Introducing Baylor Long Vu

We celebrated the arrival of our second son, Baylor Long Vu, at 7:43am. He weighs in at 8lbs 6oz (I won the bet) and is 20in long. So far, he appears to be healthy and is already nursing. Thanks to the combination of adrenaline and numbing meds, I'm feeling pretty good right now. We think Baylor bears a strong resemblance to Jaxon when he was born, but we will let you judge for yourself.

And, We're Off

Yes, I am so addicted to blogging that I woke up early to insure one last entry. Although, I do use the term "woke up" very loosely because I insincerely doubt that I ever really fell asleep. I laid down at midnight, turned off the tv at 12:30am, and then tried for the next 4 hours to not think about how insanely thirsty I was. The one distraction from that fact was my fascination that, as throughout my pregnancy, my husband was blissfully sleeping beside me. Does he not realize what is happening in a matter of hours?

As a side note, I should share that Jax was still trying to convince us right up until bedtime that a kitty cat is better than a baby brother. After reading him his bedtime stories, I once again told him that he'd be meeting his baby brother tomorrow after school. His response, "I wanna' get a kitty cat." I told him that he would need to be a "bigger boy" before we could get a kitty cat, but that a baby brother would be fun for now. His response, "I wanna' get a kitty cat now." Anh tried explaining that a baby brother would be a great thing, but Jax continued to insist that "a kitty cat is much better than a baby brother." We can only hope that his opinion will change.

Well, since Anh assures me that they would notice a laptop being wheeled into the o.r. So this is my last entry before the arrival of the baby. I just wanted to thank everyone that called and wrote yesterday with good wishes, thoughts, and prayers. We appreciate every single last one!

From Weeks to Days to Hours

We're counting down the hours now! I had my pre-op appointment this afternoon and have been cleared for surgery. I was expecting to receive instructions on how to perform some nasty pre-surgery rituals, but none were discussed. Normally, I'd be thrilled to avoid gross things, but I'm married to a surgeon so I kind of know what's in-store at some point. I guess I'll be subjected to the nastiness tomorrow in a public setting. Yeah!

During the appointment, Jax announced multiple times that he was going to be a big brother, and even though I've told him at least a hundred times today that the baby is coming tomorrow while he's at school, he seemed ready to see Dr. T pull a baby out from under the sheet at today's appointment. I think he was a little disappointed that he wasn't becoming a big brother today. To cheer him up Dr. T treated him to a "big brother hat" as a reward for his excitment.

Yep, Jax seems quite proud of his new role in the family. We can only hope that he will continue to be happy about it after he meets the baby. All of our questions about life as a family of 4 will be answered soon enough. There's no turning back now!

Substitution

While watching the Disney movie Oliver & Company today, Jax decided to make a substitution. He told me, "I wanna' get a kitty cat." Not really knowing what else to say, I told him, "We'll get a kitty cat when you're a little bit older." Obviously not what he wanted to hear because he then told me, "No, we can get a kitty cat, not a baby brother." Considering that the baby brother is due to arrive in less than 48 hours, we may have a problem. Do they make newborn cat costumes? Maybe Jax won't notice the lack of fur.

38 Weeks

This morning, I saw Dr. H, the 3rd member of my OB group. She agreed with Drs. D and T about the probable size of this kid...BIG. She believes that I'll make it to my scheduled delivery next Tuesday though because the kid hasn't dropped at all. Surprising she said given the kid's size and the force of gravity. I told her that it actually made sense to me because Jax was in no hurry at all to come out, and this kid is obviously just following in his big brother's footsteps.

Speaking of Jax, while Dr. H was listening to the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, he proudly announced that there was also a baby in his belly. We both laughed and told him, "No, there's no baby in there." Persistent Jax responded, "Yeah, there is." Dr. H held the doppler to his belly and he quietly sat there waiting to hear something. Just as we suspected though, there was no baby in his belly. He seemed quite disappointed. If only he knew how lucky he is!

