The Ancient Chinese Say: "It's A Boy!"

According to parents.com, legend holds that a Chinese birth chart (supposedly predicting the gender of a baby with 93 percent accuracy!) was buried in a tomb near Beijing for almost 700 years. The original is now at the Beijing Institute of Science.

If you are pregnant, you can use the chart to find out if you're having a girl or a boy. If you're considering getting pregnant, use this chart as a guide to the best month if you are trying specifically for one gender or the other :)

Here's how to use it: On the left hand side find your (the mother) age range at the time of conception, then look for the month of conception at the top. Where your age and month of conception meet will tell you if legend says your baby is going to be a boy or a girl!

We will see when the time comes if this thing works or not ... but it claims I'm having a boy :)

BMI Calculator

Fit Pregnancy has a pretty cool BMI Calculator that tells you what you "should" gain during pregnancy. While we hear the 25-35 pound amount quite frequently, its actually different if you begin your pregnancy under or over-weight.

Using the BMI Calculator, you enter your height and weight (pre-pregnancy) and it will give you the area you fall into: underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. There is then a corresponding weight gain to each one of those categories.

Its important to know that this is just a guide - and there are many controversies around the idea of a BMI, or Body Mass Index, calculation. The primary problem is that it does not take into account your actual body composition. Most of us know that muscle weighs more than fat - so an individual may be classified as "overweight" but yet have a very low bodyfat ratio.

To prove this point, according to an article on docshop.com, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzennegger, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone are considered obese according to their BMI calculations. This not only includes Arnold Schwarzennegger today (as "Governor Schwaqrzennegger") but also back in the day when he was Mr Universe ... weighing in at 235 at just over 6 ft tall ;)

But many of us are concerned about pregnancy weight gain - how much should we gain? is my weight gain normal? will I ever get back to my original weight? This tool is a good way to verifiy the normal ranges of your weight gain. If you tend to be more muscular and know that your BMI is not an accurate represention of your pre-pregnancy body, then take that into consideration when using this tool. Ultimately, use the BMI Calculator as a guide, not as fact!

Week 25

Another week gone by, and happily no weight gain. They generally say you should gain 1-2 lbs per week from now until the end, but I made up a lot of those extra lbs in the past few weeks :) There is no concern that I am not gaining enough weight, I can assure you of that!

The Baby @ 25 Weeks
Height & Weight: About nine inches long and more than 1.5lbs
. According to the Baby Center, the baby starts to fill out, adding baby fat to the long and lean frame during this stage. Wrinkled skin will start to smooth out, and hair is growing.

Me @ 25 Weeks
The Baby Center also claims that my hair may be "more full and lusterous than ever". Ha. Looks like one of the pros of pregnancy has just skipped me by...big suprise :) Baby Zone notes that beginning round my 25th week I may start to notice aches and pains in some unusual places as your pregnancy progresses. For example, moments of shooting pains in your legs. This offers some explanation to the two days of pain I had over the weekend, and I have been having leg cramps for about two weeks as well. Baby zone also goes on to discuss the troubles of sleeping (and how they will also continue) that are related to: the belly bump (a bit hard to get comfy with all the body changes), breathing issues (as the uterus expands it pushes the lungs aside, making breaths shallower and more frequent), potty breaks (baby tap dancing on bladder = many late night trips to the restroom), and indigestion (along with squishing lungs and bladder, baby squishes stomach too!).

Ah, I cant wait to see what week 26 brings. For now, its off to yoga! (The less-crunchy one).

A Tale of Two Yogas

Mamá Yoga
Originally uploaded by Gisela Bohórquez

A few weeks ago I began taking a prenatal yoga class. I have never done yoga before, but it was often recommended as a great method for strecthing when I was training for a marathon last year. As my activity level dwindled during my pregnancy I knew I had to do something ... and yoga was my answer.

I actually enjoy the class and was interested in doing more of it, but found that the other prenatal classes my studio offered didnt really fit my schedule. I searched around online for other Chicago yoga studios that do prenatal yoga and found them few and far between. There was another studio that was often highly recommended, but it closed its doors this year. On that studios website it mentioned that the instructor would be teaching a class at the local YMCA - a class that fit my schedule! I signed up and was ready to begin my two-a-week yoga lifestyle.

