Welcome to the world, Calina Lily!

Calina Lily Campbell, born March 19th, 2009 at 7:21am. 6lbs 5oz and 19.25" at birth.

What's happening...??

All of a sudden, now that we're getting close, everything's going wonky.

• Baby girl doesn't want to put her head where it's supposed to be. We're fighting the clock here.
• My iron levels dropped below where they need to be to deliver at home. Have to get them back up.
• I keep having these endless battles with trace infections in my urinary tract. Curse you, kidney stones!

The good news? Baby's a good size and seems to be healthy. I'm mostly fine... no blood pressure issues, very little discomfort generally, no unexplainable issues, no group B strep (so I won't need antibiotics in labor, woohoo!). I have only gained 14 lbs (BIG woohoo!).

So... what are we doing about the things that need to change?

• I do something (or a few things) every day to try to get her to turn. Went to a chiropractor yesterday. Went swimming the day before. Put ice packs on her head. Lie down with my hips over my shoulders. Hang out on my knees and forearms. Shine a flashlight down low. Self-hypnosis. Music, talking, begging...
• We just picked up $30 worth of food-based iron supplements.
• I'm still drinking water with cranberry juice, avoiding sweets, taking garlic pills.

Colin and I spent the day on Sunday in a Birthing from Within workshop that was kind of interesting.

Highlights:

• Colin had to put up with squeezing handfuls of ice (to simulate "alternative sensations" or... labor pains). Pain in his HANDS. You know he loves me. :)
• We're definitely goofy. I'm comfy with hippie chicks and all, but some of this stuff is a little crunchy, even for me. When we had to work together to keep me from hurting myself with the ice, he was supposed to lead me through what we'd practiced: deep breathing or "unfocused awareness" on sights and sounds in the room. Alternatively, we found the best way to avoid the pain was to be super silly or talk in-depth about something-or-other, taking my mind off the ice entirely.
• Colin recalled surprising himself in high school biology class when he thought he'd never be able to make it through a fetal pig dissection... and instead, he managed to blow through it with flying colors much easier than everyone else in the class, all the while casually chewing a piece of gum. We decided we'd better have gum on hand at the birth, too.

Also, how adorable is this crib & bedding? Thanks to Colin's mom & sis for the total cutenesses.

The greatest shower EVER!

I haven't been to very many baby showers, but I'd be willing to bet that our baby shower was one of the greatest of all time. :)

Putting it right over the top was our good fortune when it came to weather. It was, quite possibly, the perfect Florida day. High around 77, breezy, gorgeous. (It stormed and was freezing the very next day!)

Jess and Gramma (along with some other helping hands) put together an eco-friendly, produce-centric, classic picnic, ripe with food and fun: including (my fave) roasted corn on the cob, and heaps and heaps of fresh fruits and veggies covering every surface.

It was super laid-back... everyone could just eat and converse and enjoy the scenery, play lawn games if they felt like it. We played a group game or two -- everyone had to cut a piece of yarn the length they thought my belly was around. I was so *flattered* to discover that at least half the guesses were TOO LONG by more than 1 FOOT! (It made for a good laugh.) Richard C. was closest, with Colin a close second.


We spent a good portion of the party opening gifts, which was so fun -- we received so many seriously thoughtful and creative presents for our little girl. And, not to worry, I think we have enough pink to see her through any identity crisis. I can't wait to take all sorts of photographs of her with all of the cool stuff that her admirers got for her.


Another contest was referred to on the shower invitation: I got to judge the most awesome eco-friendly gift wrapping, and we had several really impressive contenders. 2 of the 3 I chose are right in front of this photo: the gorgeous palm lattice hand-made by Rhea, and the beautiful hand-painted purple & white paper by 3-year-old Elizabeth Haines.

The party time flew, and before we knew it we were enjoying a beautiful sunset over the water, and sending everyone home with bags of fruits and veggies.


It was so fun to spend the day with friends and family from near and far (Colin's mom and cousins made it down for the event!) and you couldn't have asked for a more incredible friend and party host than my Jess. By the end of the day, she and little Jhonen were both pooped, but... in a happy way.


You can see all of the shower photos from that beautiful day here on Flickr, and I'll continue to keep you all posted on baby progress!