This Will Teach Me Not to Open My Big Mouth

Did you miss me? Bet you thought I went into labor. Nope! Still pregnant, but I did learn a very important lesson over the past 48 hours. Allow me to share. DO NOT EVER COMPLAIN THAT LIFE IS DULL OR BORING!

Sunday started out as a delightfully laid back Mother's Day. No real plans other than viewing a potential home that had recently come on the market. After seeing the house and falling in love with it, we decided to take a stroll along the river to enjoy the nice weather. Sadly, Anh happened to be on call and ended up having to go in to the hospital. Oh well, it was nap time for Jax anyway, and we headed home.

About an hour after Anh, my sister-in-law, Nguyen, came into the house and told me to look out back at the woods surrounding our neighborhood. After hauling myself off the couch and waddling over to the patio door, I was SHOCKED to see smoke and flames coming off the tree tops. Nguyen and I just stared and debated whether it was a controlled burn or something more serious.
Well, my mind works in strange ways, and I decided this was the ideal time to call my Mom and wish her a happy Mother's Day. I mean, it was looking like I might be a little busy later given the strange fire burning about 2 blocks away from my house. I called with good wishes for the holiday and the strange report of the view behind our house. While talking, the doorbell rang, and I instantly knew not to expect good news or the FedEx man bearing a gift.

Sure enough, it was my neighbor spreading the word that the fire department wanted everyone to turn on their sprinkler systems because a brush fire was quickly approaching. My mind was suddenly racing with thoughts. The most common was "Oh shit!" Nguyen and I decided it would be best to start packing up, just in case things got out of control. Well, just in case, turned immediately into an official notice to evacuate within 15 minutes. Yeah, not what anyone wants to hear, especially a woman due to deliver a baby at any moment! This was not on my agenda for the day!

Amazingly, in 15 minutes we managed to pack a bag of essentials for every member of the family and load the cars with all of our sentimental possessions and important papers. Even more amazing was the fact that I did not go into labor after running up and down the stairs no less than 8 times in five minutes! If you've ever climbed my stairs, you know this is an impressive feat, period. While outside loading the car, an emergency official walked up and asked whether we were preparing to evacuate. It took so much effort not to say, "Gee, no, we just randomly decided to start running around like frantic idiots throwing shit in the car! What fire?!" Being so winded from the damn stairs definitely helped me keep my mouth closed. I simply nodded and confirmed that we had a little longer to get our things together.

Not knowing what to expect, we decided it would be best to head to Anh's office to wait for an update on the situation. Surely, the evacuation was just a precaution, and we'd be heading home in a couple of hours. It's hard to describe the feeling I had when driving off from the house though, seeing all of the neighbors loading their precious belongings into their vehicles. (Funny too what some consider "precious".) My thoughts ranged from optimistic, thinking that the evacuation was simply a precaution, to extreme, thinking that I'd never see the house or anything inside again. I really can't find the words to describe the emotions. I know it's just "stuff," but it's hard to imagine losing it all.

Well, the next several hours were spent flipping between every local channel and surfing all of the news websites for updates on the fire. Every report was vague and offered little info on what was happening. Every station seemed to be sharing the same 30 seconds of film footage, a fascinating scene of some moron standing on his roof spraying down his house with his garden hose, all while smoking a cigarette. Brilliant! I quickly learned that a reporter's talent does not lie in their ability to deliver an informative report in a clear, calm manner, but rather their talent is displayed in their ability to position themselves so the wind delicately blows their hair back out of their faces while they rattle on and on without ever really reporting NEWS! After giving up on the local media's ability to provide us with an update, we checked into a hotel for the night.

By Monday, an emergency hotline had been established for residents affected by the fire. We were told that we would be allowed through the barricade to retrieve more personal items, but that we should be prepared to once again evacuate with a moment's notice. A command center had been established at the entrance to our neighborhood. Driving in, we passed countless fire, police, and emergency vehicles. There was a helicopter taking off from a nearby field, and the media trucks were everywhere. I was convinced that Britney Spears had made an unexpected visit to the area!