I have had two weeks of the "new yoga" and about 8 weeks of the "old yoga". The two classes are TOTALLY different. Different poses and moves, but more importantly different instructors. The instructor for my new class is a bit "crunchy". She has done two home births, stresses natural births and appears to really be pushing the home method. She spends a great deal of time talking and delivering her birth philosophies. She also wants us to share our stories/concerns/plans, etc. While my other class embraces the yoga mentality and we spend time "sending colors to our babies", the instructor does not share her philosophies/opinions and spends very little time talking.

Its funny how two classes based on the same exercise, with the same audience (a bunch of pregnant ladies!) can be so different. So far I am really not getting a good vibe in my "crunchy" class but considering I signed up for a 9 week session it looks like I am there to stay :)

I Always Was A Good Test Taker

The past few days I have had some unusual uncomfortable pains. Of course they started on a Saturday, when the doctors office is closed until Monday. I sat around tying to self-diagnose via some web searches, and spent the weekend wondering if I should go to the ER. The baby is still punching and kicking me in the stomach, so nothing appeared to be wrong there :)

I decided to wait it out and call the doctor today, knowing full well that when I woke up this morning the pain would be gone...and of course, it was. I called anyway and they appear to think all is fine. I was told its not uncommon at the stage I am in pregnancy for the baby to move into a new position and camp out for a while - and for me to feel discomfort or even pain as a result of this new position. I was told that if I had it again, it got worse, or had any other symptoms that I should come in.

Shortly after I spoke with the doctor I got a message from my doctor's office, saying to call them back "but it was not an emergency". Of course, this made me worried. I called back and found out that they had my bloodwork back from my glucose screening test ... and that I passed! YAY! That was the best news I have gotten in a while! If I eventually found that I had gestational diabetes it means I would have had to give up foods that contain a lot of simple sugar, such as cake, cookies, candy or ice cream. Seriously, how could I live like that???? Speaking of cookies ... I think I am going to have to eat a few to reward myself for my excellent test-taking abilities.

Shopping!

There is obviously a lot of planning that goes into having a baby, and a lot of stuff to buy. Not only does the baby need a million things, but I have to keep buying new clothes because none of my old ones fit. This is both a blessing and curse of pregnancy. I love to shop ... but knowing which things the baby will need and making sure I buy the right things is a daunting task. I generally love to shop for clothes for myself as well, but buying clothes to fit my expanding waistline really is a lot less fun than I thought it would be. Anyway, I have a feeling a lot of the discussions on this blog will be about the things I have bought or am thinking about buying for the baby. So far I havent done a whole lot, but lets start at the basics :)

Body Pillow
The first thing I did was go out and get a Leachco Back N' Belly pillow. I am a bit of an insomniac and spend my nights tossing and turning. One of the first things I kept seeing during my early pregnancy research is the importance of sleeping on your side and avoiding sleeping on your back (check out this article for a bit more info). As a person with sleep problems I was a bit worried ... I sleep on all sides, but most often wake up on my back or stomach. Its technically ok to sleep on your stomach during pregnancy, but as you keep getting bigger it simply just becomes impossible. Sleeping on your back can actually have negatve consequences and is not advised at all as you get later in pregnancy. I still dont sleep well, and its getting a bit worse...but this pillow does give me a bit more structure and helps me force myself to try to lay on my side. (At least, having this huge thing around me is a constant reminder that I should be laying on my side!)













Furniture
Friends suggested I get on the furniture shopping asap, as occasional delivery delays can create a bit of an issue when you end up with a new baby and an empty nursery. I took their advice and ordered some stuff about a week ago, with an approximate 12 week delivery date. There are 3 pieces, though the pictures show them all in random colors I ordered them in "french vanilla" which is basically cream-colored:




    The crib















A dresser/chest (I didnt order the hutch, just the bottom part of this piece)















   And a corner bookshelf







Figures a few days after I get the stuff ordered, I notice a new post on the Baby Bargains Book Blog. Morigeau, the maker of all of the wonderful furniture I ordered, has just filed for bankruptcy. I need to call the place where I ordered it from to see whats up ... but hopefully I get my furniture :)

