Guest Post #3: Things That Give Me Nightmares

by Jason Huffman

1) He is born a different ethnicity from me. Not because I have any prejudices, but if he comes out anything other than Caucasian, I would like to have a word with our fertility doctor. I have heard of babies switched at birth, but babies switched at conception sounds like a great Jerry Springer episode...or a great Lifetime movie. I can see it now: "The Doctor Who Mixed Up The Test Tubes: The Belbertwald Huffman Story." I don’t know which roles they would play, but I insist that it stars Judith Light, Valerie Bertinelli and Meredith Baxter. Meredith Baxter will play me.

2) He looks like one of my college roommates. Then, I would like to have a word with my wife. During our fertility hurdles, many of my male friends sincerely and selflessly offered their support. Perhaps I needed to make it clear that this was not the type of support I was seeking.

3) He has been hiding a brother or sister in there. We would love a second child someday, but this would put a wrench in my delicately planned out, OCD life. I've been saving for your college education since I was six years old. I have a spreadsheet about you, son. Don't make me edit it.

4) The Farmer's Almanac is correct and I end up delivering him myself on the side of Powhite in two feet of snow. For those of you who know me well, I don’t do medical things. I don’t like getting blood drawn. If I have to be anywhere near the business end of this miracle, everyone suffers. Don’t get me wrong. I will do what needs to be done. But it would take an epidural and Xanax to get me through it.

5) He comes out using a Blackberry. I figure by the time he is a teen, texting will have evolved into some sort of brainwave, implanted chip type of shenanigans, where teens stare at each other and transmit telekinetic OMGs and LOLs while I sit there saying, "Back in my day, we had to use machines to text...whippersnappers!" Besides, I use an iPhone.

6) He is born with a birthmark in the shape of the University of Maryland mascot. Or worse, if he is born with a Virginia Tech tattoo. Come to think of it, if he is born with any tattoo.

33 Weeks (Christmas Day)

Snow vacation

It's 5 days before Christmas and there's a foot of snow on the ground.  I'm off of work for the next week.  I haven't left my house for 2 days and it's been GREAT.  A lot of much-needed productivity AND relaxation has been had.

Yesterday, we finally did our Christmas cards.  Unfortunately our Christmas letter, which took 2 print jobs to get right, didn't fit in the photo card envelopes.  Rather than fold the letter to make it fit, Jason took it upon himself to trim the sides.  It wasn't our best effort, but they're done and they turned out great.  Now we'll be lucky if they arrive in people's mailboxes before Christmas! 

I spent the bulk of today opening, sorting, washing, and organizing everything in the baby's room (including the cutest diaper cake that my mother-in-law made). Even though we won't get the rest of our furniture until January, I want to do everything I can now.  Four full loads of laundry later, this baby already has quite the wardrobe, and it makes his mom and dad proud! :)

In the midst of all of the productivity, we squeezed in a Christmas movie (The Polar Express), some baking, and a few decent meals, with lots and lots of Christmas music in the background.

Tomorrow, let the Christmas shopping begin (yep, that's right).  Happy Holidays, everyone!

Shower!

This weekend I had a wonderful shower given by my friend, Deb.  She has the most lovely home and was an amazing hostess, and everyone had a great time.  The food was delicious and company couldn't have been better.  I came home with lots of things that will be put to good use - to name just a few, diapers, books, toys, blankets, clothes, memory books, a booster seat...even some Pee Pee TeePees!  Jason and I are truly grateful for all of the support of friends and family as we anticipate baby's arrival.  We could not do it without you all!!

(To the right, a photo of mom and me at the shower.)

30 weeks and counting

My delay in blogging should give you an idea of the kind of December we're having - busy busy busy!!  'Tis the season.  Despite the busy-ness (and stress), it has been fun to do holiday decorating and activities along with baby preparations.  In my head, Christmas has been the last big "landmark" before the baby's arrival, and Christmas is 2.5 weeks away.  Yikes!

I am just past the 30-week mark.  The baby recently got the hiccups which was completely fascinating.  His movements are quite pronounced and frequent on a daily basis.  Something tells me we're going to have a very active little boy on our hands.

We got our rocker/glider, so there is now one piece of furniture in the nursery!  I'll post a photo of that soon.  Still waiting on the rest of the nursery furniture to arrive, which is really testing our patience (not that there aren't a million other projects to do in the meantime).

