Week 30
Attn: Just because you feel like superman doesn't mean you can dodge bullets and run at the speed of light.

Sheila felt like SuperWoman Saturday morning of this week and we can say she dodged a bullet, but doesn't want ot come that close to one again. Pretty much, that morning, after waking up wiht a burst of energy, with the weekend backed with plans to go to a "Shoot the Hooch" afterparty, welcome her parents for the weekend, and go to dinner with some friends, she overdid it. She had cleaned the kitchen vigorously and about to start painting some Classic Pooh scenes for Joni's room when she started to get hot, sweaty and dizzy. She passed out. Still sick, she got up and went to the bathroom nauseated and out of it. Charles got her a washcloth to wet and put on her face. It didn't help. He called the Dr. Sheila stood up because she wanted to lie down and fainted again. She hit the floor this time, but landing on her butt and hit her head on the door. She eventually ended up a the hospital severly dehydrated with regular contractions. She was given an IV and several shots to stop the contractions and stayed there until the contractions stopped and the baby's heartrate was back to normal. It was a very scary, very long day with a very hard lesson learned. Sheila was ordered to bed, to drink 120 ounces of water a day, eat small frequent meals and to call her regular Dr that Monday. Sheila's mom stayed with her that week and Charles stayed home most of it.

Week 29
Sheila's Dr asked her not to go anywhere else this week after an exam where Sheila had lost 2 lbs and was still anemic with pains in her abs.

Week 28
Sheila was out of town for a week working at the labs. She stayed with her boss and her family which made the trip more comfortable. BOOK MANIA!!
Joni gets her first book as a gift from Wendy, Sheila's Mom's fellow 2nd grade teacher in Ohio. It's a book written by Spike Lee and his wife and Sheila just LOVES the illustration! Sheila got Joni two other books: one for Charles called "What Daddies Do Best" and one for bedtime called "Time for Bed". Joni is supposed to be able to recognize the deeper voice of her father so he reads to her as often as possible. He sings and just talks to her as well.

NEAT THINGS TO COME
The head of the day care center that we toured told us that Joni will be opening her eyes soon. So in the coming weeks, we can put a flashlight up to the belly and if she is awake and we are in a dark room, she will put her hand or foot up to the light. Isn't that neat? We can't wait to do it!

Joni also can tell when her Daddy is near, because his hand is heavier and warmer than mommy's hands. So Charles puts his hands on the belly often so it be a calming and familiar feeling for her.

Week 27
A wise friend of Charles' once said "The first trimester is a tie, Mommy wins the second, and baby wins the third." And definitely baby is winning the third! Joni is taking over and the "honeymoon" stage of the second trimester is all a distant memory. As is sleeping through nights. It is absolutely unbelievable how often a person can go to the bathroom! And since Sheila is walking slower and slower because her body is bigger and bigger, she's got to plan ahead for her trip to the bathroom.

Charles and Sheila ventured off and bought Joni's crib this week! Charles got a chance to thoroughly research the mattresses on the convert-a-beds and revisit the advantages of gliders. Their original task was to find a crib that was just a crib, not a convert-a-bed, but they couldn't find one sturdy enough for their tastes. So they got the Madison Natural, it's sturdy, gorgeous, converts to a bed and daybed and incredibly expensive! What a bargain!

Charles and Sheila visited another daycare center. This one is associated with Charles' job at Georgia Tech. It has the same amentities as the other one except, it has only 8 infants to a room with 2 teachers (4 to 1 ratio) while the other one has 12 infants in a room with 3 teachers. However this one costs a lot more, opens later than the other one, and doesn't have the matriarchal Mrs. Claus figure.

Week 26

Sheila and Charles toasted their one year wedding anniversary with a glass of water.