28 weeks BB- Auntie Nicole buys out Tuesday Morning

Dear Baby, just over a week ago, Auntie Nicole mentioned that Tuesday Morning had a big sale on baby things.  Well it looks like she bought it all for you! .. and Jakie and Bella (right back).  Auntie asked if she could find out if you are a boy or girl even if we don't want to, and Mummy said "noooooo".. if this is how many clothes you get when we don't know, then we might have to build an add-on to the house if we find out :) Thank you Auntie Nicole, now we can't wait for the chest of drawers to arrive so we can build Baby's closet.

Baby this is the only uptodate photo I have of us.. We went to celebrate cousin Parker's 4th birthday and just watching the three boys made us tired.  Mummy has to add.. that little piece of white showing between shirt and pants is NOT underwear, but the elastic of the prego pants.

28 weeks BB - what the family has been up to

Baby you might be wondering what your doggie-brother and doggie-sister are up to these days.  Well below is Daddy's vegetable garden - sprouting carrots, watermelon, pumpkin and cucumbers.  And who is that trampling all over them?? Yes, that is naughty Jakie, just before Mummy chased him faaaar away.  

Doggie-sister Bella now, she is her happy little self.  Here she is on our Sunday walk, doing what she does best.. rolling on smelly worms.. and yes she earned herself a bath after coming home.

As for daddy, he continues to develop his cooking prowess.. here is his spinach-ricotta cheese pie... with some meatball pieces thrown in... mmmm, Daddy did another one tonight so it's very fresh on Mummy's mind.

28 weeks BB - Doctor's visit + videos

Dear Baby,

well today we went for our 28 week checkup.  Remember at 24 weeks we had gained a total of 20 lbs, and this time... ta-da-da.. not a pound more!  Ok I'm not sure what that means, but like last time, the OB seemed happy and so mummy left happy too.  Mummy showed her how active you were today- you're not the kind of baby that needs an ultrasound, we can see you just like that.. she saw you swimming and playing.. and as is your custom, you made her laugh.  She agrees your bum is upper right and she says it's probably a knee moving around mummy's belly button.  We also listened to your heartbeat and it was about 147.. yea!

Below is a picture of a very sweet drink that mummy had to drink today for a glucose tolerance test.  This is the one thing that has mummy a little nervous, because in the past she's been labelled as "pre-diabetic".  We'll wait and see what the results show.

Mummy just paused to capture a little of your belly action:

This one shows your bum the best. And remember this is you at 10 oclock at night.. what so are you doing in there?

Week 26.5 - 3 year anniversary, Daddy's Tri

Dear Baby, yesterday, July 18th 2012 was three years since your Daddy and Mummy met.  It was a 97 degree day in Houston and we were on a bicycle ride at a farmer's market.  Little did we know, it was hot enough to light a fire!  We are so happy to still love each other, and now to welcome you into our lives.
Here are the anniversary flowers that Daddy bought for Mummy at the Farmer's market this week:

Daddy thinks that in order to keep a younger beautiful wife, he has to stay really fit.. ok maybe he enjoys the exercise as well.  So this past weekend he did his first Triathlon in a few months, and he did great, as always.  Here he is with one of our neighbours, Auntie Laura, who did her first triathlon and also loved it.  Congrats Team Dryden!

Mummy was sooo proud.. and hungry.. when Daddy finished, that she asked him to sneak her a ham and cheese kolache from the athlete-only tent.. yum!

Here's where it went:



Mummy wore this very special shirt today, as Auntie CC brought it back from Bangladesh for us to wear together, and Auntie CC is heading back to Bangladesh today to help lots of mothers there give birth more safely.  We are thinking of you, Auntie C-ster.

Week 26.5 BB - Goodbye Garage appt

Ok Baby, here's the garage appt update.. it's gone!  We are in the throws of preparing for you to come.  The workmen came and tore the old structure down..

Then dug the foundation up..

And now here's the view from the back door.

The backyard as you will know it will be so different, but we'll make it worth your while, so just keep on growing!

Week 26 BB - Garage appt

Dear Baby,
there is a saying.. if you build it, they will come.

You will never know the garage apartment that we had before you came along and so here is a picture for posterity:

Today we said goodbye to the leadpaint, rotted wood and the awning that hits daddy in his head every time he goes in.

Stay tuned for the post-demolition vacant lot.. and then.. the rebuild.

Week 26 BB - Funny questions

Dear Baby,

this past week, our family survived mummy's last week of 24/7 call before you come into the world.