Last night, we attended our first official class.  I'll spare you the details as the topic was breastfeeding.  What I will say is that I was completed impressed with the high attendance of dads and the fact that they asked more questions than the moms.  We learned a lot and I felt a sense of relief in having some information told to me point-blank by an "expert" - I think I'm growing tired of weeding through books and advice.  Sometimes I just want someone to tell me what to do!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been a great week!  Baby Huffman enjoyed his first Thanksgiving and received many wonderful gifts at his family baby shower.  He is going to be one well-clothed, well-entertained little man.  Everyone is so excited to meet him.  Jason and I are very grateful for our family's support and generosity.  It crossed my mind many times that Thanksgiving will never be the same for any of us again!

Aunt Amanda and Auntie Em

One of many adorable little outfits

Sweet cake!

Peas...one of the most disgusting baby foods ever

Work plans

Many people have asked about our plans after the baby is born.  After a 12-week maternity leave, I'll be returning to my current employer (Royall & Company) where I've been a Senior Account Manager for several years now.  I'm lucky that many of my co-workers have young children, and the culture lends itself to a good work-life balance for the most part.  Right around the time that the baby's due, Jason's employer (First Market Bank) will finalize its merge with Union Bank & Trust and his job will change a bit. Thank goodness he has a job! Unfortunately, his commute will double, but we're not going to worry about that right now :) 

Jason and I are thrilled that his mother has offered to take care of the baby full-time after I return to work.  She is wonderful with children and we're as excited as she is about it - I just hope she remembers how much work it is!  My mom is a teacher and has summers off, so she will get as many opportunities as she wants to play "day care" during the adjustment period.

No doubt that 2010 is going to be an exciting and interesting year for the Huffman household.  If you see me looking like this, don't be too surprised!

28 weeks

We've officially reached Trimester #3 - woohoo!  I know I say this in most of my posts, but time is really flying.  With the holidays, the next few months are really going to fly by and February will be here before we know it!

This week, we finally picked the baby's name.  By that I mean that we have named him, barring any unforeseen circumstance that would make us change our minds. :)  As you know, we're keeping it a secret, which is proving difficult.  Inquiring minds really want to know!

I also gave prenatal yoga a try on Tuesday, and it was wonderful.  My lower back has been bothering me when I stay on my feet too long, and yoga provided great relief.  I can't wait to go back on a weekly basis.  This is just further confirmation that it was a good choice to simplify life a bit...the only reason I hadn't given yoga a try is because I was too busy!

Can't wait to see all of my family and eat good food next week.  Maternity pants will surely come in handy on Turkey Day...

27 weeks

We're at 27 weeks, which means the 2nd trimester is just about over.  I can't believe it!  Time is flying and the due date is about 3 months away.  Love that the holidays are just around the corner.  Anticipation of the baby's arrival is sure to make the holidays even more special this year!

The cats (Schroeder and George) definitely know something is going on.  George - the "plump", passive one, who typically spends his days sleeping in the corner of my closet - has been by my side constantly and begging for some love.  Schroeder, our "dog-cat", continues to require constant attention, so not much change there.  Little does he know that he will not rule this household for much longer!!

The nursery furniture hasn't come in yet (could be another 2-6 weeks), but we're doing what we can in the room.  Here is today's project - a plant stand converted into a toy storage center.  Schroeder had to test the baskets - I think he approves.

Congrats, Carrie and Joe!

Baby Huffman has been to a lot of weddings already.  This weekend, he gained an uncle!  We had a wonderful time at Carrie (Jason's sister) and Joe's wedding this past weekend and I wanted to share a few photos.

3 generations - Lara, Carrie, and Bobbie

Jason and Carrie

Carrie and her (now) niece, Becca

Carrie and I

Congrats, Carrie and Joe.  Best wishes for a wonderful life together!

26 weeks

Swine flu is behind me and as my coworker Amy eloquently stated, "I have a feeling it's going to be healthy from here on out for [me] and baby huff puff"!  I sure hope so.  If being sick was good for anything, it's that I had time to rest and relax for the first time in a long time.  It helped me realize that I need to cut back and enjoy this time more.  Life has been so crazy that it's been hard to find time to prepare for the baby.  I don't want to look back on this time with regrets, so I am making some changes that will allow me to feel less stressed, hopefully stay healthier, and enjoy the next few months to the fullest.

Parenting Practice

Schroeder was nice enough to model the baby gift we got today...

