Not sure if I would completely categorize the four 3-hour sessions a complete waste of time, but it comes close.

In all honesty, you could have sent us home with a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

Overall, it was interesting, scary, and gross. It is nice to have some idea as to what is going to happen, and hear about all the options in a pre-labor setting.

All-in-all, between mother nature and the well-trained medical staff at Fairview Hospital, we are confident that Stewie can be born without taking a class on how to have a baby.

I am also confident that when I remind Meghan to breathe, she’s gonna tell me to leave the room (not in such a nice way).

A less rude way of saying, “we don’t trust your gift purchasing skills, please choose from list list of thing we would really rather have.”

The wedding registry was easy. Cruising around Crate Barrel picking out all the things you like, all the things that go with your “style,” your favorite color, and your favorite wood tone.

Baby registry is a nightmare.

It is no longer about what you like, or what looks good. Now you have to worry about things like safety, usage, upgradeability, and longevity.

There is so much pressure to not pick the wrong car seat, the wrong crib, the wrong bottles, or even the wrong stroller.

You decision could harm your child.

But then I remember back to when I was a kid, playing on sharp metal playgrounds built on large concrete pads and I survived.

So feel free to check out our baby registry at Babies R Us. Hopefully the only thing that will harm him is the monkey theme we chose for the nursery.

Stewie

Named after Stewie Griffin, the baby character from the cartoon, The Family Guy. Part of the premise of the show is that Stewie tries to kill his mother Lois. You can read more about him from Wikipedia.

Since the stroke was caused by the pregnancy, the name seems appropriate.

We’ve given Baby Andrikanich a nickname for a couple of reasons:

1. We don’t have a name picked out yet;
2. We plan to announce the name, when we announce the birth;
3. Baby Andrikanich is too many letter to type, and a mouthful during conversation;
4. The name Stewie makes me giggle.

So, if you see or hear references to “Stewie,” please note that it is merely a nickname/placeholder for the time being.

And after further review, it was discontinued, as well.

So we went to the Mayfield Hts. Babies ‘R Us hoping to find a floor model, or something in stock.

No luck.

So we made one last attempt, and drove out to the Bainbridge store (there are only 3-4 Babies ‘R Us stores in all of Cleveland). They had a nice little display of an Amy Coe crib and combo changing table and dresser. It wasn’t the crib we were looking for, but it was a similar design, and it was by the same designer.

We find some help, and begin the process of purchasing.

That’s when we are told the crib is no longer available, but we can have the floor model.

I look at Meghan, and she says, “no one has chewed on it, pee’d on it, or poo’d on it, so that’s fine be me. At least I am assuming.” To which our helper did not laugh, but actually calmly answered, “no, it has not been used.”

And of course the combo unit had to be ordered.

So in 7-14 days, Baby Boy Andrikanich will have his first pieces of furniture.

After being reminded by a couple of family members about the Andrikanich Baby Pattern (my generation’s first child is supposed to be the opposite sex), we have broken the pattern, and we are having a boy.

[ the little white arrow is point to his "you-know-what" ]

On February 15th, she suffered a stroke, which we later found out was caused by her becoming pregnant (something about increased estrogen and blood platelets becoming extra sticky — ask Meghan, she’s the biology professor).

As a result, she has lost some of her left peripheral vision, and has some left-side sensation issues. Aside from that, all her motor skills are intact, speech and cognitive skills are also fine. She has returned to teaching, and is doing some local driving.

The flip side of the stroke is the pregnancy. Because of the stroke, she is being seen regularly by a high-risk pregnancy Dr. After four ultrasounds, everything looks to be healthy and on track. Our next ultrasound is scheduled for Fri June 12. During that time, we will find out the sex of the baby (no more surprises).

The due date is Oct 31, 2009.

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