You could smell the smoke, but overall the scene appeared much calmer than on Sunday. The firefighters appeared to have the situation under control. From time to time vehicles would go racing by, obviously rushing to extinguish the most recent flare-ups. Word eventually came that the mandatory evacuation had been downgraded to voluntary. We debated staying, but finally decided to return to the hotel for one more evening just be on the safe side. No one wanted to be evacuating for a second time at 3am.

Today, brings a sense of normalcy back into the equation. Anh returned to work. Jax went to school, and I am once again blogging from my living room. The flames are out, but the woods surrounding the neighborhood are charred and smoking. In all, over 1000 acres burned, but no homes or lives were lost. Our house was never in immediate danger. The closest flames were roughly a block away. Some saw the fire come within feet of their back patios. I'd say that we all have a lot to be thankful for. Mother's Day 2008 is definitely one that I'll remember forever!

The Doorbell Rang Again

This time the FedEx man brought the baby a brand new stroller. Jax promptly declared it was his, but I'm sure he'll hand it over when the time comes. Thank you, Aunt Glenda & Uncle Robert! It's perfect!

Guaranteed Money

It appears I am now more than just an eyeful for the general public. I am also a lawsuit waiting to happen, at least according to one store clerk. Today, Jax and I ventured out to shop for wall-mounted shelving for the nursery. I figure Anh doesn't have enough to do right now and would love to install shelving on top of dealing with a super hectic week of call. Much to his dismay, I had no luck finding the "perfect" shelves, but I did have a rather interesting conversation along the way.

While wandering the aisles of a home store, I passed by a store clerk and she asked, "Do you know what you're having, a boy or girl or both maybe?" (Don't you just love how creatively she threw in the size insult?!) I responded, "It's a boy. One boy." (Said in a very flat tone. I'm done being cordial.) She followed with, "When are you due?" To which I answered, "Any time now according to my doctor." Then she made this terrible face and asked, "What are you doing here then?" (Ummmm, where should I be, Lady?) Not really knowing how to respond, I said, "Killing time."

Then, the clerk notices another employee mopping an area nearby and yells at him, "Hey! Watch out! There's a pregnant lady here and if she slips and falls she'll own this place!" Gee, thanks for the concern for my well-being. In response to her "concern" I said, "It's okay. He's just getting ready in case my water breaks." I guess I scared her because she went back to stocking her area, and Jax and I went along our merry way. Maybe next week, assuming I'm still pregnant, I'll go back and throw myself on the floor. It's faster than waiting to win the lottery. Hey, it was her idea!

37 Weeks

Should we start a pool betting on the baby's birth weight? At today's 37 week appointment, my regular doc, Dr. T, said that the baby was probably already over 8 lbs! Jax was 4 days LATE and weighed 8 lb, 1 oz. This kid is going to be a monster if, at 37 weeks, he has already matched Jax's birth weight. Thank God I'm having a c-section! I'm also thinking that maybe I shouldn't have opened the package of Newborn-sized diapers. They only work up to 10 lbs! Looks like we might be starting out with the Size 1's. Good Lord!

Other than that things look good. Blood pressure and my weight were labeled as excellent. A+ for me! Alright, seriously, let's hear your birth weight guesses. Post them as a comment. I'll guess 8 lbs, 6 oz.

36 Weeks

Today I had my 36 week appointment, and yep, I'm still pregnant. Big shock! I kind of figured that was the case when I woke up this morning. Dr. D, my regular OB's partner, doesn't think I'll be this way for much longer though. "Well, I certainly hope not," was my response to that statement. "I do have a c-section scheduled on the 20th, right?" Surely someone will bother to show up since I made an official appointment for the surgery. That's not asking for too much is it?!