25 weeks

This week hasn't exactly gone as planned.  After fighting what I thought was a cold, yesterday I was officially diagnosed with the H1N1 virus (swine flu).  Luckily when my fever developed on Tuesday evening, my doctor put me on Tamiflu just in case.  Between that and having the H1N1 vaccine in my system since last Friday, my body is fighting the virus well and my case seems to be fairly mild.  The baby is still kicking a ton which is comforting. 

Jason had already taken off of work this week for house projects...it's been nice to have him taking care of me.  It probably goes without saying that he hasn't been able to get to many of those projects yet.  He started painting the nursery today - it is GREEN.  Check it out (this is the sample - real pictures to come):

We were able to register on Sunday at Babies R Us and Target.  As expected, it was completely overwhelming.  Kidding - it wasn't that bad.  There were some decisions to make in the store, but doing research in advance helped a ton.  My only suggestion to Babies R Us is to provide motorized carts for pregnant women - walking around/standing for 3+ hours is pretty tough on the lower back these days!

Hopefully baby bump pics will resume next week when I'm showered and wearing more than my PJs. :)

Names That Didn’t Make The Cut

Guest Post by Jason Huffman

As Ashley mentioned, we spent last weekend holed up in a cabin in the woods. We started with a book of 100,000 names, picked 90, reduced those to 60, and now, have whittled down the list to 6 finalists. And while we are saving the winner for his birthday, I can safely announce my choices that didn’t make the cut:

1) Suck Chin: I found this gem in the 100,000 baby name book. I can almost guarantee that he won’t have to worry about being confused for any other Suck Chin in his kindergarten class. This isn’t a name – it sounds like a make out move that went terribly, terribly wrong.

2) US Census: The US Census publishes a list of names that have no duplicates in the country. If we choose any of these, there will only be our son and one of these poor souls. I am all about individuality, but heaven help these children. I can’t include a photo with any of these. None of them would be appropriate. Well, maybe the burger, but it would have to be a great burger.

- Ghoul Nipple

- Envy Burger

- Noble Butt

- Good Hell

- Naughty Bishop

3) Turd Ferguson: “It’s a funny name. Funny like an oversized hat.” Enough said. Take that, Alex Trebek.

4) Mr. Jack Basvalk: For some reason, this name was immediately nixed after I explained its origin to Ashley. I think it sounds 1950’s cool, or perhaps he would grow up to be a private eye or trench coat wearing detective (see left). Ashley’s interest in this choice ended when I revealed that “Mr. Jack Basvalk” uses the first initial of every girl I dated in my life. How cool is that? He could tell all his friends how he got his name and receive instant street cred and popularity. And if I am lucky, my son could carry on the tradition with his son. A side note: if any girl I dated is reading this and doesn’t find her initial, do let me know. I still need a middle name.

5) O’Shervin Belbertwald: I really thought this one had a chance. We really wanted to work in a family name. Unfortunately, our fathers didn’t give us much to work with on this one. My dad’s name is Belvin. Ashley’s dad holds the title of Herbert Oswald. I don’t want my son to be beat up, so these three were eliminated. However, I tried to rearrange the letters to create a new name using all the letters. Not bad, eh? Sounds like a noble, Irish leprechaun with magic powers. Show me a parent who doesn’t have these hopes and dreams for their child. I did some Google research and found an “O’Shervin Belbertwald” in a wee part of Ireland. His Facebook photo is on your right.

So while you won’t know his name until February, you now know what he won’t be called. But these names are going in my desk drawer. We hope to have a second kid some day, and I think these would work with a girl just as well.

-Jason

24 week update

Today was our 24-week appointment.  Everything went well and we heard the baby's heartbeat, which is going at a strong 150 beats per minute.  Apparently my blood pressure was a little high but not enough to cause the doctor concern.

We had a wonderful weekend in the mountains and had relative success with the baby's name!  While we haven't picked "the one", the list has been narrowed down to 6.  If that doesn't sound very impressive, keep in mind that we started with 90.  Those of you who know Jason know that he is very thorough, so we went through every boy name in our baby name book and wrote down anything remotely appealing.  All that to say that we're very happy with our list of 6 right now.  It's going to be really hard to pick just one because I like them all!

This week my homework is to research baby products so we can register this weekend.  I'm feeling a little excitement and a little dread about this process.  It is very overwhelming!

A couple photos from the weekend...

