supposedly, you are the size of a Chinese cabbage this week. I imagine we're not talking about the freakishly large ones your father and I bought when I made kimchi. Those were gigantic, mutant napa cabbages. I don't think I could have fit one of those inside my uterus.
We are now officially into the third trimester! I'm excited to be here, but it's also a little scary. There's still so much we have to do.
You had your very first party on Saturday. I know you won't remember it, but a lot of your parents' friends came to visit and brought gifts to help you get ready for full-fledged personhood. Your baby book has a complete list of guests and gifts, so I won't recount it here. I will, however, let you know that your wardrobe is now at least three times cooler than either mine or your father's. You have so many clothes that I know you'll never get to wear them all before you grow out of them. We will have to spend days dressing you up, taking a picture, then changing your clothes and repeating the process. (I have no problem with this. I am sure you will be very cute and will need lots of photo evidence).
It's amazing how much one's life can change in a year. Last October, I was getting ready to run my first half-marathon. This year, I am getting ready for you! I haven't run in quite some time. I didn't have any energy for the first few months, and once my energy came back, I didn't feel up to starting back, virtually from scratch. So I am going to wait until you show up before I get back on the road/trail. Hopefully, once you are big enough for a jogging stroller, you will enjoy it too. There are some great places to run in Greenville.
Your Dad and I went downtown to a big festival this weekend, and you got to try a lot of new foods. You were pretty excited about a German dish called Maultaschen (filled pasta). You also liked the shrimp and grits, but that's no surprise. If all that palate-preparation stuff is true, you will be well primed to enjoy shrimp and grits.
I don't have much else new to report, except this. When I went to my last doctor's appointment, Dr. Gower was listening to your heartbeat, and he said, "Wow. That's a laid back baby!" You have no idea how excited this makes me. I try really, really hard to be a cool, chilled out, calm, peaceful love child. But the truth is, I'm usually pretty far from laid back. I've made a lot of progress, but I still get a bit anxious about things. Yesterday, for example, I was really comfortable on the couch, watching a great TV show. But I had this little nagging voice in the back of my head that kept reminding me how messy and untucked the couch cover was. I had to fight the urge to get up and fix it, so I could relax.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a really happy person most of the time. I love most parts of my life (especially you and your Dad and all the aunts and uncles you're about to meet). I do wish, though, that I were better at cultivating this "laid back" attitude which you have apparently developed. I'm practicing, but I'm relieved to hear that you come by it naturally. Clearly, you got this from your Dad.
We are really looking forward to meeting you!
Love,
Mom
28 weeks, 2 days in the oven
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Dear Toot,
today, my phone tells me that you are the size of a cauliflower. Last week, you were evidently the size of a "hothouse cucumber." I'm getting a little fed up with these comparisons. Why can't they use something less variable than fruits and vegetables? When you were blueberry-sized, it was a helpful comparison, but I just cannot visualize a "hothouse cucumber." Grr...
I'm happy to say that you're at a point where I feel you moving around every day. I really enjoy this part of being pregnant. It's so reassuring to feel you wiggling around, doing your little fetus things in there. The other day, you hit me so hard that it sort of tickled my muscles. I've never been tickled from the inside before, so thanks for that. Your Dad got a big kick out of it. You move around a lot when I eat fresh carrots. As a result, I find myself eating a ton of carrots. If you come out orange, now you know why.
Don't tell him I told you, but the other night, your Dad felt his first BIG kick, and he cried a little. He would insist that "teared up" is the more accurate phrase, but I saw him wipe his eyes, so some of those tears that welled up CLEARLY made their way out. It was really very sweet. He loves you a lot.
It sounds weird, but I think I am going to miss it when I can't feel you moving anymore, after you make your big journey into the real, non-uterine world. I know that we'll be able to have a lot more fun together once you're born, but it will be different. I feel like this is our special Mommy/Little Buddy time, and I'll be sad to see it go. But I know your Dad feels a little left out, so it'll be great when he can play with you too (and tickle your feet and poke your belly -- you were warned!)
We went to a family reunion on Sunday. Everybody asked about you, and they even gave you some presents! So now, you have some books, a set of really awesome eating utensils that are made from cornstarch, a storage bin with owls on it, a baby book for all our memories, two more cloth diapers and a diaper sprayer! It was really awesome. You'll get to meet everybody next year, and you can thank them then.
I'm going to sign off now because it's almost time for me to go to my weekly trivia game. Wish us luck. We won last week, and it would be great to repeat the performance.
