32 Weeks (and 2,200 miles)

We (and by that I mean our marriage) managed to survive 35 hours in the car together, covering some 2,200 miles in a mere eight days. Is it too bold to say... If we can make it through I-95 holiday traffic, we can make it through anything. Call me naive, but I just don't see any forthcoming tests that might challenge us with discomfort, sleeplessness, confinement, and stress any more than that trip. Now, on to the child scheduled to come screaming from Kate's womb in February...

According to the Rex Hospital weekly email, here's the update on Baby Girl's development:

• She's approximately 16 to 18 inches in length and weighs 4 to 5 pounds.
• She is beginning to develop her own immunity to mild infections. If she were born now, she could survive outside the womb and resist some disease.
• Her appearance is similar to that at birth, but she will fill out more in the next few weeks.
• She may be positioning for birth with her head turned down toward the pelvis.

Dryden (Extended) Family Christmas

Kate got a belly rub from each niece and nephew at the Dryden Family Christmas in Newnan, Georgia. So, Baby Girl has met all of her cousins. 20 in all! (21 if you count Collin Hansen, just 6 weeks behind her in the womb.) She was compliant, as we hoped, and kicked away to the squealish delight of her aunts, girl cousins, and father.

This video gives a little sense of the organized chaos that defines Dryden get togethers. A little later in the afternoon, the adults swapped reading material in our second annual book exchange. To his forever amusement, Paul is now the proud owner of Who Cut the Cheese: A Cultural History of the Fart.

Thanks to Julie and Brandon for being gracious hosts.

Christmas Morn

Baby Girl started kicking at 5.30 this morning and didn't let up until it was clear her parents were awake and giving her their full attention. This does not bode well for our idyllic image of leisurely Christmas morns (a la the McKnight household). By some stroke of misfortune, this child seems to have those Dryden genes that prevent her from falling asleep on Christmas Eve and that waken her at ungodly hours on Santa Claus day.

Flash forward five years...Paul & Kate haven't grabbed a decent night's sleep since February 2009 and are looking forward to waking up slowly on Christmas Day. But the Devil-in-Dryden gene (that's loosed exclusively on Christmas morn, I hope) switches on at 4.30 am. She bounds into our bedroom and starts whispering. Wake up. That doesn't work. She starts poking gently. Too early for that to work. So she goes straight to four-alarm waling: Time to open presents! 

If she has the true Devil-in-Dryden gene, she persists until the only choices we have involve surrender or a deed that would bring Child Services to our home.

This is the Dryden way. My siblings and I did it to my parents, as they did to theirs, and so on and so on ad infinium. I suspect Baby Girl served notice this morning that the sins of the children shall be revisited upon them as parents. Sorry Kate!

Christmas Eve

Twas the night before Christmas, and we bundled up to walk through the dripping remains of the Great '08 Lock Haven ice storm to attend Eve service at the Great Island Presbyterian Church. Yet again, Kate donated her belly for communal benefit as churchgoers of all type rubbed and patted at Baby Girl's shell.

This is Paul's fourth Christmas in Lock Haven, and he's beginning to get the flow of the traditions. The only ones left...partaking of the "Christmas Story" marathon on TBS, and waking slowly in the morning for leisurely breakfast and utterly civilized gift unwrapping. Ah, Baby Girl, your parents had vastly different Christmas morning experiences growing up!

McKnight Camp: Brrrrrr....

Negative four degrees! That doesn't account for wind chill or the fact that these Drydens have developed decidedly Southern blood. These temperatures are nearly incomprehensible to Paul, and he has begun questioning the sanity of Pennsylvania living.

That being said, it's beautiful up here and so very peaceful. Walks in the brisk air are refreshing (when no skin is bared to the wind and the warmth of a fireplace greets your return). We always value our trips here, and we look forward to introducing Baby Girl to Camp next summer.

Baby Girl's 1st Snow (Prenatal)

At the McKnight Camp in Punxie, Pennsylvania.

31 Weeks

We made the long trip from Raleigh to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania yesterday. Kate shows off her festiveness with this 31 week belly shot. We're chillin' with the McKnights through Christmas.

From What to Expect:

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 31 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night.

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

OB Visit

The gynechiatrist visits are now every two weeks through this last stretch of the pregnancy. Dr. Richardson measured Kate's belly at 31 cm, and we heard Baby Girl's heart humming at 150 beats per minute. All looks good, and Kate excels at filling a sample cup on the shortest demand.  