Clothes
I know that newborns dont need any fancy outfits and end up spending much of their time in onesies. But I also know that the kid needs some clothes! I need something to bring this baby home from the hospital in - it cant come home naked. I have a feeling that friends/family will be giving me baby clothes before the baby is born (who can resist buying that tiny stuff) so I doubt baby Schneider will be naked, but I thought I should get myself some minimal odds and ends to have around the house just-in-case. As we arent finding out the gender, I have found this to be a very challenging task. Many of the clothing manufacturers make baby clothes in three options: 1) Pink 2) Blue or 3) Yellow/Green. The assumption is that this yellow and/or green (sometimes alone, but often in combination) is "gender neutral". But how many little boys have you seen in pastel yellow or green? I am going to say not a whole lot. The other day I came across some grey/white stuff at Old Navy. It was on clearance and so I picked it up. It looked pretty neutral to me, and grey goes nice with either pink or blue ... so the pieces should be useful. So in the event the new baby doesnt receive any clothes before its born, its mommy was smart enough to plan ahead just a bit :)






















I also grabbed up a couple of organic onesies. I am all for incorporating as much organic materials as possible ... and these are both gender-neutral (in addition to being pretty darn cute)


Miscelaneous
I bought two additional things, a diaper bag and a "miracle blanket".



I wasnt looking for a diaper bag, but walked into a store that is closing and they had a cool one for 25% off. Its a Fleurville, which rarely (if ever) go on sale, so I snapped it up. The one I got is red, grey, turquoise and black...its from last years collection so you cant see it on the site, but the style is the same as the one to the right. Its actually pretty cute. This bag is not huge, so odds are I might need a second (bigger one) but should be ideal for simple trips. In case you are not familiar, Fleurville bags are pretty nice and have lots of benefits. This one: can be carried 3 ways (at a tote, messenger bag, or attached to stroller), has 2 fleece lined & 4 elastic topped pockets, 1 zippered pocket for valuables, an insulated bottle holder or FOB Wrist Bag,changing cloth, see-through wipe case, is Teflon® & PVC free.



I have seen the "miracle blanket" in pretty much every magazine and on every blog. They arent easy to find in stores (though after I got mine Babies R Us apparently has started carrying it), but I found a coupon and got free shipping ... so I ordered it. I want to make sure I can swaddle the heck out of this thing from day one :) The blanket looks really complicated but I am assuming once you get the hang of it its easy. (There is a video on the site that explains the whole thing you might want to check out.)

Maternity Clothes
I was able to wear (most) of my own clothes until 21 weeks. After that point nothing was working so I got some of the fundamentals. Since I am not working, I dont need a whole lot of fancy stuff ... and even when I am working I am a jeans-and-t-shirt-kind-of-girl. I did some research and found out what people thought were the best maternity jeans. Fit Pregnancy had 15 moms-to-be try on 168 pairs of jeans and came up with 9 favorites (1 each in 9 different categories): Paige Premium Denim Benedict Canyon, Momzee button-fly bootleg jean, 7 For All Mankind Ginger jean, Old Navy low-rise surplus pocket jean, Japanese Weekend Ok bootflare jean, Liz Lange Maternity for Target Belly Panel jean, Maternal America Megan trouser jean, Chip & Pepper Pamela Straight Bumpwatch jean and the Juliet Dream Heaven jean. Parents.com did something similar and came up with their own list of 9: Paige Premium Robertson Maternity Jean, Bella Dahl Twill Maternity Pants, Applique Maternity Jeans, Gap No Panel Trouser, Habitual Dark Wash Jean, Motherhood Maternity Secret Fit, Old Navy Roll-Over Jeans, Serfontaine Dark Denim Mezzanine Jean and the Secret Belly 7 for All Mankind Jean.

My favorite jeans are actually Paige denim, so I decided to start there. I found a local store, Krista K Maternity, that carried them and headed on over. I was told that the Paige Laurel Canyon was their most popular. So popular, in fact ... that they were sold out. I really needed some pants (read: none of mine would fit anymore!) so I tried on all of theirs until I found one I liked - a pair by Citizens of Humanity. I also ordered the ones by Paige.

. I have been wearing the Citizens jeans pretty much every day for the past 3 weeks. They were a bit big in the beginning and still are a bit big, but I have learned a bit more about maternity denim since then. There are basically three styles: over-the-belly, mid-belly, and under-the-belly. These Citizens are over-the-belly. They are better for when your belly is huge and holds the suckers up. Right now they are not the best fit for me. The Paige denim came in and are currently getting altered ... those are "mid-belly". And after talking to a few salespeople I got one more, a pair called "Lovestory" by J Brand. The J Brand are actually under-the-belly ... which would have been ideal for the past few weeks. So by the end of today (after I get myself to the cleaners) I will own three pairs of maternity jeans and figure I am not going to need much else for the duration I am in maternity clothing :)          














               J Brand                                Page Premium                         Citizens of Humanity

Weight Gain

One of the biggest challenges I have mentally had to face so far during this pregnancy is the weight gain. I have always been self conscious about my weight ... while not one of the fad-dieter types, I weigh myself frequency and have been pretty good my whole life about allowing little fluctuation. Sure I would like to weigh less (who wouldnt) but my primary focus has been on not weighing more. I am not the healthiest eater, but I watch what I eat, and I have always been pretty active.