Then, he clarified his statement for me. Turns out he doesn't think I'll make it to the scheduled delivery. He advised me to instruct Anh to answer his cell phone when I call, regardless of whether he's in the middle of surgery. Dr. D said he knows this is sound advice based on a personal experience with his wife who was not very happy when she couldn't get in touch with him after going into labor with their second. Anh, I hope you're reading this and taking note! You don't want to know what the consequences will be if you miss that all important call.

I don't know how I feel about news of an early arrival. A part of me believes this is just something they tell all of their full-term patients. Kind of like their way of giving us hope, tricking us into believing that we see light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe they feel obligated to cheer us up because they see the look of absolute disgust on our faces that pregnancy has lasted this long.

Then, there's the planner in me that says, "Oh no! I picked a date, and that's the date. End of story. You better stay put, Baby, and not mess up my plans." I had May 20th picked out as my delivery date since calculating the due date was May 30th. I told you I was a planner, and I admit that the smallest little bit of an obsessive-compulsive disorder may also play a role in my thought processes. But, I've had it in my mind that the big day was the 20th, and I'm not so sure I'll be happy if the baby deviates from that plan.

BUT, the other side of me, the completely uncomfortable and ready to be done with pregnancy side, welcomes the unexpected news that this decision may be out of my hands and the end may be closer than I thought. So I guess I will heed Dr. D's warning and start preparing. I'll pack my hospital bag and the baby's diaper bag. I'll go pre-register at the hospital tomorrow, and I'll force Anh to install the car seat bases in our vehicles. We're both dreading that last one. I like to consider us both relatively intelligent. He is a surgeon after all. One would hope that he's at least "relatively intelligent." But, if you had been watching us try to install the bases when we were preparing for Jax, you would never have known that either of us had even graduated from kindergarten. What a nightmare!

So wish us luck! Should I suddenly disappear from the blog, you'll know what happened. Of course, I'm so addicted to posting now, I wouldn't put it past me to try to squeeze in an announcement on the way out the door. We'll see what happens!

Considering Life as a Shut-In

I'm seriously considering just how bad it would be to spend life as a shut-in until May 19th, the day of my pre-op OB appointment. I just don't think I can handle any more random comments or questions from the general public. It is impossible now to leave the house and not experience the following conversation:

Stranger: "When are you due?" (While looking at my belly with a look of absolute fear that my water will break right then & there or even worse that the baby is about to just fall out from between my legs.)

Me: "I'm having a c-section on May 20th."

Stranger: "Oh! You look like you're about to pop!"

Me: "Thanks you freakin' Moron because the physical discomfort I feel isn't enough! I really need you to insult my appearance as well!" (Okay, I don't really say that, but I'm about one comment/question away from it.)

There are actually many variations of that conversation. That's just the most common version. Then, there are all the people that have the decency to keep their traps shut, but can't help gawking at me as I waddle around trying to complete my errands. All of these experiences have led me to believe that living as a shut-in is my only option for the next 3 weeks.

I'll only leave the house to pick up Jax from school and for my weekly OB appointments, which are totally pointless by the way. What are they checking, to see if I'm still pregnant? Well, I think they would know if I had the baby. Trust me, I'm not having it at home! Okay, in case you haven't figured it out, I'm really just ranting. I actually have to venture out of the house tomorrow to the grocery store. We have absolutely no "real" food and with 21 patients lined up for tomorrow's clinic, I doubt Anh would appreciate me asking him to do the grocery shopping too.

So tomorrow I will head to the absolute worst place in the world for comments. There's something about the grocery store that just welcomes unsolicited advice, comments, and stares. Maybe when they ask when I'm due, I'll tell them that I'm actually in labor and thought I'd pick up a few items on the way to the hospital. Hey, maybe I'll fake labor and see if they'll let me skip to the front of the checkout line! I'm sure I will have something to share about the experience. Until then...