Time for a getaway

So much planning and so many decisions!!  As much as we are anticipating our little one, it is hard not to get overwhelmed.  Picking a name, putting together a nursery, registering, showers, reading up on pregnancy info...all of this on top of daily life makes things a bit crazy.  This weekend we are headed to the Blue Ridge mountains for a much-needed getaway.  This is an annual tradition that Jason and I started very early on in our marriage.  We almost decided to skip it this year due to a very full calendar - thank goodness we didn't!  I doubt we'll be able to keep this tradition going after the baby is born, so we'll enjoy it while we can.  The only item on the weekend agenda is picking the baby's name.  For those who are curious, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait...we are keeping it a secret until he's born!  However, I think Jason is working on another guest post related to the name, which is sure to entertain.  Stay tuned!

Here's a sneak preview of the nursery furniture we've ordered:

22 weeks

A World of Worry

Happy Fall!  My belly is starting to look like the pumpkin we got this weekend.

(not our actual pumpkin, but close enough)

I have really enjoyed being pregnant.  While I haven't felt my best and it certainly isn't glamorous, having a baby in your belly brings a special meaning to your life that can't be described.  I've recently realized that this new venture also comes with a whole new set of worries...

First Trimester:

• Not being ready to share the news, but feeling like everyone around me MUST know that I'm pregnant
• Nausea/morning sickness means a very unbalanced diet - is the baby getting enough nutrients?
• Do I get allow myself to get emotionally attached or protect my feelings in case something goes wrong?
• How do I think of this "thing" inside me as a baby instead of the blob it looks like on the first ultrasound?

Second Trimester:

• When will I stop looking fat and start looking pregnant?
• Have I felt the baby move today? (Baby Huffman is very active, but he has a pattern of 1 or 2 active days followed by 1 or 2 less active days, and the latter can be torture!)
• Where is my belly button going? :)
• How in the heck are we going to get everything done before he arrives?
• What IS a bumbo, a boppy, a bumper??

As the third trimester and baby's entrance into the world approaches, I'm sure the worries - and the fun - will continue.  I wouldn't trade them for anything, and I can only figure that this is God's way of preparing us for parenthood!

20 weeks

I'm a bit past 20 weeks, but this photo was taken last week at the 20-week mark by my co-worker/photographer, Chelsea.  I hope it doesn't seem self-absorbed to post weekly photos.  One of my co-workers moved away to South Carolina (miss you, Dana!) and requested weekly updates.  I figure I might as well share them with everyone else!  (The ugly black blinds are at work, not my house.)

In other updates, we ordered furniture for the nursery this weekend.  Wow, what an overwhelming (and expensive) purchase.  It was fun though, and I'm happy with what we picked out.  One thing checked off the list, a million more to go...!!

Is It A Boy?

Good evening, friends. This is Jason, as Ashley has let me guest blog tonight to ask a very important question: the doctor says it’s a boy, but I am not so sure myself. I have three alternative prognostications:

1) Jack-O-Lantern:

This photo looks very seasonally appropriate to me. The nose is a perfect triangle. The eyes are glowing. And the mouth is a perfect example of a toothy grin. Maybe he’s just dressing up early this year…

2) Skeletor:

This one frightens me a bit. The deep eye sockets…with no eyes. The evil scowl. I believe that the power of Grayskull may very well be camped out in my wife’s belly.

3) Michael Jackson:

Now this one just makes the most sense to me. Look at that hand position. He’s reaching for his little fedora and I swear he would moonwalk if he had the room. All these kicks I am feeling are probably dance moves. And think…Michael Jackson passed away not too far from the time we conceived. Coincidence or reincarnation? If he comes out in February with one little white glove, well, then…I rest my case.

Speaking of prognostications…I predict this is the last time I am allowed to guest blog.

It's a BOY!!

It's a BOY!!  We had a great appointment this morning and learned that we will have a little boy!  The baby is healthy and measuring right where he should be.  The due date is estimated at February 12th.  Let the fun begin!

19 weeks

Hard to believe we're at 19.5 weeks already!

Milestones this week:
-Baby is moving around a lot.  Most movements can be felt if you hold your hand to my tummy.
-Morning sickness is better, but not gone.
-Clothes are getting TIGHT.  Time to start wearing those maternity pants more regularly!
-Strangers are noticing that I'm pregnant.  Most of them still don't have the nerve to say anything (just in case they're wrong), but the ice cream lady did today!

I'll post again on Wednesday after we (hopefully) find out the sex...

Boy or girl?

