Green Light For Hancock!!

The results from the doctor appointment first thing this morning are in! Blood pressure is down (thanks to being off work and not having the need to drive for hours), swelling is down, baby's head is still way up there and no dilation. So, dad is working a bit and then heading off for the Holiday weekend. Fortunately, mom won't be alone this weekend and will have some much needed girl time. Although this does ease my mind a bit, a part of me will still be left behind to watch over mom and the baby and a lot more of me will still be wondering. Good thing we can call each other for free, otherwise, we could be seeing a rather large bill for this month...

Flights are still available and a little shorter than initially researched. The times work out, except for in the middle of the night. If need be, I can sit in the airport for about 4 hours waiting for a flight and still beat the drive time... Just need to have some one at the airport on the other end to pick me up and take me to where I am needed. We, including the doctor, don't see this happening, but it is good information to know just in case.

Doctor Says Go!!

The doctor has given the okay for me to go to my fraternity reunion. However, there is one more appointment scheduled only three hours before the launch of the trip. This will be one last chance to get information that will cause me to stay put for Labor Day Weekend. I am still a little uneasy about going even with Amy and the doctor saying it is okay, but I am going to venture on at this point. I will be packed and ready to go on Thursday when I leave for work (or maybe the doctor) with the hopes that there won't be any doubt that it will be okay for me to still go. There will definitely be butterflies in my stomach with much anticipation of the last second call of whether or not to go.

I can see that Amy is still somewhat suffering from "baby brain". I'm not sure if it was due to the length of her blog or her baby brain, but she missed a whole day of doctor visits. On the day she was just relaxing (Thursday) after the birth class was done, she spent a good amount of the day getting an echocardiogram done and finding out the results from the cardiologist for both the echo and the patient activated heart monitor. It was bittersweet news. Amy's heart is normal and isn't showing any stress from the pregnancy. This was GREAT news!! On the flip side, there was no offer of an explanation of what it could be. It was like pulling teeth to find out if the things he was seeing would be something that Amy would be able to feel. We left feeling GREAT about the health of Amy's heart, but was a little displeased with the doctor.

What a Week!!!!

Whew!! What a week it has been...both physically and emotionally. I sit here and almost giggle at all that has happened and the reality of it all. Let me back up and start from the beginning.

Last monday I woke up and didn't feel very well at all. I managed to get myself up and made it into work. It was a long hard day and I once again felt the strain and stress of my long commute to Ann Arbor for work. When I got home I had about 10 minutes to sit and eat something and Doug and I were off for our Breastfeeding class. I'm very glad we signed up because it was a very informative class and I felt really great about all the info we gained from attending and Doug agreed. During the class I was a little preoccupied with my feet which seemed to be expanding at record speed. I was already really concerned about my feet before class and just sitting at a table for 3 hours wasn't going to help!!! After class I could hardly walk to the truck but managed to waddle my way out of the building and Doug and I were on our way home and my very long day was finally coming to an end. I pretty much went straight to bed feeling yucky and extremely exhausted.

Tuesday I woke up and still felt awful. Once again I was really proud of myself as I was able to get up and make into the office. However I could not stop worrying about how yucky I was feeling and was very concerned about my feet. They had not gone down at all during the night like they usually do and I have to admit I was starting to feel a little scared. I know...swollen feet, not that big of a deal right?? All pregnant women suffer with swollen feet. I wish all of you could have seen them..they were huge, like my skin was about to split huge!!! I was forced to walk around my office in my bare feet because I couldn't even slip on a flip flop!!! I had a doctor's appt already scheduled for Thursday so I thought I could just stick it out until then. However with the persistant urging of Doug and the advice of my sister I called the doctor. He didn't want to wait until Thursday and advised me to get home and put my feet up and come in first thing the next morning to see him. I stuck around work a little longer to finish up a few things and headed home. I went straight to the couch and stayed there all night!!!