Basically, the weight gain necessary for pregnancy both shocks and depresses me. As I watch the lbs tick up on the scale I cannot help but feel like I have little control in this matter! And its not just the current gain, but the need to take it off post-pregnancy already weighs heavily on my mind.

The American Pregnancy Association gives some helpful guidelines on weight gain, and also lets you know a bit more about the distribution of that weight you get go carry around...

First of all, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a weight gain of 25 to 37 pounds during pregnancy for women who were a "normal weight" before pregnancy. Those lbs break down in this approximate weight distribution:
7 1/2pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy.
1 1/2pounds is how much the placenta weighs.
4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume.
2 pounds is the weight of the uterus.
2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue.
4 pounds is because of increased blood volume.
7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients.
2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.
Total: 30 pounds

On a trimester basis:
First trimester: 3-5 pounds
Second trimester: 1-2 pounds per week
Third trimester: 1-2 pounds per week

I am not in the mood to share how much I have gained so far, but I can tell you that I am worried I am going to push these limits by the time 40 weeks arrives :)

Dr Visit & Glucose Screening Test

Today I had my regular monthly appointment with my OB/GYN. When you are pregnant, you spend most of your time doing two things: peeing and going to the doctor. As my due date draws nearer, I will have to start going every two weeks - and then eventually once a week. Today I was in an out in about 30 minutes, with the primary goal of the visit being my "glucose screening test"

According to the BabyCenter Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between 24 and 28 weeks. Thats right where I am, technically a day into my 25th week. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes causes the baby to grow too large (especially in the upper body), increasing the risk of having a difficult delivery and/or needing a cesarean section. It also raises the baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth.

How is the screening test done?
The pregnant lady (thats me) has to ingest a sugar solution that contains 50 grams of glucose in 3-5 minutes. One hour after drinking the solution, blood is drawn. Some centers make you drink the solution there - then wait an hour and draw blood. My doctor let me bring the solution home on my last visit, so I drank it at home and arrived at the dr in time for the blood draw.

The solution is really sweet ... and the flavor is not that good. Many people report getting sick and/or not being able to hold the stuff down ... including a friend or two of mine. Maybe I am lucky I regularly consume so much sugar. Although I would love to have been drinking something else, it didnt make me sick.

The goal of the test is to see how efficiently your body processes sugar. Results should be available in a few days, my doctor told me they would call me in a week. If the reading is abnormal (too high), which happens 15 to 23 percent of the time, then the real fun begins. I would need to go back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see if you I really do have gestational diabetes. Most women whose screening test shows elevated blood sugar don't end out to have gestational diabetes ... so they get to participate in the three-hour test just for fun :) This is the one one where most women really seem to get sick and would be nice if I am one of the 77-85% that don't have to go in for additional testing. Keep your fingers crossed!

Week 24

Today I am 24 weeks. In case you are reading and arent too sure what that means, a pregnancy is (estimated to be) 40 weeks. That is 9 calendar months, or TEN lunar months (assuming a month is 4 weeks)! I have completed 24 weeks and am currently 60% of the way through the process. Starting tomorrow I will begin my 25th week :) The Baby @ 24 Weeks
According to What to Expect: Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches. At this point in fetal development, the face is almost fully formed. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle. Most sources agree that once the baby has passed through its 24th week it is now viable outside of the womb. Basically that means the baby has a chance of survival if it is born at any point from now on. Obviously thats not ideal, and the risks are huge, but its pretty crazy to think that while I only "look fat" right now the baby is actually at such an advanced stage of development!

