Halfway Cooked! (and other updates)

Brandy: So today marks the beginning of week 20. My bun in the oven is halfway cooked! Brian and I had an appointment with Dinah this morning. It was nice that Brian got to meet Dinah and see the birthing center. She said not to worry about the stuff that came up in the sonogram. The appointment went really well. We talked for a while, then I got to jump on the exam table for measurements and the heartbeat. My fundal height is 20.5 cm and the baby's heartbeat was in the 150's. Everything looks good, and I feel great that I am in Dinah's care. Brian really seemed to get along with her as well, which is important to me. At the end of each appointment, Dinah has you randomly pick a card from a little bound book to read aloud. They are statements to make you feel nice about pregnancy and birth. My statement was "I am comfortable with the energy of birth". Then Brian got to pick one too. His said "I treat myself like a goddess". Too funny!!

Friday I took a late lunch from work and Brian met me at 2 home day cares. The first one is a lady named Chantell. She is really sweet, and was recommended by our neighbors. Their little girl has been going there for a while, and they really like her. Chantell's daughter goes to the elementary school a block from our house. So, during the school year Chantell will drop her daughter off at school and then pick up our neighbor's daughter. The cool part is, she would pick up our little one too! How nice would that be? The rate is very reasonable, and if we take vacation with advance notice we do not have to pay! The other daycare we randomly chose to look at, but it ended up that Brian's step mom used to live on her street and knew Elvira (the lady who runs the daycare) very well!! So, this place is a little closer to home, and they have more kids here. They are allowed to have more kids because there are 2 caregivers. Elvira's daughter-in-law lives next door and helps her watch the kiddos. So, choosing between them... I really want Chantell as the caregiver, but we are not sure if she has a spot open. She has a lady that said she was going to use Chantell, but has not placed her deposit. Chantell is giving her another 2 weeks to place the deposit (since her baby is due now) and then she will give us her spot if she does not pay up soon. Legally, she can take on another child (in addition to the one who has not placed the deposit), but she has to pick her daughter up from school and there is not enough room in her van for all of the kids. So the other option is that Chantell is looking for an after school program for her daughter OR a friend that can pick her up. Either way, we are on a waiting list and I hope we hear something soon. I would be happy with Elvira, I just like Chantell a little better. If it works out with Chantell, I will use Elvira as a back up/drop in when Chantell is closed due to illness or scheduled vacation. That should save us in the event of a sudden closure (if Chantell, her hubby or daughter get sick).

Other news... Brian and I had a fun time discussing baby names Friday evening. I think we actually have decided on a name! We are using it aloud at home to make sure we really like it and it sticks. Saturday morning I went to prenatal yoga. and later we went shopping for baby clothes. We made the trek up to Allen Outlets because I had coupons for Carter's and Osh Kosh. I loved Carter's! They had so much to choose from, and great prices/sales. Osh Kosh was a bit pricier and the selection for babies was not very good. We also stopped at a store called Buy Buy Baby on the way home. It is owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, and has a really nice selection of baby products that is different from Babies R Us. The only bad thing is that the store is SO FAR away!