Wednesday morning I was awoken by the phone ringing..Doug brought me the phone and it was one of my doctor's nurses telling me that Dr. Genord was delivering a baby and wouldn't be able to see me until later in the afternoon. Ahhh....I thought it was sweet that at that moment my doctor was at the hospital bringing a baby into the world. Then the emotion hit and I freaked out at how close we are to having our own baby!!! Hormones !!! They are a wonderful thing!! I decided I should just stay home all day and keep my feet up until it was time to go see the doctor. Later that day I headed off to the doctor's, all by myself like a big girl !!!! The nurses took one look at me and knew I wasn't doing well and I could feel the encouragement in their smiles. I love these people!!! As soon as the doctor walked into the room he took one look at my feet and looked up at me and simply said "How would you feel if I told you you were done with work?" For the first few seconds I just let the tears fall and then I told him I would kiss him right on the mouth. After a good giggle he took my blood pressure and expressed that he wasn't happy with it and started to explain to me our plan from here on out. I also donated some more blood to be checked for hormones that would hopefully rule out an early onset of preclampsia. He advised that I would now be seeing him once a week AND going to the hospital once a week for a NST (non-stress test). This test puts me on a monitor so we can follow the baby's heart beat and make sure it elevates when it's suppose to then has a good reaction time to balancing back to the healthy rate it should be at. They also take my blood pressure. I have been diagnosed with hypertension due to pregnancy, and will now be watched much more closely!!! So with that news I left the doctor's office to come back home, rest, let the news of being taken off work sink in and wait for Doug to come home....we still needed to go to our last childbirth class!!! Our instructor...who I loved...was very sweet and offered very encouraging words. After 3 more hours of sitting in class we made it and I was wheelchaired to the truck....man was I exhausted!!!! We graduated!!!!

Thursday was a day of relaxation.....a much needed day of relaxation!!! I called my office and spent some time on the phone with my boss filling him in and letting him know that I had officially been taken off work. He congratulated me!!! He knew the last few weeks had gotten harder on me and was actually happy that I could leave the stress of work and the commute behind me for now and concentrate on staying healthy for my baby. I felt a huge relief after having such a nice conversation with my boss. My online course started today as well so I spent a little time getting online and reading the schedule. Other then that I stayed on the couch, and made a very simple dinner for my husband, who has been fantastic dealing with all my ups and downs this week!!!

Friday was my first trip to the hospital for the Non-Stress Test. Bright and early...so much for sleeping in on my first official day of no work!!! :) The test went well and the baby was doing great, which really is my only concern. My blood pressure was a little elevated but apparently nothing to panic about. Just keeping track of it and making sure it doesn't get REALLY elevated is the goal. We spent Friday evening relaxing and eating pizza with some very good friends, which is just what I needed.

Saturday was another trip to my doctor's office. When I last saw him on Wednesday he wanted to see me again quickly so we could go over my first NST and my blood work. The good news is that my blood work was negative for all hormones indicating preclampsia and the swelling in my feet had gone done considerably. He was very happy with that. My blood pressure was still a little elevated for his liking, but everything else seemed to check out. He shared with Doug and I what his thoughts were at this time. With all the monitoring I'm going to be getting he wanted us to know that if necessary he was prepared to induce labor. Yep !!! Induce labor.....i'm pretty sure I looked like a cartoon character with my eyes bugging out when I heard this but was rest assured that the baby is doing great and there is no reason for us to jump to that just yet. But he does want Doug and I to know that at any time from here on out he feels that my blood pressure is a concern for me or the baby he would be very comfortable with taking the necessary steps to get labor started. He also stressed to Doug and I that the baby is doing great and should be born strong and healthy from this point forward. He told me as long as my blood pressure stayed where it was and the swelling in my body stayed under control we could feel confident that he would still have a few weeks. My mind was spinning....holy cow...inducing labor?!?!?!? I got to let that info sink in while Doug drove me to my office!!! After hearing all this overwhelming info from my doctor I really needed to get into my office and at the very least clean a few things out of my desk and send a few emails updating people and letting them know I would now be out on maternity leave and not expected back until sometime in November!!! We ended up being at my office for more than 2 hours and when it was time for me to lock up, I got pretty emotional. I was done working, and the next time I would be back in the office I would have my baby. Doug and I's lives would be totally different, our sweet baby would finally be here and we would have everything!!!

So that's been my week!!!! I am now spending my days sleeping in, putzing around the house and taking it easy. My baby will be here soon!!! I would be lying if I didn't say I was really scared but I am so much more excited. I am ready for him to be here...don't get me wrong, Doug and I welcome the last few weeks we have but I am really ready for my sweet baby to be here!!!!

Sorry this got so long...but it was one long week. I'm sure most of you aren't surprised at all about my rambling on!!! I can't help it....I may be supposed to be relaxing right now but I am still me...and boy can I talk!!!!

We Graduated!!

