Kicking, Classes, and Family

Well as we sit here on a lazy Monday evening watching a show on WE about a woman who gave birth to sextuplets, we realized we should probably update the blog which we haven't done in quite some time. So here we are with an update about what's been going on the last couple of months.

Since our last post about the 4D Ultrasound, Shannon's belly has really started to grow. It's truly an incredible thing. Though its getting larger by the day, it's as hard as a rock. When my belly gets large (which it has, considerably over the last two years), it's just feels fat and squishy. The 9 Month process in which a child is born, has been a truly unbelievable experience, and I know it will continue to be so, as we get closer to the end.

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This past weekend we were lucky enough to celebrate my brother's (Uncle Aaron) 21st birthday. After a nice family dinner at Downtown Disney, my sisters (Aunt Alysse and Aunt Abby) came back to our house to hang out for a bit. Abby was real excited about getting back to the house, and having a chance to try and feel Aydan kick (which he has been wont to do over the past two months).

For the first ten minutes or so nothing happened, but a few minutes later something pretty extraordinary happened. Shannon called me over to the bed where she was laying down, and asked me to talk to Aydan to see if he would move. Sure enough a few seconds later, Aydan started to kick away. He recognized my voice.

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With a brand new baby about to enter our lives in just a few short months, we've been trying to prepare ourselves for the change that is about to come. Along with bending every parents ear we come across, we've started taking some baby classes last week at our local hospital.

Our very first class was the "Happiest Baby on the Block Class." The class was geared towards new parents, and how they can deal with a crying newborn. The video we watched seemed pretty insightful. It talked about treating the first three months of a child's life as if it was the fourth trimester.

While other baby's in the animal kingdom begin to walk or provide for themselves within the first week, it takes months for human beings to begin to develop. That's why its so important to nurture that child even more during the first three months.

Along with the "fourth trimester" idea, the video talked about the "5 S's" (Swaddle, Holding the Baby in the Side-Stomach Position, Shhh, Sway, and Swing) when it comes to dealing with a wailing baby. In the video it seemed as if the technique was very effective (though they probably wouldn't show it to us if it wasn't!), but we will have to wait and see how Aydan handles the 5 S's.

Besides the "Happiest Baby on the Block Class", we will be taking "Lamaze" (every Monday in the month of July) and a "Baby Basics" (one Monday in August) class in the coming weeks and month.

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We are looking forward to spending some quality time with family and friends in the coming weeks. This weekend I'll be a groomsmen in our friends Ken and Lindsay's nuptials down in Newport Beach. Also, in a couple of weeks, we will get to celebrate Shannon's sisters' (Aunt Heather) 22nd Birthday.

We will be having another ultrasound on July 7th, just after my favorite holiday. If we get to bring home some pictures we will make sure and put up another post then.

Until Then,
-AW