Thursday, March 31, 2011

Something I Adore...

...about my son Zayd.

The way he sleeps with his hand curled up around his face.


I also sleep with a hand tucked under my face, on my side, all curled up. When my father saw him sleeping, he said, "I sleep like that!" It's so amazing to think of all of the people, from all over the world, who make up a tiny part of this little guy.

Catching Some Z

It's official - we caught some Z. Tuesday March 29, 2011 at 8:28 pm, Zayd Varughese Mammen entered the world weighing 6lbs, 5 oz and measuring 20 bony inches long. I will write his birth story soon - as soon as I have a minute - so maybe not that soon. But, Sam did amazing (astonishingly well, actually), I did amazing, and the baby was a champ. Also, I, Tahira Nisa Mammen, literally *caught* some Z and pulled him up into the world.

Perfect. More to follow!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Z-0! We've reached our due date!

As a momma and baby, my soon to be three-person family, and a community of people I love - we have reached our due date ladies and gentlemen.

And I am pretty confident that we are having a baby today. It only takes so many hours of contractions 3-5 minutes apart before you start to believe it.

Can't wait.

Must go.

Monday, March 28, 2011

It's 12:40 in the morning...

...and I am downloading a contraction timer on my android because I am definitely NOT sleeping through these contractions. I am not reporting the times so as not to freak you all out. :) Nor am I reporting the pain scale but it really isn't that bad. Just not sleep-inducing.


That being said, I am about to try to fall asleep again because a woman who intends to labor without medicine certainly needs her rest!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Mary H - The Psychic?

Today Ella and I set out on our daily walk and passed my friend and neighbor Rosalynn's house. She was participating in the neighborhood garage sale and we stopped and chatted with a few of the neighbors about the day and the weather and all thing Mahncke Park. Rosalynn said that I look great and said she had three labor and delivery nurses helping her out today so they were ready for me! Rosalynn is a L&D nurse in the Army and she works at Wifford Hall taking care of pregnant service members. Anyway, Rosalynn's friend Mary (who was wearing her medical nametag proclaiming "Hi I am Mary H!" said, "Can I rub your belly for luck?" Of course! She felt my belly and looked up at me - "You are having a boy?!" Yep, I sure am. Then she sorta winked at me and said, "It'll be today or tomorrow." My new best friend. (Sorry, girls.)

Anyway, it has only happened a handful of times now, but I love it when people look at me and say, "You are having a boy!". I loved the magicalness of women's intuition. A very smart friend of mine pointed out that they have a 50/50 shot but I think there is something more to it than that.

With something as surprising and miraculous as what I been going through for the past 278 days, there is just more at play than mathematics.

Wish me a Zayd-y Baby. :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

39 weeks - Belly Shots


Does he look "dropped" to you?

Friday's Child?

So, last night we had our first bout with "Is this labor?" There was extreme nausea, contractions, and what (apparently) Ella and Sam would call a bit of disconnect between me and the real world. But today, I feel not so in labor. Boo! But, there is one good reason, not to have a baby today: Wednesday's Child is full of woe.

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

So, I suppose that I am shooting for Friday's Baby. Also, that would be 3/25, and 3+2=5. BUT, Ella and I are going to go walking for an hour or so and we will just have to wait and see!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

List-Making - Nesting at 38+ weeks

Must happen before Zayd's arrival:
  1. Return the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper Original for an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper Mini Convertible
  2. Buy a Swing
  3. Prep Zayd's diapers
  4. Wash the crib bedding
  5. Make sure our bag is packed - nothing of Sam's has made it into the bag!
  6. Install the Car Seat
  7. Find a pediatrician and schedule his first appointment
  8. Write a letter to little Zayd
  9. Finish Thank You Notes
Should happen ASAP:
  1. Make a surprise thing for the Dad to Be (he doesn't read this - ha ha, so I am free to post)
  2. Figure out a laundry solution for the little man
  3. Schedule a meeting with the newborn photographer
  4. Get Calmest Baby on the Block!!!!
  5. Get baby lullabies!
  6. Finish Thank You Notes
  7. Find someone to refinish the bathtub
  8. Return Zayd's application for the 2014 semester at the Circle School. (You heard me! We're planning pre-school already!)
Meals to Make this Week:
  1. Utica Greens
  2. Lemon- Olive Oil Salmon Fillets
  3. Cuban BBQ Fajitas
  4. Plantain and Black Bean Quesadillas
  5. Gluten-Free Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie
  6. Vegan Buffalo "Chicken" Pot Pie
  7. Something with the gorgeous Swiss Chard I got at the Farmer's Market

Gifts Galore

This week at work Sam received one of our most creative gifts to date! Its a Diaper Genie disguised as a rocket ship! Just wanted to share the pictures.








