Another Procedure

Wil had another procedure for his bad disc today. To sum it up, they cauterized his bad disc, burned off some nerve endings, and hoped that the procedure would close the tear in the disc. We all thought it was a little too late since his surgery was already scheduled, but the doctors are still hoping that it'd help some. He's sound asleep right now on the couch and I'm hoping his pain would be minimum. It'd be a rough couple of days for us, so updating might be light. I'm gonna take a nap while all the kids and papa are down. Later!

Chase Riley

Have I mentioned that we decided on Chase Riley for the name? With Uma as her mother, I personally think that she got off pretty easy. I like something short and not too girly. And she definitely feels like a Chase. And for those who have been asking about the baby's registry, we have set up a few at Walmart and Target. I feel a little strange about the registry because it's not a tradition in Thailand, but I'm sure it'd make shopping for the Seed a bit easier. Chase sends her heart felt thanks :).

We'll be babysitting an 8-week old puppy on Sunday and Monday. Tucker is a black Cocker Spaniel and belongs to our friends Carol and Bryan. Carol has brought Tuck to play with the boys a couple of times and they are learning to behave around a tiny little baby. Paddy is still a little too rough with him but Brutus has been great. I'll try to take some pictures, if I can get any of them to sit still long enough together.

24 Weeks

I'm almost certain that I'll be giving birth to a 5-year-old. That's the only explanation I have for gaining 10 lbs in the last 4 weeks, which brings the total up to 25 lbs so far. At least now I know that all the aches and pains I'm experiencing are very real and not made up by my overactive imagination. We took the belly picture with my computer's built-in camera, so the lighting and resolution are not ideal. Perhaps it's for the best since I'd hate to scare you into following through with that old favorite New Year Resolution of eating less and moving more.

24 Weeks

20 Weeks pic for comparison.

I'm having cereal for dinner for the rest of my pregnancy.

P.S. Thanks, Rachel, for your helpful suggestions. I'm gonna go browse now.

Baby Registry?

Friends and families have been very kind and wanting to buy stuff for the Seed. The problem is I'm utterly clueless when it comes to what to get the baby and was getting pretty comfortable with the idea of sending her off to school in a pair of socks and maybe a toga. My mom told me not to buy any clothing items, since she lives in Bangkok, the world's garment manufacturing capital. A few friends started asking if we had registered. Wil and I didn't register when we got married. We collectively had enough stuff between the two of us and honestly didn't need anything more. I'm of the school of minimalism and was just overwhelmed by the vast amount of things I saw online. Wil bought me one of those maternity magazines that came with a buying guide, which eased my anxiety a touch. I apparently way underestimated even the basics to keep a newborn happy and comfortable. So, to parents out there, what are items you can't live without? Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Rebecca, I re-read your Top Ten post and took notes. Thanks. Ok, should head to bed. I'll post 24-week pictures tomorrow.

Which Ugly Crib Would You Like?

Wil has been bugging me for days to pick out a crib for the Seed. With his upcoming surgery and the subsequent downtime, we're trying to set up the nursery before one of us has to worry about holding stitches together and the other being too big to move in any kind of coordinated fashion. The problem is none of the major retailers would ship a bulky piece of furniture over here. So it falls on the fine buyers at aafes to pick out the crib for our kid. Since aesthetic is never raked high on the military's priority, why should the family members concern themselves with this minor detail? Well, you see Mr./Ms Buyer, I'd hate to have to loudly curse out every time a sight of a crib comes into my view, especially if my child, with her virgin ears still intact, is laying peacefully in it. Seriously, we've hit every BX/PX/Furniture Store in the nearby posts/bases and I finally am convinced that aafes stores are where ugly furnitures come to die. Yesterday my poor husband feebly suggested that we should just buy a pack and play and call it a day already, after weeks of looking at the same ugly 5 cribs at different stores. We thought about buying stuff on the economy, but I also would like to have some money left over after the nursery is finished to put her through a state college. With the exchange rate the way it is, the only trip to IKEA this momma is making is strictly for fabrics. But after an exhausting search, we found a way to get our baby some decent looking furnitures. There's a crib that I actually LOVE and Wil can tolerate on aafes.com. We found a very helpful Furniture Store Manager two posts away who's willing to order it through his store for us and have it ship over. Apparently, it's not a practice they advertise because they would rather you take the ugly cribs off their hands. I was so happy I wanted to hug the man but didn't want him to get a weird vibe from me and change his mind. Wil painted the nursery and now we'll have very nice looking furnitures to fill the room. I'm actually beginning to get excited about decorating, which is a big deal for me since the only thing that really gets me going these days is the prospect of a fabulous feast that I don't have to make or clean up afterwards.