Me @ 24 Weeks
Its funny how all of the guides and books talk about the wonderful developmental stages your baby goes through each week. For the woman, each week basically lists new problems you will face, possible pregnancy symptoms and dangerous complications too look out for. For the 24th week I was warned of two things: increased insomnia/restlesness and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Insomnia? Check I am a problem sleeper and go through bouts of insomnia. On any given night it takes me hours to fall asleep...and if so much as a pin drops I wake up. During the bad parts, I dont sleep at all. I barely slept at all last week and had two nights where I literally didnt sleep. Now I could chalk this up to my normal insomnia battle, but is it a coincidence that its a symptom for this week? I think not :)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? Check According to the Baby Center: "Although you probably associate this condition with people whose jobs require repetitive hand movements (such as data processors, computer programmers, and assembly-line workers), it's also more prevalent in pregnant women. Symptoms may include numbness, tingling, burning, pain, or a dull ache in the fingers, hand, wrist, and even up the arm to the shoulder. In severe chronic cases, your hand may feel clumsy or weak. Symptoms usually affect both hands and can appear at any time, but they're more likely to begin or worsen in the second half of pregnancy when women tend to retain more fluid. The symptoms usually go away gradually after you give birth, as the swelling from pregnancy subsides." The site goes on to talk about how symptoms often occur at night ... which explains why each night this week my hands and arms have been falling asleep. So while my brain cannot shut off and I lay in bed awake each night, my hands and arms have no problem taking up the slack. So as I try to make myself fall asleep I need to take repeated breaks to try to shake off the numbness in my hands and arms. Its been a fun week ... Most sources also suggest that I am very obviously pregnant to others at this time. They discuss the liklihood of people (including randoms) touching my stomach. I obviously have not had to deal with this and dread the moment it happens, but luckily people dont generally touch fat womens stomachs. As long as I just look chubby and avoid the pregnant look I should be able to keep people paws off me :)

Q&A

There are some common questions people ask when they find out (or assume) you are pregnant. Thought I would get them out of the way nice and early :)

When are you due?
My projected due date is October 8, 2008. Of course, that doesnt say a whole lot. Statistics show that only 5-10% of women actually give birth on their due date. But 80% give birth within 10 days of their due date (10 days before and 10 days after). Assuming I fall into the 80%, I am due somewhere between September 28 and October 16.

Are you having a boy or a girl? / Are you going to find out the gender?
This is a battle I lost. I wanted to know, Jeff didnt. We agreed not to find out the gender this time, but in the event we decide to go through this whole process again the topic will be open for discussion.

What do you think it will be? / What do you want it to be?
I think this is an odd question, but its still pretty common. When we say we arent finding out, some people want us to predict the gender ... and others want us to pick a favorite. I think its a natural instinct for men to want a "son" and women to want a "daughter"...but we dont have any vibes either way and certainly will be happy with whatever we get. As far as I know, its difficult to exchange them after they are born anyway :)

Have you chosen a name(s)?
We have discussed names, but arent 100% on either a boy or girl name. That being said, its a working process ... but we arent sharing our choice. So when we do finally decide, the world will find out the same time as the baby does ;)

How are you feeling?
This is a funny question because often it seems like people dont want to hear the answer. They dont want you to tell them anything negative, but often its a question women appear to ask so that they themselves can talk about their own pregnancies. If I say "fine", then they tell me about how great and/or horrible they felt when they were at the same stage as me. If I talk about my aches-and-pains, they often reply with one of three options 1) theirs were so much worse than mine and I would never even be able to understand 2) theirs were were so much worse than mine currently are ... and I am really going to be miserable when mine eventually get that bad or 3) they loved/enjoyed that part of pregnancy and I should think its a blessing of some sort.

Honestly, I think I hate this question. My answers are never "right" and I dont really want to hear the wonderful or hellish stories they have in return. Overall my pregnancy has been pretty normal. I have had a lot of the bad stuff and felt miserable, but none of it has been at the extreme end and and I am still chugging along :)

Are you "showing" yet?
I get this one mostly from friends/family I dont see often (or havent seen at all). The answer to this is both yes and no. People who know me well can tell that I am showing ... I have gained a ton of weight, walk a bit funny, and wear loose-fit clothes. But they can really tell because they know I am pregnant and are checking me out whenever they see me.

I have yet to be approached by a stranger (and I hear this is not only one of the most irritating, but most common "side effects" of pregnancy) asking me any strange questions or offering me advice. I assume this is because I am at the "Is she?" or "Isn't she?" stage. I could just be fat, or round, and for a stranger to ask me about my pregnancy right now could be a bit inappropriate. For those of you familiar with the movie Two Weeks Notice (Hugh Grant & Sandra Bullock), it would be like the scene in which Hugh congratulates a woman on her baby...and she replied "What baby?". Oops.

Technically, I am "showing". None of my old clothes fit, as I said I am definitly upping the poundage, and I am taking on the shape of a beach-ball.

