Nervous? Ummm...:-)

Although, I agree that trial by fire is probably the best way to learn, I think we could use a bit more time to prepare for Jocelyn Dave is right...we do have the nursery furniture, some beautiful clothes and some fabulous books. However, we have no car equipped with a car seat in which to get Jocelyn home from the hospital . We do have the car seat, thanks to Jocelyn's second cousin Dawn, but it is still be in a big box in the basement. And since the doctor seemed to think the car seat was important (she asked me about it at my last visit and I had to promise her we would have it ready to take Jocelyn home in when the time came), we should probably get to the local fire department to figure out how to put it in correctly!! Besides the car seat and all the other things that Dave is unaware that we still need...baby bottles, baby soap, etc...I am not mentally ready. I would love a few more weeks of mental preparation before the next phase of our lives. And maybe the thought of labor is an afterthought for Dave but it's a fairly good size mental hurdle for me...Give us (me) a bit more time, Jocelyn:)

Jocelyn = Godot

Some day soon, when I am in a sleep-deprived state, I will probably regret saying that I would like to fast-forward through the rest of the pregnancy and just go straight to actual parenthood, but that's pretty much how I feel. We've got the nursery set up, we've got the stroller, we've read a bunch of books, we have enough baby clothes (thanks to generous gift-givers) that we may never have to do a load of laundry, and now we're pretty much just waiting for her to decide that it's time to join the party. I say, let's get on with it already! (I say this with full knowledge that Julie probably feels like we are not even close to being ready.)

In all seriousness, I think there's a finite amount of knowledge and skill one can acquire by simply reading about how to care for a baby. After that, one needs to learn by doing. I'm excited to dive in and get to know the Peanut.

Bump Report, Vol. 2

Jocelyn continues to physically announce her presence, as these pics will attest. It's pretty wild to watch Julie's belly as Jocelyn moves around - these little protrusions, little knees and elbows, shifting about. We'll have to see if we can catch that on video sometime soon.

Jocelyn seems most active when there is ambient noise in the room - like when we are watching TV or out having a meal (she seems especially drawn to telecasts of the Sox and Pats). I think she is going to be drawn to action, and not a very sedentary baby. Hopefully she will like her rest too. :)

We took a baby CPR class yesterday with our parents. It was very informative and more fun than I expected - we really can't say enough about our experience thus far with Mass General. We learned not only about techniques for resuscitation and what to do if the child is choking, but also how to baby-proof the house and what types of things we should and shouldn't have in the nursery. And we found out that the instructor's in-laws live about 3 doors down from the new house in Wellesley, and that she lives just a couple of streets over. Small world. She had a lot of great things to say about the neighborhood, and affirmed what we had heard about it being "The Diaper Belt" (apparently there are quite a few young families within a few block radius). We are very excited to get settled in there.

Julie tells me that the pain she had started to feel from the skin stretching around her belly has pretty much subsided. She feels great and continues to look wonderful. We feel very lucky.

If any of you out there have requests for specific information on Julie or the baby, let us know and we'll d our best to post on it!

T-Minus...

Today is November 1st. Which means that next month I am due to become a parent. Uh oh. Am I ready?

The Nesting Instinct

This flurry of posts is due to us realizing that we can post photos with each blog entry (a couple of technical gurus here)! Blogging is so much easier when you can let the pictures do the talking for you. And since we also discovered that we can post videos, AND just got a new Handycam yesterday, maybe we'll do the Bump Report Vol. 2 live on location from Manchester, MA. Stay tuned.

Here's one more photo - Jocelyn's nursery. We just got the furniture last week. Actually there will be an addition to the room shortly, as the UPS man just arrived with a glider chair that we ordered. On the window sill are some of the stuffed animals Jocelyn received as gifts at the shower this weekend, and on the foot of the crib is the beautiful quilt that aunt Janet made for her. Tucked away in the armoire are all the clothes she received. You all are going to make her a very well-dressed little one, and helping us make her feel welcome! Thank you all again.

Baby Shower #1

Julie had a baby shower this past weekend with friends and family from New Hampshire. She had a great time celebrating with everyone (and her Dad and I had a great time killing a few hours at the Portsmouth Brewery while the shower was going on). Jocelyn got some wonderful, generous and thoughtful gifts, and she thanks everyone who came out to help us prepare for her arrival. Here are a few shots from the party:



Those crazy Gagne girls.














A few future babysitters.














Cousin Alex was there to meet her new BFF.











Julie has a second shower scheduled in a couple of weeks with friends and family from MA. After that I was thinking we could convert it into a musical and take it on the road. :)

Thanks everyone!

The Bump Report, Vol. 1

Here's Jocelyn in all her glory. Actually this picture was taken about a week ago, so another update is due soon. Maybe we'll work on that tonight.