Can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
27 weeks, 1 day in the oven
I'm happy to say that you're at a point where I feel you moving around every day. I really enjoy this part of being pregnant. It's so reassuring to feel you wiggling around, doing your little fetus things in there. The other day, you hit me so hard that it sort of tickled my muscles. I've never been tickled from the inside before, so thanks for that. Your Dad got a big kick out of it. You move around a lot when I eat fresh carrots. As a result, I find myself eating a ton of carrots. If you come out orange, now you know why.
Don't tell him I told you, but the other night, your Dad felt his first BIG kick, and he cried a little. He would insist that "teared up" is the more accurate phrase, but I saw him wipe his eyes, so some of those tears that welled up CLEARLY made their way out. It was really very sweet. He loves you a lot.
It sounds weird, but I think I am going to miss it when I can't feel you moving anymore, after you make your big journey into the real, non-uterine world. I know that we'll be able to have a lot more fun together once you're born, but it will be different. I feel like this is our special Mommy/Little Buddy time, and I'll be sad to see it go. But I know your Dad feels a little left out, so it'll be great when he can play with you too (and tickle your feet and poke your belly -- you were warned!)
We went to a family reunion on Sunday. Everybody asked about you, and they even gave you some presents! So now, you have some books, a set of really awesome eating utensils that are made from cornstarch, a storage bin with owls on it, a baby book for all our memories, two more cloth diapers and a diaper sprayer! It was really awesome. You'll get to meet everybody next year, and you can thank them then.
I'm going to sign off now because it's almost time for me to go to my weekly trivia game. Wish us luck. We won last week, and it would be great to repeat the performance.
Can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
27 weeks, 1 day in the oven
Monday, October 3, 2011
Dear Toot,
you are apparently the size of a rutabaga! I don't much care for rutabagas, but I like you a good deal.
You have been wreaking a bit of havoc on my emotions lately. I found myself crying in front of my boss's boss last week. It was really mortifying, but I hope everybody just blames the hormones. You have also made me incredibly clumsy. In a single 24-hour span, I dropped the following delicious food items on the floor:
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich
A chicken and egg biscuit
A piece of carrot cake
I won't lie to you, Toot. I ate the sandwich and the biscuit anyway. The only reason I didn't rescue the cake was that it fell icing-side down. Also, after I dropped the cake, I ate your Dad's piece.
The closer we get to your ETA, the more I realize that I am starting to get a little nervous about the prospect of actually giving birth. It's important to me to try to do it without pain medications or an epidural or anything. I make no judgment about ladies who want help with the pain. I just want to try it old school. But it's pretty scary. Don't worry, though. We'll figure it out together.
Along those lines, your Dad and I were writing out our "birth plan," and we had to make a decision that I know will affect your life. We had to decide whether to circumcise you or not. Circumcision is pretty common in the U.S., so it may surprise you that we decided not to have it done to you. I hope this is the right decision. I am aware that it may lead to some uncomfortable moments, since you will look different from a lot of your American friends. But the truth is, in my heart of hearts, I think it's weird to cut pieces off your baby. So that's why you aren't having it done as an infant. If it causes you a lot of angst later, I really am sorry... But I think that it should be your decision, when you are old enough to make it.
Meh, by the time you read this, you will probably be more concerned with the fact that your mother was posting things online about your "junk." I love you and can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
25 weeks, 7 days in the oven
You have been wreaking a bit of havoc on my emotions lately. I found myself crying in front of my boss's boss last week. It was really mortifying, but I hope everybody just blames the hormones. You have also made me incredibly clumsy. In a single 24-hour span, I dropped the following delicious food items on the floor:
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich
A chicken and egg biscuit
A piece of carrot cake
I won't lie to you, Toot. I ate the sandwich and the biscuit anyway. The only reason I didn't rescue the cake was that it fell icing-side down. Also, after I dropped the cake, I ate your Dad's piece.
The closer we get to your ETA, the more I realize that I am starting to get a little nervous about the prospect of actually giving birth. It's important to me to try to do it without pain medications or an epidural or anything. I make no judgment about ladies who want help with the pain. I just want to try it old school. But it's pretty scary. Don't worry, though. We'll figure it out together.
Along those lines, your Dad and I were writing out our "birth plan," and we had to make a decision that I know will affect your life. We had to decide whether to circumcise you or not. Circumcision is pretty common in the U.S., so it may surprise you that we decided not to have it done to you. I hope this is the right decision. I am aware that it may lead to some uncomfortable moments, since you will look different from a lot of your American friends. But the truth is, in my heart of hearts, I think it's weird to cut pieces off your baby. So that's why you aren't having it done as an infant. If it causes you a lot of angst later, I really am sorry... But I think that it should be your decision, when you are old enough to make it.
Meh, by the time you read this, you will probably be more concerned with the fact that your mother was posting things online about your "junk." I love you and can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
25 weeks, 7 days in the oven
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