I'm sorry I haven't written in a few days. Your Dad and I went on a little vacation - sort of our last hurrah before you show up and everything changes (for the better!) If you're wondering, you are evidently the size (or length) of an ear of corn. Watch out that your Aunt Lexie doesn't eat you.
We went down to Charleston, and we had a lovely time. We stayed at a great B&B, we went on a really cheesy/crappy ghost tour, we toured a tea plantation and a vodka distillery, and we ate a lot of really good food. That last part is the one that concerns you.
I have noticed that you're pretty active AFTER I eat, but our Charleston trip was the first time I felt you moving WHILE I was eating. I hope your wiggliness was an indication that you enjoyed what I was feeding you. The first time I felt it was at a Japanese place called O-Ku, where we had some of the best sushi ever. They had real wasabi there! We had been wanting to try it for years, so of course, we got some. Anyway, you started kicking me while I ate mine. You also kicked me during our early anniversary dinner at a place called Circa 1886. I had a great sea bass dish, but I hope your kicks were a reaction to your Dad's food (which I tried). He got a pork chop that had been brined in Firefly sweet tea vodka. Oh, my, it was good. You seem to be developing a great taste in food. (You also like Trader Joe's pumpkin ice cream. That quart is only designed to last 4 days, right?)
They say it's important to eat a variety of foods while you're pregnant and when you're breastfeeding. Evidently, this will help the baby (that's you) develop his palate. I can safely say that, if this is accurate, you should be primed to eat a nice wide variety of different foods. Your Dad and I are total omnivores. We don't just eat ANYTHING. We eat EVERYTHING.
Things seem to be going well. The doctor says you're just the size you should be, and everything looks good. I wish you could see how excited your Dad is when he gets to feel you move. It kills me that you'll never get to see that part. He has all kinds of plans for the things he wants to teach you how to do when you are older. We can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
24 weeks, 3 days in the oven
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Dear Toot,
You're still a banana, but tomorrow, there is a very exciting bit of produce on the way.
I want to talk to you about something important today. I have been hesitant to bring up this subject, but I think it's a conversation we need to begin. There is going to come a time when you will be compelled to ask me about God.
It's a tricky subject. Your father and I both grew up in ostensibly Christian homes, but we have sort of drifted in our own directions. I have recently been going to an Episcopal church that I like a lot, and your father isn't into organized religion at all. For him, the universe makes sense on a more mathematical level than on a necessarily supernatural one. As if this weren't enough, by the time you read this, you will probably have made some friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, or some faith I know even less about. You're probably wondering what to make of all of this. I don't blame you a bit. You have to be asking yourself - with so many different answers, which one is right?
Well, Toot, this will probably get me some flak, but I am just going to say it. I do not believe that there is only one path to God. A lot of people will disagree with me on this point, but I have to believe that if God is infinite (and, by definition, how could he not be?), then it seems silly to suggest that there is only one right way to get there. If God is everywhere, then it seems to me that every path must eventually reach him, however much it may meander on the journey. The important thing is just finding a path that makes sense to you.
I'm sorry because I know that this will confuse you for a while. It would be easier for you if I could say, "this way is the right one, and everything else is wrong," but I just can't. I have struggled with this a lot because, in all honesty, it may be more difficult to raise you this way than if we had a rigid doctrine to rely on. But the truth is that I am less concerned with making sure you adopt a particular set of rituals than I am with helping you understand the ideas at the heart of all the major religious traditions. My prayer for you is that you learn...
... to respect the magic and mystery of life, and to view all life forms with awe and reverence.
... to approach the world around you with humility and gratitude, and to use it gently.
... to avoid judging others, and to try always to see things from their perspective.
... to be generous to those less fortunate, and to know that it is only luck that keeps you from being in their circumstances.
... to value justice, but to value mercy and compassion more.
... to understand, somehow, that you are both a tiny, barely significant speck in the universe and the most important thing in it.
What's funny is that you may never have these huge spiritual questions that I am so worried about how to answer. Your father has a very calm, contented soul. He doesn't feel driven by all the vast, cosmic questions that burn in me. It's entirely possible that you will turn out just like him. If you do, you will probably be happier. But there's something to be said for the other route too...
Frankly, this whole pregnancy thing is the closest thing to a religious experience that I have ever had, and you are the biggest, most intriguing mystery that I can imagine. I can't wait to see who you become.
Love,
Mom
21 weeks, 7 days in the oven
I want to talk to you about something important today. I have been hesitant to bring up this subject, but I think it's a conversation we need to begin. There is going to come a time when you will be compelled to ask me about God.
It's a tricky subject. Your father and I both grew up in ostensibly Christian homes, but we have sort of drifted in our own directions. I have recently been going to an Episcopal church that I like a lot, and your father isn't into organized religion at all. For him, the universe makes sense on a more mathematical level than on a necessarily supernatural one. As if this weren't enough, by the time you read this, you will probably have made some friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist, or some faith I know even less about. You're probably wondering what to make of all of this. I don't blame you a bit. You have to be asking yourself - with so many different answers, which one is right?
