24w2d belly

no paternity test needed

the old wives' tales

Well, in my case, the old wives' tales turned out to be true. In 3 out of 4 different tests, as previously posted, the prediction was for boy. And if mother's intuition counts, make that 4 out of 5 tests because I have been calling this little creature a 'he' since the beginning.

Reactions

The days of a Father bursting out of the operating room, naked screaming newborn raised high over his head as the exclaims "It's a Boy!" are over. These days it’s a cold text message sent while in the ultrasound exam room.

Obviously from our perspective, the baby-to-be is very much a part of our daily lives . But for some of our friends (especially those who don’t see us every day), I was a little worried that the text message might have confused some into thinking that the baby was actually born. I was right. So far this has happened only once twice.

Most had reactions like this to the mundane or (depending on your perspective) earth shattering announcement of the gender:

• Congrats! (as you can imagine, the most common)
• Awesome! (twice)
• Great news!
• Horray!!!
• Right on!
• Yahoooooooooo!
• Woo hoo!
• Yipppeee!

As a reminder to everyone (and especially my two best friends), the baby’s due date is December 16th. When I actually have a naked screaming newborn raised high over my head, I will send out a mass email announcement with pics. Don’t worry, I’ll put the baby down before I touch the keyboard. :)

One more thing… I’m having a baby boy! Whoooopeeeee!

It's a man-cub!

We just got back from today's fetal anatomy ultrasound and it is most definitely a boy. We didn't care either way, it is just exciting to know! The scan took about an hour and I could only barely see the screen, but I caught some cool glimpses of skull and spine and heart. Love that beating heart. Donavon had a good view though, from behind the tech. He got some bootleg video footage, too. At one point, I was watching his face and I could tell he was trying to see the gender. It made me laugh so hard and I couldn't stop giggling, which of course made it impossible to scan. It took a minute to stop and from then on I couldn't watch his face.

I got really nauseous twice and had to sit up. Once I almost passed out. I was actually on the floor on my knees, hanging over the trash can, afraid I might just pass out into the garbage. I had been lying flat on my back and the tech was pressing on my stomach when it happened, so I changed positions as much as I could without impeding the scan. I also stopped trying to crane my neck to see what was going on I just lay back and tried to rest and waited for the news. D grabbed my leg and when I opened my eyes, he was holding up both hands over his head in victory, which I took to mean "boy". So I looked at the screen and yep, boy. He was really active and his legs and arm (only could see one) are nice and strong. The estimated due date from today's measurements put it at December 12th, 4 days ahead of calculated. The due date is still December 16, but it is is good to hear that he is definitely growing well! Wow. I'm having a son.

mmmmm

I'm craving macaroons.

grandma's house

We spent a long weekend at Grandma Jane's and Frampa's house on Long Island. Grandma got lots of chances to not only feel the baby kick, but also see it from across the room! Sparky is definitely getting bigger and stronger. It was a nice getaway for some fresh air, home cooked food and lots of birdwatching. Merle was very happy lying on the lawn looking at the world as much as possible.

project 'baby'

The new codename for the baby is Sparky. This is to replace the awkward 'it' or 'baby' references. As of tomorrow, we should know whether it is he or she. But until it is born, Sparky is the name. Oh, and the name refers to the fact that at 3 weeks I shocked the baby in one of the demos at the Maryland Science Center. They asked if anyone was pregnant, but at the time I didn't know. And I didn't want my sister who was with me to suspect anything. So there is a chance that our child, Sparky, may have superpowers.

I just made my appointment...

...for the big ultrasound! Next Wednesday, if little baby isn't too squirmy, we will find out if it is a boy or a girl :) (And we'll find out if he or she is growing nicely and is healthy, too.) I'm so excited!

23 week belly

It's getting bigger...
















23 weeks - How your baby is growing: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

treat night

To celebrate 23 weeks and another week literally under my belt, we went out for a special frozen treat. One of the gems of Baltimore is Dominion Ice Cream. They make flavors like Eagle Eye (carrot) and Sweet Tooth (sweet potato) in addition to more traditional varieties. I had 2 scoops - one cardamom and one carrot - with chocolate sprinkles. D had a scoop of sweet potato and a scoop of banana pudding, which he swears was a good combo. I believe that counts toward my required vegetables for today?

22-23 week checkup

All went well at today's checkup. The heartbeat is still nice and strong in the 150s. Love hearing that heartbeat! The baby was flipping around the whole time. It is at the point that when it moves you can see my stomach twitch from the outside! It seems to hang out in a transverse position, lying head to the left, butt to the right and facing up. My belly is measuring 22 weeks, in the range of normal for my due date. I have gained 2.5 pounds since last visit, which is good.

baby clothes

There was never any doubt that my sister Kristen would be the chief buyer for this child's wardrobe. Not only has she already purchased a number of items but she also brought (yes sir, yes sir) 3 bags full of her children's baby clothes when she came to visit. And no, we still have no idea the gender, but that hasn't stopped her. So, I have three piles - unisex, boy and girl. The unisex are already in the closet waiting :) The sheer cuteness factor of this stuff is through the roof.