Turns out Dr. Richardson is only a week behind us in her pregnancy.  Some how I doubt she'll be the physician wearing the catcher's mitt when Baby Girl makes her grand entrance into the delivery room.  The good news though...she is -- like us -- delivering at Rex Hospital and will use whatever OB happens to be on call when she goes into labor. Yes, it would have been disconcerting were she to go to WakeMed or insist on using a gynechiatrist not available to us.  This chef eats at her own restaurant. 

30 Weeks

We're getting oh-so-close to single-digit weeks in our count down, and there are mental preparations in the making.

At the GMH Christmas party, Deborah told us the story of birthing her second child in Holland. She went into labor, the doctor told her there was plenty of time, but she got in the car for the hospital anyway.  Half-way there, she told her husband to pull over...it's time!  Within minutes she had given birth from the passenger's seat of her Saab, pulled over on the Dutch thruway.

Kate is listening much more intently to these sort of stories now. She has since estimated the    

driving time to Rex Hospital from virtually any location she might reasonably find herself over the next two months, and she's beginning to quiz Paul to make sure he knows, too.  For example, she believes it's 15 minutes to Rex from our home in good traffic. But you better bake in an extra 5 minutes during rush hour.  From the office, it's only 6 minutes.  From Paul's office, it's 12 minutes.  Et cetera.

There's no way Kate will allow her Baby Girl to enter this world in the front seat of a grimy Mitsubishi on the side of I-440!  Nor the backseat of a Greyhound Bus.

According to the weekly emails from Rex Hospital ...

• Baby Girl is approximately 15 to 16 inches (head to toe) and weighs 3 to 4 pounds.
• She can use all five of her senses: hearing sounds; seeing bright lights in the womb; and tasting, touching, and even smelling the amniotic fluid surrounding her.
• Her toenails have grown and are completely formed. 

Baby Shower in Concord

Our friends threw a shower, and Baby Girl came away with some killer loot. Kate Morrison hosted and so many girlfriends came in from Charlotte, Columbia, Raleigh, Louisville, Chicago...it was a wonderful weekend topped off that evening by watching the Davidson Wildcats beat UT-Chattanooga 100 to 95 in Belk Arena.

29 Weeks

Kate is feeling very well, and we're enjoying feeling Baby Girl kick more and more. Kate has started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions (though Paul still thinks these are Baby Girl's head, butt, elbow, etc.).  According to What to Expect...

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. At 29 weeks pregnant, you can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet.
 
Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever.   Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).

MJ(M)'s Wedding -- Lake Junaluska, NC

We got up at 4 am to make the drive from Kiawah Island to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina to celebrate Melissa Jakeman's marriage to Ted Mitchell. The ceremony and all the activities were a perfect reflection of Melissa's personality, and we enjoyed sharing the moment with all her friends and family.  It was also a great chance to catch up with some old friends from Auburn High School, like Kimmie Schmidt and Ryan Duncan.

Kiawah Island

Our annual trek to Kiawah Island to run the half-marathon, joining George & Katie and Michael & Beth. This was Kate's first time sitting out in seven years, so she and Katie tended to 3-month old Emma while Paul and George sweated out the 13-miler. Beth also did the half, but Michael (insane man that he is) turned right to tack another 13 mile loop when every half-witted runner knew to turn left and cross the finish line. He's the stud of the weekend, and thus the well-deserved trophy hoisted on his shoulder.

A little video of the weekend (sorry about the jerky motion on Google Video)...

Corn Syrup Redux

Kate was kind enough to record her syrup binge for Paul's entertainment. Her face tells the full story. Enjoy this important (and for some of us, entertaining) milestone in development of Baby Girl...

The Dreaded Corn Syrup Drink

Kate goes in to see the gynechiatrist tomorrow for the gestational diabetes test.  Part of the joy is drinking this concoction beforehand.  She's been looking forward to it for two weeks now.  Mmmm...good.  Paul hates being in Dallas and missing the entertainment of watching Kate throw back some heavy duty sugar water.

28 Weeks and a Visit with Franklin & Martha

We have officially entered the final leg of this pregnancy journey by beginning the 3rd trimester this week! Baby Girl is kicking like crazy, and Kate is feeling all the reminders of a swelling uterus: side stitches, back pain. shortness of breath, etc.  But none of that is too bad (writes Paul) as this pregnancy keep sailing smoothly.

What to Expect tells us Baby Girl is up to 2 1/2 lbs and is 16 or so inches head to toe. She's blinking, coughing, and her lungs are developed enough to do some breathing.  We need those organs to keep maturing and she's got to pile on the fat if for no other reason than we (Paul) intend to keep house thermostat set to 61 degrees even after she arrives...Baby Girl will be hardy.