Update (4:48pm): Shortly after I submitted this post I had a dentist appointment. This is the conversation I had with the dental hygenist:
Hygenist: "Has anything changed in your medical history / status?"
Me: "No, but I am pregnant"
Hygenist: "Congratulations! So no x-rays today?"
Me: "Nope!"
Hygenist: "How far along are you?"
Me: "24 weeks"
Hygenist"I dont know that much about pregnancy ... how many months is that?"
Me: "About 5 months"
Hygenist: "Wow! You don't even look pregnant. You look...(pause)"
Me: "Fat?"
Hygenist: "Yeah. Sorry."

So that confirms it. To the people I pass here and there, I just look fat, not pregnant. Just to clear up the conversation, the hygenist was not being rude ... she could obviously tell I didnt care / had a good sense of humor. She wasnt hurting my feelings, but did think I just looked chunky versus pregnant :) Which explains why they make shirts like the one to the right.

Why The Blog?

I have been blogging for a bit now, since I began training for the Chicago Marathon in the Spring of 2008. My other blog began as a training blog and now has really turned into a "daily musings blog" in which I simply chat about my life and the world around me. I have refrained from baby talk on that blog for a few reasons 1) many of the people who check it out are from my running-blogging-friends group and most likely do not want to be inundated with baby-blabber and 2) up until now I really havent done a whole lot of chatting about the baby at all! I spend a lot of my time on the internet, whether it be for research (I am a PhD student), for fun (love the celebrity gossip), or just to pass the time (as a PhD student, I have summers off!). Recently I find much of what I am doing revolves around this upcoming baby: searching product reviews, learning more about pregnancy and/or parenthood, reading about the experiences of other's who have gone through this process...etc. I really chronicled my marathon experiences but have not done so with this "marathon leap" and you know what? I am beginning to feel a bit guilty about it... Now as I am approaching towards the end of my second trimester, I figured its better late than never, right?

... A Baby in a Baby Carriage?

A Little About Us
Just before we found out we were expecting (seriously, about a few days before) we bought a new home. We moved in shortly after and have been living in a largely empty house that we are very slow to furnish for the past few months. Currently there are three of us living happily (well, most of the time) in the Schneider household. Myself, Jeff & Wrigley.

Dawn & Jeff
We are two 30-something Chicagoans who both love the Cubs, reality television, city-living, and our dog, Wrigley. Outside of a few mutual interests, Jeff and I are about as opposite as can be. This can be both good and bad for a relationship ... and we will find out how that works in parenthood in just a few more months.
There is that old saying, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage". This saying is quite out-of-date, considering a good amount of marriages do not appear to be based on love and these days the baby often precedes the whole marriage thing. They also seem to forget to mention that often somewhere after the marriage thing comes divorce (though this actually occurs more often in childless couples)

This is one thing the Jeff (the hubby) and I appear to have done correctly, though we may have taken one of the more lengthy strolls along this journey than most. Jeff and I met our freshman year in college. We actually lived directly across the hall from one another in a co-ed dorm. We were instant friends, but didnt begin dating until the end of that year. We dated for 8 years before we got married, and now are expecting a baby ... several months past our 5-year wedding anniversary. The things we do are never suprising and often when we share our exciting steps with others we get reponses more similar to "It's about time" than "Congratulations!". Our friends that started dating long after we did got married before us. And our friends that got married after us are already on kid #2 or #3. But, we are happy with our slow-and-steady style and think we are finally ready to add to our family.

Wrigley
Wrigley was named after a place in which Jeff & I often enjoy spending much of our summer...rooting on the home team and doing some people watching. Wrigley is a 72 pound chocolate labrador retreiver that can be a bit high-maintenance at times. She is high-energy and often needs to run simply to get (what we affectionately refer to as) the crazies out of her system. She is also exremely independent, but demands attention when she is in the mood. She prefers to sleep on couches & beds versus the floor (thats where the common canine sleeps), refuses to drink "dirty water" (this includes water with her own drool in it), prefers not to socialize with most other dogs (especially if they are yellow) and selectively listens/pays attention based on what else she has going on. Despite her occasional snootiness, she tends to be loving and charismatic and has been the source of most of our entertainment over the past 5 years. She tends to win people over quickly, and in fact most people prefer her to Jeff and I. She has been treated like a princess by all members of the family: receiving the most attention and praise, never being able to do wrong, and always being the #1 gift recipient at the holidays. She is unaware of the changes coming and may soon find her throne ripped out from underneath her :)