Yeah! We graduated from our childbirth education class. We attended four, 3-hour sessions over the past month through Beaumont Hospital. Our instructor was fantastic!! During the last class we had some make-ups that wished they could take their class over and request her. Quite the tribute I must say.

The class was very informative and has already been put to some good use. Not in the way of the actual birth because otherwise I wouldn't be writing this stuff... ;)! It has given both of us a lot of insight as to what to expect. The class was more on the technical side, but was still very easy to understand. There was a second time mom in our class that enjoyed the class much better this time. We did see some movies and practiced a number of different motions to help our baby come to us naturally, along with a few different breathing techniques. No, we didn't do Lamaze as this was not a Lamaze class. From the class, we also discussed different options with the doctor to see what his practices were/are. Once again, mom really likes the doctor as we are all on the same page of the playbook.

Amy and I feel comfortable and confident that we will at least have a little clue of what to expect once we get to the hospital for the "big day". Between the class, hospital tour and a brief visit at the hospital to check on mom and baby, we aren't going into this completely blind. Yes, I'm sure we would both agree that we don't have a clue of what to really expect, but we feel that we will be able to get through it. Obviously, there has been many many that have gone through this before... :D!

So, mom is all done with classes, but dad has one more (New Dads Class). Let's hope that I won't have any practical experience with our baby before then. My class is on September 13th, which puts mom at a smidgen over 37 weeks...

32 Week Photo II

Here's a little creative shot that we thought we would share. Stay tuned for week 35 photos. We are hoping that Amy feels well enough to be able to take them on Tuesday.

Breastfeeding 101

All the information you can get the better! Amy and I, well Amy signed up for a breastfeeding class and then I was dragged along. The class was very good and started out somewhat slow, but after the break it really cruised along. It was a 3-hour evening class.

Yes, there is that amount of stuff to talk about and there were things that Amy would have liked to go more into depth on. Unfortunately, it was the stuff near the end of the class when the pace was picked up. This was our first taste of what life will be after birth. The amount of feedings per day (8-12 in a 24 hour period) and the fact that the baby will be fed every 1-1/2 to 3 hours. A big issue that we didn't know was that no bottles or pacifiers should be used because you don't want nipple confusion ;)! Positioning, latch on, etc. was demonstrated in a video and the mom's were able to practice with a larger than newborn baby. Don't worry!! Everyone was always fully clothed, at least in class. The videos were a different story...

Any of amount of breastfeeding is much better for the baby than none at all. This is due to the reduction in the potential for allergies, asthma, etc. A benefit for the mom is that the uterus goes back to its original size quicker and she will also burn about 500 calories per day while producing the breast milk. This will assist mom in losing the baby weight gained during pregnancy. The ideal breastfeeding time was noted to be six months for 100% breast milk and then partial feeding from the breast, formula and/or solid food for the next six months. Every mom and baby are different, so we will just take one day at a time. Another statistic is that 95% of woman can breastfeed without any issues. Patience and "latching on" properly are the keys to success.

The class was very informative and well worth the money. We are now in the process of discussing whether to buy or rent a pump and what kind. They can be pretty inexpensive to relatively expensive. We won't need to get a breast pump right away since we shouldn't be using bottles, so it will give us time to determine what we want to do and if we can do it. The only downfall of breastfeeding is that dad really won't be able to feed the baby for at least four weeks when "nipple confusion" is no longer a concern.

Let's wish Amy luck!! I am looking to forward to the time I can feed him too!!

Another Fantastic Baby Shower!!

Last Sunday Doug and I had the privilege of being given another baby shower!!! Doug's mom Mary, put together a very sweet and special day just for us to celebrate our baby's expected arrival and to hopefully help us get better prepared for it. Not to mention that Grandma-to-be got to flaunt her own excitement of waiting for her first grand baby. It was a wonderful day, and I was so touched by the amount of people that came to be a part of our special day! It really means alot to Doug and I to know that we have so many family and friends supporting us and sharing in this wonderful and thrilling time of our lives. I also got the opportunity to meet more of Doug's family, and friends of the family, and that was a nice treat for me as I've heard so much about them. It was very thoughtful of them to come and bring such love and support!! Mary did a great job decorating for the shower and showcased some very sentimental items from the past, including childhood items of Doug's and a nice tribute to his father, who is always close to our hearts.

