July 29, 2008
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At my appointment yesterday, our midwife decided that the Bambino and I needed another ultrasound. In spite of the reason for her recommendation (I was measuring smaller than a previous visit), I can’t say I was disappointed with another chance to see in there!! Just that morning I’d been lamenting how I wouldn’t have any more. Someone was listening!
All test results are great; BTB is measuring about 4lbs, 4oz which is 61st percentile. Another test we did confirms that I’m NOT at increased risk of pre-term labor so all is well in the world again. 
The first picture is our BTB’s whole leg!
The second picture is a 3D image of just the face. By now you can probably tell what’s what, so I’ll leave off the labels!
July 29, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged Pictures of John
At the risk of baby-info overload, we attended a “prepared childbirth” class last weekend. Thinking it would be redundant after 15 hours in Hypno-birthing classes, we were both cranky leaving home at 8:30am on a Saturday (especially as John had gotten home at 12:45am after “guys night out” and a 90 minute traffic jam on his return). We consoled ourselves saying we didn’t have to go back for the second day if it sucked.
At first things seemed potentially lame. Arriving at the Harvard Vanguard center in Wellesley, we immediately saw a gaggle of very pregnant couples loitering outside the locked doors. Great, it appeared they were going to make all us preggos wait! Didn’t they know it could be dangerous to deny a bathroom to a woman in her third trimester? Lame.
Right off the bat, this class had a very different vibe than our Hypnobirthing class. Our Instructor seemed nice enough in the expected sort of way a lot of people involved in women’s health seem to be. That actually raised my hopes somewhat, as we wanted more than just a “Preparing for Epidural” class as we’d been warned this might be. As each of the 10 couples dryly introduced themselves, things didn’t seem to get better. That is until, as I announced my name & our Due Date, the very first couple completely lost it to the giggles! Gasping, the woman could barely spit out that she’d stated her husband’s birthday (Nov. 3, for the record), instead of their Due Date! They were both laughing so hard each in turn literally had to leave the room almost in tears. Thank goodness for those wonderful people breaking the ice! And good thing she said something too, as we were thinking she was pretty good size for having that long to go… . It was such a fantastic group distraction it was even OK John never got to introduce himself after the hilarity.
The BEST part however, came when Julie Brill (our actually quite excellent instructor), pulled out the “Empathy Belly”. Originally invented so teenage girls could experience the discomforts of child-bearing BEFORE getting knocked up (presumably lessening the odds they’d forget their pills), the Empathy Belly is now mainly used as an excuse for very pregnant ladies to tell their husbands to sit, stand, roll-over and beg to have the 35 pound, breath restricting, bladder squishing monstrosity removed. It is a satisfying experience – until your husband says “This would be a great leg work-out, I could wear it for a week!”.
Since John’s such a tough guy, we hope you’ll enjoy these pictures of his turn wearing the Empathy Belly!
Thanks to Julie and all the REALLY NICE COUPLES in the class because we actually did go back the second day, had a good time and learned a lot.
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Breath Constriction Device. Do people do this for fun?
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John is the Champion of the Empathy Belly!
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There’s a 5 lb wieght going under there to squish John’s bladder – or in his case other things.
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Julie making final adjustments.
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All done!
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Trying out the Birthing Ball
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Can he feel anything?
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Would someone tell that chic horizontal stripes make one look wider?
July 29, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized
This is a bit out of sequence, but I want to thank our great friend and photographer Stephanie Olsen, for helping us document our growth! Steph has graciously photographed us almost every 3 weeks since week 14. It’s amazing to look back and see how far we’ve come & how much has changed (like adding 8 more chins- who knew THAT was possible!). We’ll post the whole series soon enough, but for those of you who haven’t seen us recently, here’s how we look:
July 29, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized
I, John & our BTB want to extend special thanks to Maxine Lichterman for helping us purchase a car seat & stroller!
Maxine was a close friend of my father’s in Chicago where they taught drama together in the 1960’s. My mom and Maxine have kept in touch since my father’s passing in 2002. What makes Maxine’s gift so sweet and amazing is that we have not yet had the opportunity to meet! Her generosity goes above and beyond the gift of our car seat. Reading the letter she sent about how much she respected and was mentored by my father brought tears to my eyes and is a truly irreplaceable experience.
To Maxine – we look forward to introducing you to our baby, who will now arrive in great safety & comfort to meet you! MUCH LOVE, Ellen, John & the Bambino
Bambino's Carseat
July 25, 2008
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There are lots of things we can use aside from stuff on our registry, like frozen meals for when we’re back from the hospital, cleaning, baby sitting, books for the Kirbambino, etc. etc. However, for those of you who wish (and please do not feel obligated!) below is an updated list of where we are registered. Everything should be found by searching the registries under Ellen Rogers.
MyRegistry.com
Babies R Us
Our Green House
July 7, 2008
· Filed under Uncategorized
For those of you who didn’t get our “announcement”, here are the earliest pictures of our Kirbambino.