Books

I have a small collection of favorite childhood books that I have been reading to the belly. Our friends Megan and Ted gave us Goodnight Moon. Then I bought Crictor, Corduroy and The Story of Ferdinand. I was also able to track down Noses and Toes, which is out of print. I loved that book when I was a kid.

22 weeks

Ok, this is starting to go way too fast! 18 more weeks doesn't sound like very much. Eek!

How your baby's growing: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Wow - 11 inches is an impressive amount of baby. Cool. It also moves around several times a day, particularly after I eat. I can tell the difference between just flipping and turning around versus a punch or a kick, now. Still can't get a heart beat with the stethoscope :(

Oh and here is what my belly looks like at 22 weeks. Definitely bigger than last week!

baby's first baseball game

My sister, Kristen, and her family came to visit this weekend. We packed in lots of Baltimore activities, including an Orioles game. They wiped the floor with the Texas Rangers. It was a fun game to watch. Oh, and Upper Box tickets may seem cheap but they were awesome!

Plus, my sister felt a kick while we were there!

Lovin' my Buddha Belly

When they heard we were expecting, our dear friends sent this excellent t shirt. At the time, there was no belly to love. But now I think I can properly model it. Well, maybe not properly. What's with the cheesy Sears pose on the left? Thanks Max and Jamie!

daily belly

21w1d belly

pregnancy nutrition

This is the pregnancy food pyramid I am aspiring to...

Food Group	How much	Examples of food
Grains	9 – 11 servings	Cereal, bread, pasta, rice
Fruits	3 – 4 servings	Fresh fruit, juice, canned
Vegetables	4 – 5 servings	Raw veggies, cooked, juice
Protein	3 servings	Meat, eggs, beans, fish
Dairy	3 servings	Milk, yogurt, cheese

They seem to have left off the "Blizzard" category.

21 weeks

(From babycenter.com)

You're gaining weight and your pregnancy is showing!

Your Baby:Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

first bikini outing

I finally got to the pool today. It felt SO good to swim. And somehow I managed to walk around in a bikini. The baby liked the swimming - there was a lot of flipping around afterward :)

today's playlist

Baby has been LOVING the music lately. Usually I get big kicks when I put the speakers on. It was a slow day.

There were big kicks this morning right after breakfast, though. This morning I knitted and we listened to:

Mozart Effect:Music for Babies Vol. 3 - Flute concerto No. 2 in D major, III, K. 314 = 2 kicks
Baby Einstein Lullaby Classics - Carmen Suite by George Bizet = 0 kicks
Mozart Effect: Music for Children Vol. 2 - Andante, Symphony No. 6, K. 43 = 0 kicks
Mozart Effect: Music for Newborns - Serenade No. 10 in B major "Gran Partita", K.361 = 3 kicks
Mozart Effect: Music for Newborns - Serenade No. 4 in D major, K.203: 2. Andante = 3 kicks
Baby Einstein: Playtime Music Box - Snow Maiden: Dance of the Birds = 0 kicks
Mozart Effect: Music for Babies Vol. 1 - Excerpts from 12 Variations on Ah, Vous Dirai-Je = 0 kicks

I guess Music for Newborns is the big winner. Seems appropriate.

I listened with the stethoscope and heard faint echoing noises, but nothing that sounds like a real heartbeat. But at least I am starting to hear more than just gut noise.

Nilla chef

Donavon is in charge of introducing the Nilla wafer food group to our child. He has a slew of recipes including this favorite - 'Mini Bananilla Sandwiches'. I think most of you understand why I will be in charge of the more traditional food pyramid.

belly stereo

About a week ago I got my Bellysonic speakers. It's basically a fuzzy fleece fanny pack with built in speakers. The iPod goes in the pocket and plugs into the speakers. A splitter allows me to listen along. Here I am rocking out to Baby Einstein's Brandenburg Concerto.I started using it at 19 weeks. We have a ton of baby music loaded on the iPod. I listen an hour a day, either in the afternoon or at night before bedtime.

What you don't see is that even though I look huge, this thing is still too loose. I am using an industrial strength rubber band (like the ones on a stalk of broccoli) to make a pony tail out of the belt in back, to shorten it.

Overall, I like the contraption. It freaks me out that the iPod gets really warm in there and fries the baby for an hour. So, I take it out of the pocket when I am sitting still.

Merle likes to listen, too.

Quinny Buzz

We went baby shopping and ended up with this, the Quinny Buzz. It's awesome.

Confirmation

After weeks of being told to place my hand on Alyssa’s belly and weeks of “Did you feel that"?”, “No”, “Did you feel that?”, “No”, last night I finally confirmed that there is indeed a baby moving around down there. And it was unprompted. That is to say that I felt the baby move without the “Did you feel that?”.