So to celebrate, we're all lying on the couch and Mummy gets to tell you some funny stories from work.

First, the most common reaction when people see us in the hallway is now.. laughter... lol, isn't it nice to know we make so many people smile?

Here is what they ask:

Q: Is it a boy or a girl?
A: We're 100% sure it's either a boy OR a girl.

Q: How can you live with the suspense?
A: What suspense?

Q:How will you know what colour to paint the room?
A: We're not planning to paint the room.

Q: Well, do you have a theme?
A: Yes.. yellow (this is the colour of the walls)..and brown (this is the colour of the crib)

And so it goes.. we have great fun together!

If you've gotten this far in today's blog, here are a few bonus pics from last weekend at Sylvan Beach:

Bella is such a good swimmer!


Human cousin trying to catch up:

Week 25 BB- Lamaze

Dear Baby, at Mummy's last visit with Dr. Bobo, she asked if we'd registered for any of the delivery classes as yet.  Of course, we hadn't.  Sooo, we went online, only to find that classes were booked through September.  Well la-de-dah..  so Mummy put us on every single waiting list from now till September, and lo an behold, a spot opened up this fine Independence Holiday Weekend.  Baby, you'd be pleased to know we have now completed 8 of our 12 hours of Prepared Childbirth class.  What on earth could take 12 hours?  Well I'd say it's a little mix of couple's counselling, lamaze, how to make choices during labour that are right for us three, and what to expect after  you come into this world.  We also get to lie on mats with pillows and balls, and give each other massages :)

Week 24 BB - Doctor's visit, Garden, Sylvan Beach, and Boobie Bag

Doctor's visit:

Baby, can you believe that it's been a month since our last doctor's visit? Well at this Week 24 checkin, you and I weighed in at 124 lbs (you are about 1.25 lbs of this! That means the rest is Mummy!).. we'll count the 124 at week 24 as good karma.. you are growing so well.

Meanwhile, at the side of our house, Daddy has started a vegetable garden.. oww boy, I can't wait to see what we grow.  Remember the composte pile from a few weeks back? Well this is where it will go.. by the time you can eat solids, we'll be feeding you home grown produce.. maybe.

Also this week, we celebrated Daddy (and your) Independence Day!  To celebrate, we took a few days off work and headed to the beach with family and friends.  Here are some fun family photos of the three of us at Sylvan beach.  The water was nice and warm, although a little green.  .

Now, remember just last week we showed you pics of a goodbye lunch for Auntie Cathy?  Well lo and behold, they hightailed it out of Houston this week, heading to Omaha, Nebraska.  But.. before leaving, we got to see Auntie Cathy one last time, and she brought us.. a Boobie Bag!  lol.. here are all the things that will make this time for you and Mummy even more special - a breast feeding apron, a nursing bra, bra pads, breast milk storage bags, nipple cream, and a bottle brush!  Thanks, Auntie Cathy, we'll remember you at all hours of the day and night!

24 Weeks BB - Milestone week

Dear Baby, congratulations! This week is quite a milestone, as from here on, if you surprise us and come early, the doctors will try their best to help you live.. at least here in the US; this varies by country.  We are so happy that you are with us as we walk this fine line between hope and fear.

Sooo, to celebrate Daddy and Mummy went out and bought your crib! 

First a little on our shopping strategy:  

Strategic move #1: We used the Baby Bible (Baby Bargains 101), and got the cheapest one with an A rating.  Well no wait, Mummy decided against Ikea, in the hopes that you have a sibling someday and we need it to last.  

Strategic move #2: We waited until the July 4th weekend.  Happy Birthday America, and Happy Coupon deals to us.

Ok, here it is - it's the espresso colour version of this crib. We hope you like it, and more importantly we hope you SLEEP in it.  We want you to know that both mummy and daddy are very good sleepers so you have big shoes to fill.

And don't think we stopped there.. nooo, we also bought you a dressing station/chest of drawers.  We got the bottom one (double dresser) but in the top colour combo (espresso/tan).  We hope to have this piece when you come home to visit from university, yeeears from now.

And speaking of adult.. don't think we didn't buy something for ourselves.  Technically the glider chair is for you, but I suspect it's also for our sanity.  

And now? Well now we get to head to Target (pron Tar-J) so they can tell us what else we need!  What could a baby possibly need beyond breast milk and cloth diapers? Don't laugh at us, Baby, we're learning..