We got so many terrific gifts !!! I thought I was going to be there all day opening presents! It was so much fun and Doug and I really appreciate all the items we received, trust me, we will put them all to good use. It is such a soothing feeling as a first time mom-to-be knowing that we will have the essentials necessary to take the best possible care of our little man when he gets here, and we have all of our family and friends to thank for that. So thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts!!

It truly was a very special day for Doug and I, filled with love, laughter and emotion. I can't say enough how blessed Doug and I feel to have such thoughtful people in our lives. We are so overwhelmed with happiness as we enter this most exciting time of our lives....we can't wait for this sweet little baby to get here. We both are so looking forward to being parents and we find such encouragement from all of you!! So thank you so much to everyone who came and participated in yet another monumental day leading up to our baby's arrival. It is so crazy for me to think about just how soon he will actually be here in my arms. As most of you know, my husband is the BEST at getting updates on this blog and sharing our experiences, so he'll be to let you know when our baby gets here !!!! Until the next update.....baby kicks and hugs !!!!

Hands On Practice

Dad-to-be gained a little practice handling a little one (eight weeks). Nope, no diaper changes yet, but that training will be coming soon. An afternoon trip to Amy's best friend Anita's home allowed for the hands on training to take place. It was a win-win as Doug and Anita were able to have a little break and Doug was able to run into town and grab some grub and beverages. Amy and I hope that our schedule is a little less "packed" as we are only carrying one baby and not the two that Doug and Anita were blessed with.

Hannah took everything in stride as the "newbie" worked his ways and she was none the wiser. It was now her turn as it was Zachary's on a previous visit. She may have had an inkling that she was dealing with the green horn when she burped a good juicy one and caught dad-to-be by surprise. Dad-to-be had the burp cloth on his lap, but not in position, so dad-to-be jumped a good one to get the cloth in place. Mom-to-be and Hannah's mom got a good giggle out of that one ;)! Dad-to-be took the surprising belch in stride and continued feeding her. Before long, she was drowsy and was dozing a bit, but would not let the bottle go. It wasn't too long and she was wide awake once again and checking things out.

As you know, baby's aren't always quiet and Hannah was giving this some thought. It was time for Hannah to test this new guy. She started wimpering a bit while she was getting ready to wail. Dad-to-be quickly sprang into action and began trying out his rhythm of bouncing and swaying and was able to avoid the screeching, at least this time. This happened a few times and the dad-to-be was successful in postponing Hannah exercising her lungs.

Soon thereafter, Hannah and Zachary's dad arrived home with food from town for mom and dad. Mom-to-be and dad-to-be thought it was a good time to sneak out as the babies had been fed and ready for a nap, or so we thought. Hannah and Zachary were put into their swings and they began to wail. This was now definitely the right time to exit.

32 Week Photo

For those that haven't seen mom-to-be in a few weeks, months or any other length of time. Here are some photos at just over 32 weeks. Stay tuned for more photos as long as mom-to-be is still feeling up to creating more memories...

45 Minutes Good Enough?

Evidently, 45 minutes from the time dad gets "the" call at work to the time mom gets to the hospital isn't good enough. How do we know 45 minutes is the time it takes you ask? Amy wasn't feeling well all day Monday and when she got home from work basically crashed for the night. Of course, she was up for a little over an hour to watch the results show for 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Let's just say that Amy was having "digestive troubles" along with lower back pain, nausea at times and the chills and sweats. We took her temperature last night and her temp was normal. She did feel a little warm later in the evening, but not bad.

Amy was told that she needed to call the doctor when she was still feeling ill in the morning as 24 hours plus with "digestive trouble" can really dehydrate a person when they aren't really eating or drinking due to the nausea. Amy called without any coersion. The doctor's nurse called back and said that the doctor wanted Amy to go to triage at the hospital so that mom and baby could be monitored and checked out as a precautionary measure. This was ensure that mom and baby indeed were not getting dehydrated. So dad got the call and mom didn't have a say because dad was on his way...

We arrived at the hospital and were taken into triage where mom and baby were hooked up to the monitors. The baby boy was really on the move and it was pretty evident that he did NOT like being monitored. He was constantly on the move and was really kicking at those circular things. The nurse had to keep moving them and gave up and made mom lay on her side so that he would slow down a bit. After some questioning, the nurse attempted twice to get an IV in. She was really moving those needles to get it to work and caused Amy a lot of undue pain and now bruising, but was unsuccessful. So, she just brought a quart of water to drink. There wasn't an official diagnosis, but it was basically a touch of the flu/virus that just needed/needs to finish running its course. Ironically, we have found out that the reason a couple of people called in sick at Amy's work on Monday was due to the flu and one missed today as well. Amy is still really pooped, but is laying low this evening and recovering. She is still feeling the lower back pain, but at least the "digestive" troubles have very much slowed.