My Feisty Baby Girl

It's nice to finally know that we are having a baby girl. I must tell you that I'm ecstatic. While I'll be grateful for a healthy baby, I must confess that I was secretly hoping for a little girl. Wil is a touch over protective but I guess that's a normal response from a dad, who had quite a run during his bachelor days. He said to me after we came back from the hospital and finally settled down for the evening on our couch, "you know she's going to be beautiful." He said this with a worried look that was accompanied by a heavy sigh. It had to be the most endearing thing I've discovered about my husband as a father thus far. I normally try to ensure him that her big brain will be the thing that carries her through life and he still has years before having to get background screening for frequent visitors. I'm not sure that's helping much.

As Wil said in the previous post, we went to the hospital to get a quick check up because I was having bad cramps and lower backaches. Even though the nurse I spoke to on the phone was pretty sure that it was just normal pregnancy discomfort, she asked me to come in just to be sure. Unbeknownst to me, another girl from Baumholder, who was just about as far along in her pregnancy as me and having similar symptoms, was admitted because she was already dilated 3 cm. It was New Year's Eve and I've been thinking about her a lot since and hoping that all would turn out just fine for both mom and baby. Our girl was mighty active for about 48 hours straight before I started to experience pain. Even the doctor and the nurse commented on what a busy body she was while they were trying to listen to the heartbeats and do the ultrasound. Since the hospital visit, she's calmed down quite a bit and actually letting me get some sleep. It's so weird to say that the baby keeps me up already. I don't think I've ever slept longer than 4 hours at a time since the Seed's conception. Well, at least I'll already be accustomed to the sleep deprivation comes April.

Both friends and fams greet the news of a baby girl Steinhauer with amazing enthusiasm. Apparently, there's been such a girl drought in our circle. Wil instituted the no-Laura-Ashley-anything mainly for my sister Kwan because she had been looking at, and perhaps already stocking up on, party dresses with lots of flowing flower prints and layers of tulles a little too longingly. Can't blame a dad for not wanting his baby to look like an over decorated cupcake. I also got to break the good news to a few of my relatives in Thailand on New Year's day. Grandmas were all elated and one kindly reminded me, multiple times, that she almost died giving birth to my mom and her siblings. Thanks, grandma. Nothing shakes me up like your pep talk. Thank God for modern medicine and drugs.

I am broke for life.

Well we found out yesterday that I will be broke for the rest of my life. Uma was having some funny pains so we went to the Labor and Delivery office at Landstuhl to get her checked out. The Dr. said she was fine it was just a different round ligament pain. He was cool enough however to give us another ultra sound and let us know beyond a doubt that we are having a baby girl. I am so screwed. So yes all of you who were hoping for karma to come back around got your wish, but its alright cause I already bought my gun. We do have rules for anybody wishing to buy anything and they are simple. NOTHING PINK, RUFFLES, BARBIE, OR LAURA ASHLEY COLLECTION. I think that they are pretty simple to live by. I hope everybody had a great Christmas and New Year. As Uma said we spent most of the time on the couch sick but we are both feeling much better now. We spent last night on the couch listening to fireworks, trying to comfort the babies with the booms going off and watching football. Well here is to a new year and all the excitement that it will bring.