We went in for our 32 week checkup (at 33 weeks) and everything is going great. Andrea's belly is 33 centimeters which is perfect. We met the fourth and final midwife on our midwife team. They are all nice and we're excited to have them involved with the birth. We start our birthing classes on July 11th. It's all coming up so fast.

Neddy is still very active. He's actually started to respond to voices and pressure. The other day I was feeling Andrea's belly and I said, "Hello in there," and put a little pressure on one side. A second after I released, Andrea said she felt a kick/poke at that exact spot. Well you know me, I had to try it again, but this time I kept my hand there to feel for myself. Lo and behold, I got a high-five. Patty-cake is going to be a blast! :)

Over the threshold...



...and into our new home.

We got the keys to our new home today and celebrated the occasion with a sparkling cider toast. To all the gatherings of friends and family in our happy home.

I not only got to carry Andrea over the threshold, I got to carry Neddy too. Now...time to start cleaning.

Last night Andrea and I attended a baby class put on by the Evergreen Medical Center called "Happiest Baby on the Block" based on the book by Dr. Harvey Karp. Some of you have probably seen it since it was featured on Dr. Phil.



The class was very interesting. There was the perfect test subject in the class, a 6 week old fussy little boy. His father had him out in the hall and the instructor kept asking the mom to bring him in. Finally he did and the instructor, a certified doula, swaddled him up and held him in her arms on his side and just like that, it was like she flipped a switch and the baby stopped crying and fell asleep. It was pretty freakin' awesome!

Then to top it off she gave her entire presentation with the baby swaddled sleeping in her arm. No fuss the entire time.

We got a DVD (which apparently is much easier to follow than the book) and a CD full of white noise as part of the class. I just wanted to share the 5 S's on here in case anyone doesn't know them yet. And as with all things, practice makes perfect when using these tools. Check out their website, or get the book if you want more information.

1. Swaddling (use when fussy and for sleeping)
   • Use a large blanket 40" or larger (not a receiving blanket)
   • Fold 12 o'clock corner down. Place babies shoulders just above the top of the fold. Put the babies left arm down at their side keeping the blanket very snug
   • Get the 6 o'clock corner, and keep the right arm down while you pull it up and tuck it over the babies right shoulder (leave some slack at the bottom)
   • Come 1/3 of the way toward the 9 o'clock corner and fold it in making a v-neck.
   • Hold the v-neck in place and get the 9 o'clock corner. Come across the waist pull tight and tuck in the front.
   • Make sure there is no excess fabric around the head as this could stimulate the baby to want to eat.
2. Side Lying - removes the moro reflex (a feeling of falling, after all gravity is a new sensation to a newborn)
3. Shushing - Blow past your babies ear, make sure you're louder than your baby. Bring it down with your baby. To continue this, use white noise after you put the baby down.
4. Swaying/Swinging - This helps to simulate the movement of the head in the womb. Hold your hand flat and create a soft head jiggle. Using a bouncer or a swing is a good way to keep this movement going so you can get some sleep.
5. Sucking - Give your baby your finger or a pacifier to help calm them. Don't use a pacifier until breast feeding is well established because some babies will have trouble distinguishing between a pacifier and mother.

One reason why babies like car rides so much is it brings all of these together. The tightness and positioning of the car seat, the white noise of the road, and the rocking of the car. Brilliant, but with gas prices...yea, time to find alternatives :)

The thing to remember is: If your baby is calmed using these techniques but then gets fussy when they stop think; What were we doing when we made the baby happy? and How can we keep that going?

I'm not a father yet, but I got a card today, my first Father's day card. It was nice, brought a smile to my face. Of course inside was the standard tale that as soon as the little bundle of joy comes, for the rest of my life Father's day will be the one and only day I get to sleep in. :)

This Father's day weekend was also special because I was able to spend it with my dad. It was the first time in 10 years that I saw my him on Father's day. Now, it's not completely my fault, for 6 years he was in Australia, and for the last few I was probably working. Anyway, we had a very nice weekend. As an added bonus, my brother Luke drove down from Sidney, Nebraska this weekend as well. So my dad had both his sons home for Father's day. I can only hope that little Neddy will be visiting me when he's 28 years old.

Let's have a toast. Happy (grand)Father's Day.

This weekend I attended my 10 year High School reunion. While I was there I got to see how many of the people I grew up with had families. Kids were the hot commodity, the in thing, the accessory to trump all accessories. The next generation is taking shape and so far they're looking pretty good.

Please add a comment with your new family pictures, or if you can't figure out how just email me and I'll add them in for you.