Franklin took these pictures in front of their lovely Christmas tree. It's meant to create the illusion that the NC Drydens have their own, but we don't.  With December here, we won't be home for a single weekend this month.  Who needs a tinder box shedding needles on your living room floor when you won't even be around to enjoy it? Ba-hum bug.

Finally, as we see from the picture, Paul's uteral envy has not yet subsided.  Though the competition was over a couple months ago, he doesn't quite know when to gather his things and get off the field of play.  There's just no beating the true mama's belly. 

Thanksgiving 2008

This was our third straight Thanksgiving at home, as Kate was on call and we both wanted some down time before the December travels pick up.  Deidra whipped us up the decadent sugar turkey (on the left), and we put our own turkey (a 6 pounder...a weight Baby Girl is striving for) in the crock pot.  

Time traveler note to Donabel for Thanksgivings past:  put the turkey in the slow cooker!  It's easy. It comes out moist!  You don't require the ladles full of gravy and tall glasses of water to wash down every bite.   

Virginia Drydens Come For a Visit

The NC Drydens had a very nice visit today from the VA Drydens on their way down see the SC Johnsons for Thanksgiving. Believe it or not, after 3 1/2 years of living on Frank Street, this is the first visit from the Dryden side of the family. Perhaps we were a bit anxious that our small house couldn't fit everyone comfortably, but we're talking about Drydens here!  Where ever they lay their heads is their home.  The kids flung themselves onto each cushioned surface and slept a solid 8, 9, 10 hours.  

Here we have a pile-on to Aunt Kate after plenty of belly rubs to greet Baby Girl, their cousin in waiting.

27 Week Video

We purchased a camera/video recorder for early-Christmas, in anticipation of much snapping away when Baby Girl gets here. This is one of the early shots from it. Subject: Pregnant Belly.

Grandma Barb in Town

Kate's mom is in town for a few days while Paul travels to Indianapolis on business. Baby Girl has grown quite a bit since we saw the McKnights several weeks ago, so Barb is greeted by the belly of swelling girth.


It's Barb's first time feeling Baby Girl kick, and we hear Ted is jealous he'll have to wait until Christmas before having that pleasure. Baby Girl has a little stage fright when Barb gets to town, but by the next morning she's kicking up a storm for her grandmother.


The two ladies will spend Friday shopping for Baby Girl and scheming about everything they want Paul to do to the nursery. He's finding that the hunny-do list swells in proportion to Kate's belly.

26 Weeks & a Proper Church Photo

Look at the Dryden Family getting all proper. We joined First Presbyterian Church a few weeks ago, and now we get all purtied up for the family photo after church. Kate is at 26 weeks and feeling great (except for the occassional pain in the side and ribs as her body makes room for the growing baby). Baby Girl is kicking up a storm in the evenings.

The books tell us she's nearly 14 inches long and could weigh up to 2 1/2 lbs! Her eyelids have opened, and her lungs are actually capable of taking in some air. From this point on, it's mostly about incubating and putting some fat on those bones. One trimester left before we meet this sweet child o' mine...

Pre-Natal Football (24 weeks in...)

What are the sounds, in utero, of UNC football handing Georgia Tech its lunch? I'm sure the stadium sounds had no meaning to her, but we'll still count it as Baby Girl's first college football game. (Her first LIVE college football game will have to be Auburn, of course...but we're saving that for a better season than the current one.)

Afterward, in Durham, Franklin snaps away and Paul distends his belly in yet another sign of uterus envy.

Here's what we're reading about Baby Girl's progress:

• She will grow rapidly this week, gaining about half a pound.
• Her brain and nervous system continue their rapid growth as they become more complex.
• She is making breathing movements, but cannot fully take in air at this point.
  

Babymoon: 22 Weeks

Euphemistically called our "Babymoon", we took a four day getaway to the Grayson Highlands in southwest Virginia. Mama Dryden gives Baby Girl a close view of some signage, and puts her on a grueling hike on a black diamond trail.

No, we didn't make up the Babymoon thing. I couldn't get so creative if I tried. You can learn all you possibly want to know about this phenomenon in this NY Times article, Babymoon: Getting Away, While There Are Just Two of You.

22 Weeks

According to What to Expect...

Week 22 of Pregnancy: Baby's Hair Growth

Your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. The eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now — and even more hair is sprouting atop that cute little head. But hair at this stage of fetal development has no pigment, so it's bright white.

It's a S-H-E! 20 Weeks

Clearly a girl! Despite Kate's intuition (and dreams even!) of our baby boy, we couldn't be more excited to find out that our little "Cleta" is at t-minus four months. Precious indeed!

