Random stuff of the day

Hey Baby T!  Guess what!  We got to hear your heartbeat yesterday at the doctor's office!  I HAVE to tell you about the place you're going to be born because it is one of the coolest spots in all of Southern California, I'm convinced of it.  So I found our doctor, Dr. Johnson, about four years ago when your dad and I were living in downtown LA near Dodger Stadium.  It was a very cool neighborhood at the top of Chavez Ravine (you will know what that means when you are old enough to be a Dodger fan, which, probably according to your dad, will be when you're about three days old).  It hadn't been "gentrified" yet (you'll know what that means when you're a little older).  We had this awesome view of downtown LA and could see all the way out to the beach, and were still close enough to hear the Dodgers across the hill. 

Anyway, Dr. Johnson is at White Memorial, which is near Boyle Heights, a part of town where the notorious 1950's gangster Micky Cohen grew up, incidentally.  So it's got a lot of personality, which we love, because now we live in a gorgeous part of the world, up in our mountains, but it's kind of bland.  Don't get me wrong, we love it up here, too, but we miss all the buzz and all the different types of people you would see.  Like the old ladies wearing stripes with polka dots and giant sunhats talking to themselves in a language that I've never heard of before.  Dang, I miss that! 

So we're staying with Dr. J because I feel very comfortable with him, and your dad likes him too.  I actually really love him.  Three years ago he did a little surgery on me and the last thing I can remember, before the anesthetic knocked me out, was that he was rubbing my feet.  That did it for me.  I decided as I was drifting off into dreamland that he would deliver you when you were ready to show up. 

Dr J's office is in the medical building across from the hospital.  Down the street there's a strip mall with a Subway, donut shop, t-shirt store that will sell you t-shirts for a dollar, a car parts store, and laundromat.  From the windows in the exam rooms, you can look out and see a cheap Chinese fast-food joint, and a muffler place.  So if we wanted, when you were born, we could get a new muffler at the same time, I guess.  From the next floor up, above the trees, you can see almost all of downtown LA.  The maternity ward is on a high floor, so you get awesome views.  It's such a cool mix of everything.  Dr. J says that sometimes he looks out the window and sees the muffler guys, with a huge queue of people waiting, just surfing the internet.  I think that's pretty funny. 

Anyway, that's our doctor office.  Dr. J is pretty awesome because I'm not the only one who travels from far away to see him.  He has other Inland Empire patients, and somebody even came from Ventura to have him deliver their baby.  So you're in good hands. 

I made him laugh yesterday when he was doing the doppler thingy.  He found your heartbeat, but it was slightly slower than we had expected.  It was still pretty fast, but it just wasn't the galloping horses sound that it had been before.  Anyway, we listened for a few seconds, and then he stopped, and I said "are you sure that was the baby's heartbeat and not just mine?"  And he looked at me like he thought I was kidding and said "hmmm....maybe I should go back to medical school and take a refresher course just to ease your mind??"  Then he laughed at me a little bit.  I think he thinks I'm a little silly.  Also, your dad told him I bought the home doppler, and he just rolled his eyes like it was the funniest thing in the world.  He told me he gives me his blessing to use it, but ONLY if I promise not to freak out when I can't find your heartbeat with it.  His machine is $500.  Mine was $23.  So I'm not supposed to freak out about it and call him crying if I can't find your heartbeat.

This morning something funny happened.  I was outside sweeping the deck, and your dad was leaving the house, and he locked the door.  I didn't notice it, and didn't even think about it until he'd left, but I was locked out.  And we don't keep any extra keys around.  So I had to take the screen off the living room window, and get myself through the window and down into the living room without landing on the tv/playstation/speakers that are right in front of the window.  I managed to do it, but it was a little tough.  Sorry if you got bumped around at all.  It was a pretty funny experience, breaking into your own  house.  

Anyway, that's the news from here.  In less than 6 months you'll be here with us.  I'm freaking out a little bit about that time deadline now.  There's so much to do!  Well, I just keep telling myself that all a baby REALLY needs is a place to sleep and some food and some diapers and lots of love.  So if things aren't absolutely perfect in your nursery when you arrive, we'll manage.  Oh, and  by the way, you're getting cloth diapers.  We've decided.  They're better for the environment, and way cheaper.  The money we save will go into your college fund. 

Oh, and yesterday you received your second baby outfit, from Neil and Kay in Amsterdam.  It's a little supersoft tshirt that has grateful dead-like bears dancing across the front, and a little matching hat and booties.  Yay for being a little hippie baby :)

Love,
mom