One week from today, we will find out if Baby Huffman is a "he" or a "she".  The Chinese calendar says it's a girl.  Jason's co-worker's "pencil trick" says it's a boy.  I think it's a girl.  Jason thinks it's a boy. All I know is it's a 50/50 chance!  What do you think?

Good husband

During pregnancy, for obvious reasons, there is a lot of attention on the woman.  I'd like to dedicate this post to all of the dads out there who have supported their wives through pregnancy - and in particular to my husband, Jason.

Jason has been incredibly involved in this journey from the beginning.  When I took the pregnancy test, he was right there with me, waiting for the results.  He's been to every doctor's appointment except one (he was out of town).  In the first 12 or so weeks, he asked me every day how I was feeling (sometimes this was annoying to me but I know he was just concerned :).  The day we announced the pregnancy to the world, he gave me the most wonderful gift - a beautiful old rocking horse that I had spotted months prior to the pregnancy and fallen in love with.  Many nights, he gets in bed and reads his "Expectant Father" book.  On a more practical level, he took over grocery shopping (which he hates) the week that work and life in general sent me into a fit of tears.  Between my mom's and Jason's help, I have hardly touched house-cleaning supplies in 4 months.  Last weekend when I ran out of time to go birthday present shopping for the 2- and 5-year old boys across the street, Jason went to Target and Toys-R-Us in search of the perfect gifts.  He's done all of this (and more) while keeping up with his regular responsibilities and going through a particularly stressful time at work.  One of my goals is to shed the "grass is always greener" mentality and appreciate what I have here and now.  I am grateful for the support I get from my husband.  This experience is so much better with a partner!  Now, if I can just get him to fix dinner, everything will be perfect...

18 weeks and counting

Wow, time is flying!  The first 12 weeks of pregnancy went by very slowly, and now it seems like I can't keep up.  New photo below.

Baby is moving more and more, and last night, Jason felt it for the first time.  He described it as a "heartbeat".  Very cool!

I wore maternity pants for the first time this week...maybe I'll start wearing them all the time...even after pregnancy I mean.  They're comfortable!  Why do we wear pants with such constricting waistbands on a regular basis??

Less than 2 weeks until we find out the gender...

Cravings

A lot of people have been asking if I have any cravings.  Nothing ever stands out in my mind, but I know I'm not eating the same as I did pre-pregnancy.  For example, I recently rediscovered Lucky Charms after a 10-year hiatus.  They have been totally hitting the spot, and definitely my breakfast of choice these days. (Mornings are still rough, so whatever sounds good in the morning goes!)

More than once, I have eaten dill pickles immediately followed by ice cream for my evening snack.  I always thought that stereotype was a joke, but not in my case!  If I ever eat them together, then I'll seek help...

Other cravings have included Cheese-Its, Doritos, ham and cheese sandwiches, and cheese sticks (see a pattern here?). 

Despite my not-so-healthy cravings, now that I feel better most days I'm trying to eat as balanced of a diet as possible.  As my appetite grows, it gets easier to include all of the food groups somewhere in there!

17 weeks

My baby bump grew exponentially overnight.  Here is the first official "baby bump" photo at 17 weeks.  (Good thing this was taken before dinner at Chipotle, or it would have been even bigger!)

I've been feeling the first flutters of movement for the last couple of weeks.  At first I was unsure if it was the baby, but now there is no doubt in my mind.  Every time I feel the little "butterflies" in my tummy, I lose all concentration on whatever I'm doing and obsess over feeling the next movement.  It will be even more exciting when they are powerful enough for Jason to see/feel.

Moving into this phase of pregnancy may be more difficult physically, but mentally it is better.  I tend to worry less (I'm told I'll never be worry-free) when I have reassurances about the baby.  The growing belly and baby's movements are nice daily reassurances that things are progressing as they should - not to mention exciting!

We're pregnant!

In June, Jason and I found out that we're pregnant.  We have been ready to start our family for quite awhile, and were thrilled to learn that we are due to have a baby in February!  Sharing the news with our family and friends has made it even more exciting, and it's finally starting to feel real.

At 8 weeks, the baby looked like a little blob (or a squid, which is why we sometimes refer to him/her as Squidley).  That made the 12 week ultrasound (below) even more amazing, where we could actually see the facial profile and little hands and feet.

This week is the 17-week mark - time is flying!  In about 3 weeks, we'll have another ultrasound and hopefully learn whether we're having a boy or girl.

As we have updates to share about the baby or life in general, we'll post them to this blog.  Enjoy!