Now Amy wants to refine the route and I'm sure the speed that Doug travels at. A few blocks from home, we did pass the city police, but he didn't get us. However, Doug did see the lights going shortly after we passed him, so the speed may be a point of contention.

Looks like it is time to get "the" bag packed and the car seat loaded just in case... We don't anticipate an early arrival at this point, but reality of the life changing event is drawing very near.

The Debate Is Over Or Is It?

To attend the reunion or not... After much debate and discussions as well as a blog poll, I am officially going to the reunion (see disclaimer below...) I will be leaving on Thursday afternoon before Labor Day and returning on Labor Day with three other guys. For a piece of mind, I have checked into the cost of flights and will also be checking into car rentals for a one way trip.

The blog poll overwhelmingly determined it was okay to venture off for a few days. So, this will be my last trip with the guys as just a husband. The poll resulted in 21 yes/yes, no problem votes, no no votes and only four that dad was crazy (one of which was mom-to-be). I know of two more, one of which after reading my blog about the trip backed off and basically said good luck with a tough decision. The blog poll was not the only advice that was taken into account. Our doctor was consulted and he didn't hesitate to say to plan it after finding out that the reunion is 9 hours plus away. During the tour of the hospital, we also questioned the nurses in the LDR (labor delivery room) and the nursery and they said that there isn't a reason not to go. It was also suggested that mom-to-be just put herself on bedrest during that time. Also, now that we are in child birth classes, we have learned and understand what is expected etc.

With all of that said, the plan is for the dad-to-be to attend the 50th Reunion. However, there is still three more doctor appointments that might change something, so an open mind is still required, but all engines are full steam ahead with one hand on the emergency brake... ;)!!

Week 32 Appointment!!! The Right Decision

Doug and I had a great doctor's appointment last night with our new doctor. Well, sorta....let me explain. I have been going to a medical practice since before I was pregnant. I really liked my original doctor and felt confident to continue going to her practice when we found out we were pregnant. Her practice included a total of 4 doctors. We were told that we would rotate between all of them in the duration of the pregnancy so we would get to know all of them and feel comfortable with them so when we went into labor, whichever doctor was on call would be familiar to us. Over the course of the pregnancy, I have come to really like 2 of the doctors, 1 doctor was okay and one i didn't really care much for at all. Dr. Genord was my favorite, and ironically he was the only male doctor, which I had originally thought would be uncomfortable for me. Boy was I wrong !! Doug and I both really liked him and I told Doug on several occasions that I was really hoping and praying that he would be the doctor on call the day our baby decides to come ino this world.

After my 30 week appt, the one where I was referred to a Cardiologist, and told to get an ultrasound on my leg, we got a letter that stated Dr. Genord....my favorite doctor....was leaving the practice. With all of the other anxiety I was feeling over recent events at the last doctors appt this horrified me. I was really upset and torn on what to do. Do I follow Dr. Genord to his new practice this late in the pregnancy or stay with my original practice where even though there was really only 1 maybe 2 doctors that I liked, I felt comfortable with the surroundings and all of the support staff. I fought with myself over this for more then a week and even asked the advice of some staff members from the hospital when we had our tour. With their and Doug's support I made the decision to follow Dr. Genord. I have to admit I was feeling some seperation anxiety when it came time to call and cancel my set appt at the original practice and let them know I was leaving and request that they forward all of my records to Dr. Genord. I even cried ! Silly? Maybe....but we'll blame it on the hormones !!!!