Well, Toot, this will probably get me some flak, but I am just going to say it. I do not believe that there is only one path to God. A lot of people will disagree with me on this point, but I have to believe that if God is infinite (and, by definition, how could he not be?), then it seems silly to suggest that there is only one right way to get there. If God is everywhere, then it seems to me that every path must eventually reach him, however much it may meander on the journey. The important thing is just finding a path that makes sense to you.
I'm sorry because I know that this will confuse you for a while. It would be easier for you if I could say, "this way is the right one, and everything else is wrong," but I just can't. I have struggled with this a lot because, in all honesty, it may be more difficult to raise you this way than if we had a rigid doctrine to rely on. But the truth is that I am less concerned with making sure you adopt a particular set of rituals than I am with helping you understand the ideas at the heart of all the major religious traditions. My prayer for you is that you learn...
... to respect the magic and mystery of life, and to view all life forms with awe and reverence.
... to approach the world around you with humility and gratitude, and to use it gently.
... to avoid judging others, and to try always to see things from their perspective.
... to be generous to those less fortunate, and to know that it is only luck that keeps you from being in their circumstances.
... to value justice, but to value mercy and compassion more.
... to understand, somehow, that you are both a tiny, barely significant speck in the universe and the most important thing in it.
What's funny is that you may never have these huge spiritual questions that I am so worried about how to answer. Your father has a very calm, contented soul. He doesn't feel driven by all the vast, cosmic questions that burn in me. It's entirely possible that you will turn out just like him. If you do, you will probably be happier. But there's something to be said for the other route too...
Frankly, this whole pregnancy thing is the closest thing to a religious experience that I have ever had, and you are the biggest, most intriguing mystery that I can imagine. I can't wait to see who you become.
Love,
Mom
21 weeks, 7 days in the oven
Friday, September 2, 2011
Dear Toot,
it occurs to me this week that I should thank you.
You see, your mother has always been a little bit high strung and neurotic. I tend to get bent out of shape about the tiniest things -- strangers at work? Oh, God, we're going to get laid off. Funny tingling in my feet? Oh, God, I am going to die. You get the idea.
But since we found out about you, I have had to teach myself to to calm down. You see, I love you so much that I want to make sure my body is the most hospitable place possible for you to hang out. So lately, when I experience something that would normally make me really upset, I consciously choose not to let it bother me. At work, I stopped letting things stress me out. I learned to say no when I felt overwhelmed. When your father and I disagree, I am learning to seek reconciliation faster, spending less time in a cranky mood. This is a lesson that I desperately needed to learn. I think it stands a decent chance of sticking even after you show up. So thanks!
Oh, so you're the size of a banana now. I assume we're talking about length here, since it would be pretty creepy if your actual shape shifted from "small cantaloupe" to "banana."
You should also know that you're going to be getting an extra middle name. Your Grandmother Garrett asked if we'd consider adding her Japanese family name, since there's nobody around to carry it on. I was a little hesitant at first, purely because I am unfortunately resistant to change, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you will probably really appreciate having both sides of your heritage represented in your name. So, you'll be Alexander Kennedy Wada Garrett. It's kind of a mouthful, but I am sure you'll get used to it.
I've started feeling you move around a little bit this past week. At least, I think it's you. It's still sort of hard to tell baby nudges from gas and other normal stomach-related motions. But I am pretty sure it's you. It feels odd. Your Dad felt it too. You get really wiggly right after I eat. It's pretty neat. Keep on wiggling.
Can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
21 weeks, 4 days in the oven
You see, your mother has always been a little bit high strung and neurotic. I tend to get bent out of shape about the tiniest things -- strangers at work? Oh, God, we're going to get laid off. Funny tingling in my feet? Oh, God, I am going to die. You get the idea.
But since we found out about you, I have had to teach myself to to calm down. You see, I love you so much that I want to make sure my body is the most hospitable place possible for you to hang out. So lately, when I experience something that would normally make me really upset, I consciously choose not to let it bother me. At work, I stopped letting things stress me out. I learned to say no when I felt overwhelmed. When your father and I disagree, I am learning to seek reconciliation faster, spending less time in a cranky mood. This is a lesson that I desperately needed to learn. I think it stands a decent chance of sticking even after you show up. So thanks!
Oh, so you're the size of a banana now. I assume we're talking about length here, since it would be pretty creepy if your actual shape shifted from "small cantaloupe" to "banana."
You should also know that you're going to be getting an extra middle name. Your Grandmother Garrett asked if we'd consider adding her Japanese family name, since there's nobody around to carry it on. I was a little hesitant at first, purely because I am unfortunately resistant to change, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you will probably really appreciate having both sides of your heritage represented in your name. So, you'll be Alexander Kennedy Wada Garrett. It's kind of a mouthful, but I am sure you'll get used to it.
I've started feeling you move around a little bit this past week. At least, I think it's you. It's still sort of hard to tell baby nudges from gas and other normal stomach-related motions. But I am pretty sure it's you. It feels odd. Your Dad felt it too. You get really wiggly right after I eat. It's pretty neat. Keep on wiggling.
Can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
21 weeks, 4 days in the oven
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