Tests

* While I won't write "he/she" or any such, I will alternate the pronoun gender for New Baby with each post.

So, it's been pretty good week for L and New Baby. Spots and cramps have continued to lessen in severity and frequency. Each comes back just enough to remind us, but the daily stress has clearly lessened. Exhaustion remains constant, but as long as L just lets me sleep, everything is ok. Just kidding, L still tires really easily, but as long as a nap gets mixed into the day, her energy level is improving as well. This is, of course a problem because she isn't tired enough in early afternoon to nap and she can end up napping in early evening and then being up later into the night than she likes.

Cravings continue to be a source of great fun. New Baby senses clearly that she can affect not only her mother's life, but her father's. Last week L's smoothie craving hit at 8:58. I called Pulp - the closest smoothie place and found out they were closing in 2 minutes, about 18 minutes short of what I needed. Apparently I sounded desperate because the gentleman offered to stay open until we got there.

The biggest dietary news of a new-found favorite is avocado. L does not like avacado. Now, it is her single surest food. New Baby LOVES them. Avacado slices with diced tomatoes and just a touch of salt served with tortilla chips is New's vision of paradise. I assume she dances when it arrives in the womb.

After weeks of being repulsed - actually physically repulsed - by all things creamy, L has now craved Cheese Danish and Cottage Cheese and Pineapples on successive nights. The other big hit of the week has been Banana and Walnut pancakes. These rock, of course, but L's unbridled love of them is surprising given her aversion to sweets right now.

The big news
Next Monday is our next big check-up with the Midwife, and its big feature is the quad check (
The Quad Check Decision).

Previously, L and I have been foursquare against quad screens and amniocentesis. The information received simply isn't valid enough for our tastes.

What's different now?

Turns out, we're older. We have stuff happening, shortly after New Baby arrives J1 has Senior Prom, Turns 18, and graduates. We want to have as clear a picture as early as possible if we should expect to need extra Doctor visits, extra tests, additional concerns. We want that chance to educate ourselves as much as possible. Of course, we are going to plan for everything we can anyway, but more information will be a good thing here. We are going to worry with or without the test, so we get the Quad Screen.

We do not plan on having Amniocentesis performed unless suggested by the Quad Screen. There is a small increase in miscarriage rate for Amniocentesis and we will not take the risk unless we are given clear indication that something should be clarified.

New Baby's Sex?

So, everyone wants to know New Baby's sex. Excepting the silent, "ARE YOU CRAZY?" the question people are most likely to ask me is some form of "Are you going to find out New Baby's sex?"

The answer is yes. The answer to the follow-up question is "No, you can't know."

I have been through two pregnancies without knowing, and I heartily recommend it, but I wanted to try it the other way for this last pregnancy. Not knowing is great - you focus on the important things and you can discuss extra baby names. It was wonderful to have that mystery to ponder, to hep me decide the things I would teach a child regardless of sex and to help me realize that I will teach the same things in either case. Now that I know that, I want to try pregnancy the other way.

L and I decided that the four people in the household would each get to decide individually if he or she wanted to find out. The promise was that if everyone found out, we might decide to release the information, but if one or more wanted to be surprised, NO ONE outside of the house will know. NO EXCEPTIONS. It was not unanimous and so some in the house will know, some in the house will be surprised. And everyone outside the house will be surprised.

Late Night at the Giant Eagle

So I had another pregnancy-related run to the grocery store at closing time last night. Chef-Boy-R-Dee Ravioli this time (really). That's not the point though. Only customer there after I left, the last customer of the night was in a boy scout uniform. Running out at 11 for supplies hardly seems prepared.

I won one!

So, last night, New Baby was enjoying another round of "torture the mom".

Last night's details: L craved carbonation, but could not deal with the sweet of pop. Thinking quickly, I rushed out to grocery store for some club soda and Italian Syrup. Club soda, they had - after all people mix their alcohol into it. Not quite so forward-thinking on the syrup, however. "Syrup? For coffee? Italian soda?" Clearly, news of world has not quite hit my town yet. So off I went to Starbucks (Not a surprise - I try to solve most of my problems with a trip to Starbucks).

I got there just before they closed and found out that, yes, they will sell me a bottle of Raspberry syrup! So, I zipped home, threw some ice in a glass and handed it to L and let her sweeten her bubbles to just the right sweetness. She added the soda, added the syrup and tasted it. Too sweet. Fortunately, mine was just right. Score one for dad!