Baby!

Not sure what to call this post -- "Baby catching up" or "Baby misc." would both work.

Grandma Lolo was asking about more pictures from recent ultrasounds, so I'll start there. I went in for my last one on the 20th and she looked perfect. Five and a half pounds, with about six weeks to go. I am starting to see why the last few weeks are reportedly difficult: She will be half again as big as she is now (at least!) by the time she is born....wow.

This facial profile picture has her little fist up by her forehead. When the technician zoomed into her face, we saw her lower lip sweetly sucking in and out. This, like pretty much everything else in the universe these days, made me cry. These were happy tears, however, unlike when I found out the mattress we wanted for the crib was out of stock and we couldn't take it home that night; that time I cried pathetic, hormonal, sad tears. This pregnancy thing will mess you up!

Jon and I were officially showered last weekend. Thanks to the wonderful Newmans. It was super amazing. Everyone gave us the most wonderful things and we felt so supported and loved and happy to be surrounded by the folks that Tilia will know in her world. Krista and Grandpa Howie were sadly missed, but they will both be here to meet her when she is born...

We took mom (technically, she took us!) to Maneki and Sitka & Spruce, both of which were, as usual, amazing meals. Mom wrote my foodie Uncle Jay a 5 page hand-written letter about the latter. We also visited the farmer's market in the U-District and went rocking chair shopping. It was a huge weekend.

The SIFF is going on, and Jon and I have very little time for much more than the two blind picks that the Holubs will take us to in our annual "Movie Night with the Holubs Role Reversal" where they pick the films and tell us where to show up. However we are going to try to get "rush" tickets to one sold-out adventure tonight and maybe another tomorrow. We're trying to get all the movies we can see in before the bean arrives.

She's got Legs...

Here is (finally! Sorry Grandma Lolo!) the picture of the beana's legs I mentioned in a previous post.


Her feet are on the left, ankles crossed and knees tucked up to her head, which is tilted down. The toes just slay me! So cute! In the middle of the picture, around the knee of her right leg (the one on top), you can see a little bump that is her little hand holding her leg. It makes me giggle with delight.

Lots of things are making me giggle with delight these days. Her hiccups. Her rhythmic kicking when we play loud music. When she kicked Jon in the stomach when we hugged goodbye before work the other morning.

It's so hard to image that we only have 13 weeks left (give or take...probably give). I want to savor every minute of this part.

She's a mover and a shaker

We are narrowing down names, but girl bean has been redubbed "Beana" for the time being. Much bigger than a bean now (in fact, she is just about a pound and a half!) She is moving like crazy and kicking and making herself known many times a day now...it is heavenly! I simply love knowing she is in there and alive and well.

I know I am pissing off women everywhere who have had morning sickness or food aversions or horrible heartburn and anxiety and insomnia, but I find myself saying the following phrase often and repeatedly: There is nothing about being pregnant that I haven't completely loved.

During my ultrasound on Wednesday the technician paused and looked at me.
"How tall are you?"
"5-9" I said.
"How tall is her dad?"
"He's tall!" I answered. "6'5" or so."
She nodded and smiled. "This girl's legs are l-o-n-g long. She's measuring around the 28th or 29th week for legs." She snapped a cutie pie picture of her long-ass legs all tucked up, knees to forehead and ankles crossed and handed it to me. It's precious.
Later I told Jon who laughed and said, "That's my girl!"

What this brought crashing beautifully home to me in a way that tugs at that place in your throat that trembles when you know you're about to cry is that this little person, this perfect, wondrous being is something that is completely Jon and me. We made her. She is us. God I love that. I love that almost as much as I love that she is kicking me softly right now -- a deep and tender thump somewhere under my bellybutton, letting me know she's there.

It's a...

What kind of baby is it?

Thanks to a great idea (loaned to me by Dan, owner of Neptune Coffee on Greenwood Ave.) Jon and I have now in our possession a sealed little card which, on the inside, will reveal to us the sex of the bean. Sometime tonight, we will know if he or she is a she or a he and while I was not on board with the whole, "finding out before it's born" scenario, I am really excited now. We can nail down the perfect name and stop calling it "it."

We had our second ultrasound yesterday (pictures to come soon). We get to have a few more ultrasounds, thanks to my borderline high blood pressure and they want to measure the bean every 6 to 8 weeks and make sure s/he is growing at the right rate and getting enough blood etc. The technician said she was pretty sure she could tell what it was (adding the necessary disclaimer that they are rarely 100% sure), and she obliged us by not telling us what it is, but by writing it on a card and sealing it. This is the card we will open tonight, together after a celebratory dinner at Coupage, just Jon and I. Eeee!

Stay tuned.

First Photos

Last week Jon and I had the thrill of seeing the bean for the first time. S/he is about 85 millimeters long and moved around the whole time. We clearly saw the heart beating. Amazing.

We got this body shot. The head on the left and the back toward the camera. The little butt and feet tucked under on the right.

The next one shows a close up of the bean's skull. The top of the head is on the right. The eye sockets clearly visible, nose and open-looking mouth. The white line with a little bend in it at the bottom going from right to left is an arm bone!
Wow!

Ce n'est pas une baby blog

I just finished reading this great blog by a lady in Arizona about her pregnancy. I haven't even poked around the rest of her site to see what else she does, but I can sense a kindred spirit. I couldn't stop clicking and reading as her 9-months unfolded. I was in awe of her experience, which she chronicled in really honest and fun detail, that I was inspired to start writing about this crazy situation of being pregnant. One of my favorite lines: "I'd rather go commando than wear granny panties." Amen, sistah!

Today -- 13 weeks! We are still weirdly giddy about it. We have come up with about 1 girl name and 3 boy names that we like. I think he's a boy.

Until today today, I was convinced I wasn't showing yet, but we went to the Newmans' for dinner and Amie was like, "Wow girl! You have popped!" E and A both came and felt the belly. Goosebumps! The kiddo is really high up and the only part you can tell is right under my boobs -- it's hard and tight and full-feeling.

It was funny timing to start showing as this morning, for the first time, I was uncomfortable laying on my stomach. Things are happening! It's freaky and awesome.

In 4 days we have a midwife appointment -- the heartbeat and my BP are the two things that sit on the forefront of our minds.

We went to Costco today and bought a new digital camera and four "luxury" pillows. It felt spontaneous and decadent. I tell myself it's all about the baby so it's OK.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had no sickness, no food aversions, no trouble getting pregnant...this is a strange and cool trip so far.

Baby Radar

Lo and behold, Keith Knight and his gal are knocked up too! I am looking forward to him writing about the father's perspective over the coming months.