As most of you know, I have taken quite an active role in Victoria’s pregnancy.  From reading books to going to every doctor’s appointment, I have been there to help Victoria understand and decipher what is being said as well as help educate me on what to expect.

Well, tonight we went  to Motherhood to look for a “pregnancy support belt” (at least that is what I am calling it).  Victoria is carrying quite low and Jaime recommended giving one of those a try.  We went into Motherhood and the woman working in there was very helpful.  She opened up the package and started to help Victoria put the belt/brace on.  She started to pull it tight, but said she was a little nervous and didn’t want to pull it too tight so she asked me to help.  Which I did.

Then she was showing us another location to loosen/tighten the belt.  At this point I was just watching.  The store clerk started to pull on the strap (it is velcro) to loosen it.  At that moment, I was kind of caught off guard and remembered how she was a little nervous/unsure of herself earlier.  So I must of thought the belly was going to drop to the floor after she unhooked the velcro.  So, I quickly grabbed for the Victoria’s belly.  I think I kind of frightened her.  It was hillarious…she even chuckled.

Soon after this, Victoria was looking at robes so she could have one at the hospital.  At this time, the store clerk and I started to have a discussion about the Medela breast pump.  Explaining to me how a double is better than a single (I’ll leave it at that — most women will know what I am talking about).  Only if I had a tape recorder — you all could have a laugh.

Victoria turned 38 today and she said it is one of the best birthdays she has had in a while.  It started with me making her breakfast and giving her two birthday cards (one from me and one from Connor).  I made her french toast and then we attended church this morning (with her Mom and Dad).

She relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then we went out to dinner at The Bonefish Grill.  It was nice because we were able to sit and talk for quite some time (something we haven’t had much time to do lately because we have been getting ready for Connor and Christmas).

Afterwards, we went to Motherhood in the mall (I have a funny story to tell about that).

Happy Birthday Victoria/Mommy!

Jaime sent me a link to this…

Now I know what to buy him after he gets a set of clubs.

Thanks Jaime!

It has been a while since I have posted something. Well, I’ve been busy finishing up things around the house before Connor arrives. With Christmas and all the little projects around the house, it has made it difficult to update the blog.

Victoria is feeling fine and is getting much bigger (or should I say Connor is getting much bigger). Victoria has been taking little naps during the day and keeps her feet elevated to help minimize the swelling. Other than that, we are anxiously awaiting Connor’s arrival.

Hard to imagine that Connor will finally be here in about 5 or 6 weeks. We are feeling more of Connor now and he keeps Victoria busy by pushing and kicking her.

I’ve been singing (poor kid) into Victoria’s belly more frequently. That seems to do the trick — if all is quiet, it just takes a few verses from Daddy’s “homemade lullaby” to get Connor stirring. Maybe he is trying to tell me I should be on American Idol.

We are off to Richmond to have Thanksgiving dinner with my mom and brother (his 1st Thanksgiving in his new home).  I’m sure Connor is anticipating a delicious meal, so hopefully Danny and Kristen will deliver!

We hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Victoria, Donnie, and Connor

Alright, I have figured out how to work my video phone and also how to add the videos to the website.  Take a look at the video on the right (of Victoria at Babies-R-Us) and let me know if you can view it.

Send me email if you are having a problem and I’ll see if I can help you out.

Victoria and I attended Jaime’s baby shower this weekend.  Jaime is the girl that works with me and has moved into our neighborhood.

Jaime knows that I keep up with pregnancy information and that I am not afraid to ask her stupid questions about being pregnant.  She had a few friends at her shower as well as her mom, mother-in-law, and some other people we both know from work.  They started to play those baby shower games and I joined in (my first mistake).  The first one was to venture a guess on the baby’s weight, length, and birth date.

How hard could this be?  3 women went before me and I had inside information from Jaime per our baby discussions at work.  I couldn’t screw this one up.  Right?  WRONG!  It gets to me (the only guy sitting in the room — her husband had stepped into the kitchen — smart man).  Everyone is looking and listening and I say, “19 pounds 4 ounces”.  I didn’t even realize what I said.  Jaime shoots me a look and says “19 pounds” and I say “yeah”.  Then I realize how stupid I just sounded.  All my credibility with the women and my wife was wiped away in an instant!

So, let me explain…  I intended to say 19 inches and 7 pounds 4 ounces.  That all merged together into “19 pounds 4 ounces”.  Oh well, everyone had a good laugh at my expense.

A side note, I did horrible in “guess the type of baby food” — I got one right (and I cheated on that one).  I guess I have a lot of learning to do.

The Chinese Gender calendar is reportedly pretty good at predicting the sex of a baby. This one says it will be a boy based on Victoria’s birth date and conception date:

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html

Another link:

http://www.holodeck.com/pregnancy/chinese-cal.html

Have fun…

Be sure to vote on whether you think it will be a boy or a girl.

Hopefully my boss does not read this, but a lot of the talk at the office has revolved around children.

I happen to work with my best friend from high school (separate offices but about 30 ft away). He has two girls and has shared his experiences over the past 7 years. I guess children stories/experiences don’t seem to sink in until you are going to be a parent yourself. I have been talking with him recently about being a father. I have been getting advice and listening about his experiences. We chatted outside for over an hour last night before heading home — that was cool. I have always found it amazing how much he loves his two little girls and how family has become so important in his life.

Most of you know how “family oriented” I am — I am looking forward to having a little one running around. I just can’t imagine what it will be like to come home to a child and watch him/her grow.

Another baby resource at work has been Jaime. Jaime is about 29 weeks along and is due in September. Jaime and her husband recently moved into our neighborhood and live a few blocks from us. Victoria and I run into them during our walks quite frequently. I have been able to see her deal with her pregnancy for the past 7 months and have been able to ask her most of the “dumb father questions”. Pretty cool to see her changes and she has helped me understand that women can be sensitive during their pregnancy and how to approach certain subjects with Victoria.