Another Peek Inside

I had yet another follow-up sonogram today to check on the size of baby's kidneys. For those that don't know, at my 20 week sonogram both of baby's kidneys were enlarged. My OB told me this was rather common with developing baby boys, and the condition usually fixes itself after birth. They decided to monitor the situation though and sent me to meet with a perinatalogist after the kidneys continued to increase in size.

After my sonogram at the perinatalogist's office, all seemed to have improved. The kidneys were measuring within the normal range, but they also wanted to continue to monitor the situation in case it turned out that they were seeing me on a "good" day. So today was my follow-up with them. All still looks good. The kidneys measured at the large end of the normal range, but the perinatalogist said that was completely acceptable given that the baby is a boy.

The final decision was to label the kidneys as slightly enlarged. Actually he used some confusing medical term, but that's how the term translates to English. With this diagnosis, we can then schedule baby for an ultrasound to check the kidneys when he's roughly 3 weeks old to rule out any lingering problems. The perinatalogist assures me that all is looking good though and there's no reason to worry. I'm considering this little medical crisis resolved.

In other news, the baby does not appear to be the monster-sized kid that we were told to expect. I guess he hit a growth spurt, but now all has evened out. He's measuring his exact gestational age. Good to know that I won't be featured in the Guiness Book of World Records for birthing the largest baby on record!

It's Official

Baby #2 will arrive on May 20th! I'm counting the days!

Pregnancy = Free-for-All Comments from the General Public

Women are sensitive when it comes to their appearance and weight. This statement shouldn't come as news to anyone. It's a well known fact. It's just how we are. Before I was pregnant, the worst public comment I ever received was the whole, "You look tired" deal from co-workers or friends. We all know that this translates to, "Wow, you look rough," but I'm going to be "nice" and say "tired." So why is it that once you're pregnant people feel like you're free game when it comes to comments?

I haven't been able to leave the house in months without someone making some comment about me, like I'm an object. It started out harmless enough. People would ask how far along I was, then make some comment about how great it is to have a Spring baby or tell me that they were born in May. Sometimes people would ask whether I knew what I was having, and then make comments about how I'm carrying the baby bump (high = boy, low = girl). Whatever, all pretty harmless, non-offensive statements.

I'm a pretty laid back person. I don't really get offended too easily. I haven't been put off on the rare occassion that some stranger has felt the need to touch my stomach while talking to me about the pregnancy. I do find this behavior strange, but I haven't been offended as many women are by this action. I draw the line, however, at public commentary about my weight/size. Why in the world would anyone think that it's okay to comment about ANY woman's weight, let alone a pregnant woman with out of control hormones? Don't they realize that not only is it rude, they are putting their lives at risk? Listen up, People, here's a very important life lesson. DO NOT COMMENT ON PREGNANT WOMEN'S SIZE!

Here's my latest experience. We were shopping recently at this great outlet mall in Orlando. Really, it's great. We'll have to take you there if you ever visit. It was towards the end of the day. I had walked miles and miles with aching pregnancy joints, looking at clothes that in no way shape or form would fit me at this point (and of course were being offered at rock bottom prices, this would not have been the case if I weren't 20 months pregnant). I had accepted the fact that all I could really purchase and use at this point would be cute shoes or a new purse.

I was having a good time just being out and about with the family doing one of my favorite activities (yes, I know I need to get a new hobby) when all of a sudden a GAP employee rained on my parade. I was leaving the store after buying a replacement outfit for Jax (that's another story) when I heard the following, "Are you having twins?" I had not spoken to this chick at all. So there was no comment made during a prior conversation that would lead her to ask me this. No, this was her ever so clever way of saying, "Good God Woman, you are the size of small country!" My response, "NO!" Then, I quickly left the store before I became the woman that you see on the news that went into a rage and tore an "innocent" woman's head off her shoulders while she was "innocently" working to support her family.

The lesson from this entry should definitely be to think before speaking to a pregnant woman. Don't just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind because clearly people's brains short-circuit at the sight of a pregnant woman. I can't promise that the next pregnant chick will have the extreme restraint that I do. ; )