Doug and I went to our first appt last night at the temporary location of the new practice, a 6:30 appointment, which was great !! An evening appointment!! We never got that option from the other office...already a good start!!! Well, let me just say right now how very happy I am that I made the decision to follow this doctor. He is really an amazing doctor who put me right at ease about so many concerns I had been feeling. During our conversation it was revealed that his main reason for leaving the practice was because even though he had started that practice 10 tens ago, he didn't like what it had become. He wanted the focus to always be on the patient, and he felt that this practice has become more of an assembly line of outgoing and incoming woman. It wasn't as personal as he felt it should be, he didn't like that it all was about, getting them in and getting them out. He felt there wasn't enough time spent directly with the patient, addressing them and focusing on their needs or concerns. Hearing this instantly lifted pounds of stress of my shoulders. I had been trying to get info from the other practice regarding so many different things for so long without getting any real answers. I wanted to discuss stuff like getting to the hospital, labor, pain control, fears, delivery, policies and thoughts on different methods of delivery. I always left the other practice feeling frustrated and scared about the whole experience. Last night I walked outta that office feeling better about everything then I ever had leaving the other doctors for the past 2 months !!!! I had no feelings of neglect (yes, i can be needy...but thats me!!) uncertainty, frustration or fear of the unknown. I was so overwhelmed with emotion over this relief that I just started crying when Doug and I got to the truck !!! We'll blame the hormones again!!!!

With all of that said, I can report that baby, mommy and daddy are doing well. The baby's heartbeat was strong and now that he's gotten so big in there he can't run from the doppler so there was no looking for him!!! As soon as the doctor put that wand on my belly the beautiful sound of his fast, strong heartbeat filled the room!!! My baby bump measurement was right where it should be and the doctor said everything sounded great. We discussed what would happen over the next couple of appointments, so I would know what to expect and made an appt for Aug. 23, after I meet with the Cardiologist. For now though I feel safe and confident in all that is this wonderful journey !!!

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the baby shower this weekend !! Til then, enjoy the heat and humidity!!!!

Cardiologist Appointment

Today was the day for Amy's cardiologist appointment at 7:50 am. Yep, Amy even made it on time and was wide awake!! ;)!

Amy was asked a ton of questions by the nurse prior to seeing the doctor, but...thats not unusual. So the doctor had a pretty good history of what Amy was feeling, including heart palpitations, sharp pains in the heart area and a feeling of her heart being squeezed. This went along with the frequency and duration of her events. A quick EKG was done for the doctor.

Now for the doctor as he eventually got into the room... First appointment of the day and it still took him some time. Well, okay, I'll give him a break on this one since today was the first time he saw Amy's charts as she was the delivery person. The doctor was very nice and of course asked more questions. He noted that the EKG was fine and her heart rate was a little elevated (blood pressure was fine). He did the normal checks and didn't really say much as I am sure he is just waiting to assess everything before he says anything. He did say that the pregnant patients he sees generally don't have any heart issues, we are hoping that this is the case for us as well.

Amy is now wearing a patient activated heart monitor for two weeks and for at least six hours per day. Basically, Amy is to press a button when she feels an event so that the device records the heart activity just prior to the button being pushed and a short period after. In addition to this, she will be having an echocardiogram done in a couple of weeks and we will be seeing the doctor again and getting the results of the "Amy Experiment". Yes, Amy is once again feeling like a science project. She jokes about it, but I think at times it does get her down a bit. She has been a real trooper with everything going on. The more information we get, the more comfortable she feels. Bottom line is that being a science experiment to gain more knowledge has been keeping her mind at ease.

So, keep your fingers crossed so that the results come back okay in a couple of weeks and we'll let you know what happened/is happening when we find out.

Childbirth Class - Session #1

Tonight was the first of four childbirth classes. We are taking them through Beaumont Hospital in Birmingham. The first task was to meet and greet and then answer some questions about pregancy. This was broken up into moms on one side of the table and dads on the other. The first question was what was the best thing about pregnancy, the two main answers from everyone was the ultrasounds and feeling the baby move. Of course, then it was time for the dark side... EVERYONE'S top item was MOOD SWINGS!! These were followed with a few others.

After doing the general introductions and finding out what everyone was having and then it was right down to business. Nothing graphic yet, but it sounds like that will be next week. This week was just some animated anatomy and a couple of props.

The last section of the class was doing some beginning breathing and relaxation exercises. I thought Amy was going to/did fall asleep. I don't think she did, but she was definitely a lot more relaxed than she was when we first got there. I tried giving her a massage when we first got there and then was instructed to later and I could totally feel the difference, so it is obvious the exercise did something for Amy.

The instructor is great and is a lot of fun. You would think at first look that she would be very uptight and uninteresting. Boy, we were wrong... She even taught most of the class with her fly down... No one noticed because she was covered by a jacket. She notifced it herself once we started doing the breathing. It was a good giggle.

Well, next week will be more intense as we get more into the nitty gritty. Our instructor told the guys to wear shoes that we can tie up because we will be getting to see the "real deal".