poster above. When I told Helen, she asked 'Pre-Uma Ethan or Post-Uma Ethan?' Uh, I am not really sure what the difference is(?) Regardless, she now wants to come into the office to meet him.

Fatherly Participation

There is no doubt that I will be in the delivery room with my beautiful wife when the miracle of birth is happening. The question is, how involved should I be?

I already know I will not be toting a video camera or a point-and-shoot in the room. In important moments like these I usually try not to get in the way or break anything so I suppose I could go that route and just stand in the corner. But I have a feeling Helen might want me to be close by, if for no other reason than to yell at me and tell me how I did this to her. :)

One thing we've discussed is how I should probably not go 'south of the border' when Norby is coming out. I have read it can be traumatic for a husband/dad to witness this, for obvious reasons. I mean, how can you compete with an eight pound baby?

(Go to 2:18 of the clip above. It's funny.)

Required Reading

Not long ago, Tricia gave me a great book about fatherhood and how to prepare for it. It had all sorts of useful advice, which I've skimmed over.

Helen sometimes gets mad at me for not reading baby books in their entirety like she does but my rationale is, 'Why read about what to do for your six-month old, when she's not even here yet?'

Everyone says that no matter how prepared we try to get or think we are, we will ultimately be unprepared when Norby pops out. So my plan is to not overthink it, relax the entire rest of the pregnancy then panic once the baby is here and let Helen do all the work. (j/k)

Why Not Us?

In an earlier post I talked about our baby's sports allegiance and mentioned that we plan on raising Norby a Red Sox fan (along with all the other Boston sports teams.)

Prior to 2004 that might have been considered punishment - but on this very night six years ago, everything changed...

Bumpless

Helen and I went to a fundraising dinner the other night where we ran into a friend who is also due around the same time as Helen. Amazingly, even though the woman was also eight months pregnant the mom didn't look it in the least bit.

It was striking how different her belly looked compared to Helen's. My wife surmised that this woman didn't even have to wear maternity clothes!

We chatted for a while and found out she didn't really gain much weight for her first child either (this is #2 for her) so perhaps she is just a freak of nature. While I think Helen might have felt a slight bit of envy that the other mom looked so skinny, I also believe my wife enjoys being able to proudly display her roundness for the world to see and likes putting her hands on her belly to feel Norby kick. I mean, with all due respect to the other mother, isn't this what being pregnant is all about? Showing off the bump and being the center of attention?

Weird Dreams

Recently both Helen and I have had some weird dreams. Not sure if it has anything to do with the pregnancy or anxiety/excitement over our impending parenthood, but we've both woken up telling the other person they've been mumbling in their sleep. Then laughing at them.

Thankfully, neither of us has dreamed of the two Coreys, though my horror movie-Michael Scott 'Law and Order' monologue-dead Anne Hathaway nightmare was equally disturbing.

Are funky dreams pretty common for new parents as a baby approaches?

Fingers Crossed for Friends

Belated good luck wishes to our friends J&J, who have a baby boy due in Nov. Ji, the mom, was told that certain complications have forced her to go on bed rest. From all indications their son is safe and both he and she will be fine, but it's still a little unsettling, I imagine.

Things like this always scare me because it shows how thing are often beyond your control when it comes to your unborn child.

The good news for her is, no working, Korean videos daily and ample time to hang out with the female members of The Unusual Suspects. Perhaps you gals can use the time to practice your board game skills. Burn!

Week 32

Hard to believe we are less than two months away from having a baby. According to the websites I've been reading, our baby girl is now close to four pounds and has finger and toenails. Helen recently went to a doctor's appointment and got another ultrasound. The tech said it was hard to get a good (cute) shot of Norby because she was either yawning, had her fingers in her mouth or was moving around too much. The tech did get a 3-D shot of the baby, but it wasn't very flattering (to say the least) so I'll spare you the image.

I still think our baby is perfect and will be the cutest thing ever, but have to admit the 3-D photo made her look a little like Fezzik from The Princess Bride. 'Anybody want a peanut?'

TMI?

Without getting into too much detail, and not that you asked, but you know what they say about pregnant women being gassier than usual? It's true. That is all.

Fight or Flight?

We are now at week 30, which means we're about two months away (or less) from Norby's arrival. It also means that the second trimester is a distant memory and that as we labor (pun intended) toward the home stretch, Helen's mood may be changing for the worse.

I completely understand the idea of wanting the baby out of your body after having it in there so long. I also can appreciate how much it must suck to waddle instead of walk, be told by older Asian women that you're so big they thought you'd be delivering any day now (true story) or have hip and back pain so bad it hurts to move even the slightest bit.

On the flip side, I am fighting the urge to do what comes naturally when I see danger coming - running away and ducking for cover. Just like the first trimester, when Helen was moody, I have been anticipating her wrath touching down on me like the eye of a hurricane. So far though, it hasn't really happened, bless her heart. And maybe it won't. Still, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the other room, just in case.

Misbehaving Cat

Our cat Jasmine definitely can tell something's up re: the pregnancy. Recently she's been tearing up our carpet and attacking Helen when she tries to pet her. It is completely our of character as Jasmine usually pretty chill.

We went to the pet store and the dude there told us that cats can tell when things change and sold us some plug-in that is supposed to calm her down and make her feel better. Sort of like cat pot, I guess. I just hope Jazzers doesn't get the munchies and eat all my veggie chips.

*Cat in photo is not our cat, just a funny photo of a feline.

Birthday Weekend

Just enjoyed a great birthday weekend, complete with a nice card and gift from my parents, DVDs from my sister, a baby book from Tricia, a great homemade meal and card/gift from my in-laws and a wonderful dinner out and a sweater from Helen.

As I get another year older and hopefully wiser, I am happy to say the best present of all is knowing that in a few short months our family will grow by one. However that happened...

MacGyver Would Be Proud

Had to share this cute photo I found online. Can't wait til Norby is old enough so I can duct tape her to the wall and snap a photo like this! Just kidding.

Photo courtesty of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwlphotography/

Gestational Diabetes

We recently found out the bad news that Helen has gestational diabetes. Basically that means that her pregnant body isn't able to break down the sugar that enters her system, which of course can be dangerous for the baby (and Helen.)

To combat the problem, she is seeing a nutritionist, has to test her blood sugar levels after every meal and change her diet a bit. If her levels are too high, she'll have to inject insulin into her body every day until the baby is born.

What is particularly frustrating is the fact that we thought Helen had been eating pretty well recently - avoiding sweets and loading up on grains, fresh fruits, milk, etc. Apparently though, those foods are the worst things to eat, at least when it comes to diabetes (since the carbs all turn into sugar.)

If this only meant Norby was going to be a little chubby when she was young we could live with that, but it also means she might be over-producing insulin to fight the sugar levels, which could become a problem once she's born.

While it's not too late to take action it is hard to do so on the spur of the moment. To help, I've told Helen I'll eat what she eats, because I think we both want to make sure our baby is as healthy as can be, and don't want her starting out in life with a problem like childhood diabetes.

UPDATE: Helen met the nutritionist again and she told Helen that she would not need to inject insulin! Woo-hoo!