When describing Baby Girl's size, the fruit metaphors continue. Cantaloupe. Small cantaloupe, to be precise. The photos suggest she's all skin and bones. Time to start building the baby fat.

Oh, oh we're half way there.

19 Weeks

One week until we go in for the ultrasound and find out the flavor of this baby baking in Kate's womb. For those feeling the need to vote, it's split down the middle between boy and girl. Kate still thinks we're having a boy. Paul refuses to take a stand.

According to "What to Expect", at 19 weeks the baby is six inches long and eight ounces of weight...about the size of a large mango. (Why not a super-large muscadine grape? Or a miniaturized watermelon? Paul should learn not to question these things.)

17 weeks

Tracking the progress, Cletus is about 5 inches long and only 3 1/2 ounces. What to Expect tells us Cletus has some basic auditory reflexes and the so many bits and pieces are starting to form.

Mama's belly is growing to make room!

Cletus? 16 Weeks

We've named the child Cletus the Fetus, but we don't yet know the gender so it might not stick.  Kate has overpowering maternal intuition that we're brewing up a baby boy. We'll see in a few weeks whether we should bring that intuition on a trip to Vegas.  Paul shows his first signs of uterus envy with his own distended abdomen.

Pregnant Ladies in Charlotte

We went down to Charlotte this weekend for Franklin's ordination. It gave us a chance to catch up with the Morrisons, and to keep connected these two pregnant friends. Kate Morrison has a few week head start on Kate Dryden, and there was much belly inspecting going on between them.  This is the stage where Kate so desperately wants to look pregnant to avoid any confusion.  She's taken to tilting her hips in, pressing her stomach forward, and holding her hand to the small of her back whilst waddling.  These are the universal signals of pregnancy.

Stranded in Boston

We just came back from Sarah & Ben Sigman's wedding in Rehoboth, Mass.  They had been kind to make the trip from NYC for our wedding two years earlier, and we were excited to be invited to be a part of theirs now. 

On the way home, thunderstorms over take much of the Northeast and JetBlue starts grounding flights.  They tell us we can't get on another flight for two days.  Luckily, we were able to use some Amex points and secure a pleasant hotel room right on the Boston Common.  There was nothing we could do while stranded, so we were able to spend a couple days enjoying the city.  It was Kate's first time, so the inconvenience led to some serendipity.

On the flight back, little Cletus got upset with its mother for having low blood sugar and Kate had one of her few first trimester puke incidents.   We found out a couple times later how convenient air sickness bags can be.  If only we kept them in the car so Kate wouldn't have to repeat the act once on her dress on the way to work and another time all down the passenger's side of Paul's car.

As we're tracking the arc of our baby's growth, Paul thinks it's just as important to record every vomit milestone, too!

Near the End of 1st Trimester

July 24-28 is a whirlwind of family reunions. Paul flies into Pittsburgh to meet up with the McKnight Clan in Punxie, PA. Kate had been in Lock Haven for several days, and it was a weight dropped from her shoulders when she was able to tell Ted and Barb about the pregnancy. (She kept the secret for a full month...it was killing her! A few days later, as we celebrated our second anniversary at a restaraunt in Raleigh, the waiter asked Kate if she wanted any wine. She was quick to blurt out to a perfect stranger: I can't! I'm pregnant! You could tell from the look on her face how good it felt to start telling people.)


She told the extended family as they arrived at Camp. Interesting tidbit: most of the women said they knew before we even said anything. Paul doesn't win any points by repeating the Chris Rock line..."it's no big deal; even cockroaches have babies". All the hard work -- all the training -- it just goes out the door as soon as he gets a little excitable.

We then drive all the way down to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to meet up with the Drydens. We have them all in the same room and make the announcement. Again! The women say they already knew. Paul thinks they're just playing the odds game, but he tends to be a cynic about so called intuition.

Kate has had very little sickness. While she's been tired a lot, it's been a relatively easy first trimester.

We're Pregnant -- Early 1st Trimester

I got home from Las Vegas on June 26, 2008, and Kate greeted me at the door with an armful of completed home pregnancy kits.  These tests are almost never false-positive, but Kate wanted to make very, very, very sure. Parallel blue bars mean "pregnant".  On Monday, July 7th we get in to see the gynechiatrist and it's all confirmed.  Here's the picture they shared with us.  

And though I knew the embryonic heart develops early, it was still a striking reminder of real life to hear that hummingbird-like pulse beating away nearly 160 times each minute. Wow!  Wow.  wow...