We have really felt unbelievably blessed throughout this entire pregnancy! Thanks to everyone - for reading, sharing, supporting and loving us along the way!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Some Bunny Loves You

Is THIS the newborn diaper that Zayd might need to be photographed in?!? Is it too girly? It is so cute to me and super duper cheap!

Drop Kick Babys

Hello all!
It's been a while since I posted - but there is really not much new going on. I am bigger, sleepier, achy-er, but still mostly feeling well enough to do everything I want to do. Sleeping has been tricky but that's about it. :) (And then sometimes, NOT SLEEPING is difficult because of all of the restless sleep I have when I am sleeping!)

I keep telling everyone this, but I feel no closer to labor TODAY than I did 5 weeks ago when Sam was still in Brazil and I had contractions at least this regularly if not more often. We are walking everyday and I am dancing and taking herbs to bring on labor but no sign of Baby Z yet. So, I am going complete hippy. I have been scouring the internet and my hippy sources for visualizations of my baby dropping into my pelvis - a sure sign that things are moving in the right direction! So, I spend time each day thinking about little Zayd descending. Sometimes I think about big water droplets falling, sometimes I imagine his little (actually huge if you trust everyone's palpations of him) head engaged inside my bones, sometimes I literally tell him funny things like, "Drop it like its hot, little man" or "Next week, Auntie Ella and I are going to Shop till you Drop, so get ready". Sam has been playing a lot of Drop Kick Murphy's but this is actually just a coincidence because he got these new wireless iPod speaker and he happens to love that crazy band. But I welcome it.


So, think low for me! I would like a baby soon. (PS, we hit 38 weeks yesterday.)

P.S. When I say engaged or dropped, I mean Zero Station. The positive stations will be a part of the birth.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

A hysterical post...


I Dream of Sushi Labor and Delivery Gown by Pretty Pushers.
I find this laugh out loud hysterical.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

37 weeks - we are full term people!

I heading to the Birth Center soon for a checkup, but wanted to leave you with what my belly looks like these days.



Now, here's the punchline. Everytime I tell someone my due date, they say, "You are tiny!" Riiiiiight. Tiny. That is precisely how I would describe this!

(Another favorite is, "You mean the 29th of April." Nope, sure don't.)

I Just Haven't Met You Yet

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Newborn Dipes

Tons of packages arrived today! TONS! We received our first shipment of vintage little boy clothes. Just a few cute things. I will be sure to showcase the Sailor Suit (!) soon. We also got some things from Target - thanks friends, and two Softbums diaper that I am obsessed with. I also got my Newborn Diaper Rental from ItsyBitsy Bums! Woot woot! I've been facebook stalking the company (really mostly a nice lady named Abby) and was anxiously awaiting this box's arrival!

Here is me and the box - so excited!
Treasures untold!



A Size 0 Kissaluvs fitted diaper - there are 24 to be exact!


All snapped up to itty bitty size:


And with a waterproof cover! I got four of these in the rental though I have a few other covers that could suffice.


Now, once Zayd is a little bigger we will be doing pockets, All-in-One or All-in-Two diapers. I've shown you these before. But during these newborn stages it was more important to find a reputable rental company than pick the diaper I think we'll like most. So, Itsy Bitsy with the Kissaluvs it is!

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Nursery is Nearly Done!

Now that Daddy is back home I have put him to work. I think we have finalized all of the decals unless someone comes along and wants to leave their mark on the room. Here is Super-Dad hard at work:

Our first joint decal - Sam couldn't believe how impossible these things are! (Pretend the picture isn't crooked - that is actually the ceiling on the right.)

And here is a Sam Mammen original - the entire corner was designed by him! You will notice that the middle alien is dancing - priceless. Also, notice anything about the moon and left most star? That is what you call some Pakistani Pride up in the Mammen household!


