Some Cool New Threads

Brian’s parents flew in from Dublin yesterday and gave us some incredibly cute outfits. The Grandmother-to-be knitted the white sweater/hat/bootie set ensuring The Bean will be a dashingly handsome boy or a beautiful little girl. The Irish jersey will enable our child to cheer on Ireland in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa next year (assuming the Irish qualify.) And lastly, what says adorable better than little suede boots from Spain?

Men Have Baby Showers Too!

Brian’s co-workers kindly surprised him with a shower last week, denouncing the myth that showers are only for women. What made the event even better was that it was held at a local pub! There was lots of laughter, beer, gifts, and an impressive array of butt paste too!

For All You Do, This Life Jacket's For You

Well, our kid may be too young to contemplate Budweiser, but he/she will be prepared to swim in our pool thanks to Grand Pa Belke's awesome gift of an infant life jacket! We can't wait to try it out this summer! According to Grand Pa, we have a future Olympic Champion swimmer in our midst.

Extreme Nursery Makeover (and week 38)

Tanya and Ann kindly came over on Sunday to help put the finishing touches on the Bean's room. It looks great and we know he/she will be very comfortable in there! If you need your home organized this dynamic duo will get your s*&t in order lickety split. Ty and the Extreme Makeover crew have nothing on these guys...

This is the week 38 picture! The heartbeat was 135 and the belly measurement was 38cm, right on target. There was no mention of the head size being larger than average. For those who predicted a week 38 birth, you've been voted off the island...

Doctor Appointment, The Baby's First Wedding, and General Musings

We made the trek to New York on Friday for Tammy's cousin's wedding (Brian and Margaret Scheidel) with Billy and Tara. On Friday night we all stayed in Ann-Margaret's place in Manhattan. NY Pizza and beer was enjoyed by some (no names mentioned). The wedding was fantastic and the Bean seemed to enjoy the music from the live band. Tammy was a trooper (we got back to our hotel at about 2:30am!). The drive home today was long but the weather was great.





We had our week 37 doctor appointment and it appears that The Bean is right on schedule in terms of his/her weight (6lbs, 15oz). The doctor indicated that our kid's head is measuring about two weeks larger than normal and that this would be monitored. Inducing labor was mentioned as a precautionary measure in case the head's meteoric growth continues. Slightly off topic, Brian thinks that the baby will be born on May 8th, Tammy estimates May 13th. Care to wager a guess?

People's generosity continues to amaze us. Check out the cool burping cloths that Tara got us!

Week 36 Doctor Visit

First our doctor visits were monthly. Then bi-weekly. Well, today, being 36 weeks along, we graduated to weekly visits. The Bean's little heart is pumping at 160 tiny beats per minute. As it turns out, our little guy/girl might not be so little. When Brian asked if this was a sign that the baby might be born early, our doctor just looked at him and said, "No, it just means your baby is going to be bigger." At next week's appointment we're scheduled for an ultrasound to help determine the size and weight.

Tammy might not know how much to feed the baby or how many layers of clothes to dress it in, but she (and Brian) will know how to perform C.P.R. after passing a class last week!

Baby Shower at Work!

On April 8th, Tammy's co-workers surprised her with a wonderful baby shower! There were great decorations, amazing gifts, good advice, and yes, delicious ice cream! Sincere thanks and appreciation for your generosity. We had a fabulous celebration and it was really nice for Brian to be included.