For those that need a hint:


And lastly, I organized the drawers. The top two drawers are for onesies. The right side is for 0-6 months and the left side is 6-12. I used sock dividers to space out the onesies and make folding less of a nightmare. Check and check! Recognize any of your favorites?



African Dance

Zayd and I went to African Dance today and just had the most wonderful time. It was so great to move around and use our body. Today especially, the steps were easy and we got to give way to the music and DANCE.

Zayd even got into it and did quite a bit of kicking and dancing to the drummer's rhythyms. I am convinced that this little man needs some drumming music and possibly even a drum!


On the topic of music - we need some birthing music! I have been thinking about it a lot lately and being in African Dance Class solidified it for me - I need some music to labor to and we need some music for after Zayd arrives! I am pretty sure I wouldn't want songs that I know - the point isn't to start a karaoke fest! Perhaps songs in other languages? I know that I want to buy Zayd a foreign language lullaby album so this might be a two-fer deal! Now I am thinking we might need a drumming CD as well. Payal Auntie has also graciously offered to make me a playlist for our time at the birthing center. She is convinced that labor wouldn't be complete without some mellow Bob Marley tracks and I am VERY INTERESTED to see what she comes up with.

Anyone else have an opinion? What would YOU want on your birthing play list?

Friday, March 4, 2011

While Daddy is Away...

Mommy will cut the sleeves off his work shirts and make tiny jammy pants. Check out the backs! The first picture really captures the color - they're blue with stripes.

The second shows you the front - maybe they need a pocket?

And here is the back!

So so cute!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The 28th Day of Zayd-ember!

Well, ladies and gents, here we are! The 28th day of Zayd-ember, also known as the first day of my ninth month, the beginning of my 36th week, or the 1st of March (for those with little creativity).

So, the waiting game is on now, I suppose. On my Baby Center group tons of ladies have already gone into labor - which is exciting. Sam says I am going to have the baby "soon" but I am not sure what that means. After eight months of being pregnant, one could conceivably consider 28 days "soon". I just had a very painful contraction while making wild mushroom and spinach lasagna. So, who knows!?! I presume 36 days from now, that's my 28 days plus the eight days late that most first time mom's average. But I am also hoping I am a little bit wrong. I want to meet this little guy! (Though not after we finish birth class...)


What's new with me:
  • I am incapable of determining how to arrange Zayd's clothes. So, we have a million tiny onesies strewn across the floor. (Well, folded and semi-organized but nothing that allows you a path across the room.) That and we don't have hangers yet, so some of the outfits simply can't be hung.
  • I am thoroughly enjoying coming home from work each day to find a new package on the front porch - today's was a stroller from Sonia. Thanks, dear! Thanks to everyone who has enabled this joyous experience over the past few months.
  • I haven't finished the books...so hopefully "soon" comes somewhere after finishing Super Baby, The American Pediatric Society's Handbook on Breastfeeding, Calmest Baby on the Block, and What to Expect: The First Year.
  • I think I am hungrier than I used to be.
  • Sam and I have been taking nightly walks and it is fantastic. So glad to have him home.
  • I am trying to set up a schedule for our bi-lingual household. Super Baby recommends One Parent One Language - eek. Where Sam would only speak English and I would only speak...well, I suppose Urdu. Though Russian sneaks out an awful lot when trying to communicate with Pakistanis. The book details six different ways to enable a bi-lingual child but insists that 20% of his daily interactions must be in the minority language. I have my work cut out for me. With the nanny we have for the summer, we can do One Caregiver One Language quite easily. Maybe Zayd will have an adorable Puerto Rican accent when speaking Spanish - adorable! Maybe more on this later.
  • Still not waddling. One point: Tahira.
What's new with Zayd:
  • Really, not much.
  • He is hiccuping quite a bit lately - getting those lungs ready for the real world, I suppose. Every time he has a hiccup fit I explain to him what is happening with his body. I suspect his first word MIGHT be hiccup. His first phrase will probably not be "spasm in your diaphragm", but there is just no telling.
  • He is bigger and possibly trying to force his way out through my left side.
  • He is head down and "nearly engaged" as of my 34 week appointment. So, he is riding low, to say the least. We will get a better idea of his "station" on Thursday.