2009: Prelude to a New Odyssey

We're standing on the threshold of a new year! Today is the last day of 2009, and what a year it's been!

Think about all the accomplishments you've had in 2009 alone. Granted, January through late May were kind of blank calendar days for you, but from June onward, you've had some amazing feats:

• You made it to the Egg when all the other spermies didn't
• You grew from an Egg to 3/4 of a baby
• You grew a spine and internal organs
• You made a brain
• You grew eyes and then they unfused and now can blink!
• You grew toes and fingers - and they're not even webbed anymore!
• You grew from being compared to a a poppyseed (in week 3) all the way to a squash now!
• You learned to kick and flail and move around inside your Mom's belly
  
• And you did this to your mother (but don't worry, she's exceedingly happy that you did):

But, now that 2009 is behind us, we have to look forward to 2010, which is going to be an even bigger year!

You've got a lot more room to go, no matter how large your Mom's belly seems to get from week to week:

Week 29

Week 30

And, in 2010, you are going to be born! You will learn to smile and see and breathe and roll over and crawl! You'll learn to blink, and find your fingers and toes and grow hair on your head and teeth in your mouth. You'll get to finally meet your Mom and Me, and all the other people who already love you so much, like Mimi and Pops and Nannah and Baba, your Uncles and Aunts (official and honorary), and, of course, your Dogs.

But, we mustn't get ahead of ourselves. For now, on the brink of 2010 and on my 100th journal entry for you, we are in week 30 of our pregnancy- about 7 and a half months in. And on the verge of the most exciting year of our lives yet. Something tells me that 2010 is going to be a great year.

Your family can't wait to meet you!

Happy New Year, Son!

Belly Explosion

So, as we near the end of Week 20, your Mother is undeniably pregnant. Outside observers have noted that your Mom's belly seems to have exploded from the end of last week to today. And, while I thought the belly would be a gradual growth, your Mom has me convinced that she's growing with leaps and bounds.

While I was asleep the other night, I half-noticed your Mom getting up, going into the closet, doing something and coming back to bed. The next morning she told me what happened:

She felt like her belly had suddenly grown in the middle of the night and suddenly, the pajamas she had put on before she went to bed were too tight. Far too tight.

So at around 1 AM, she had to get up and change into bigger pajamas!

Whether or not this belly bump is bursting spontaneously, you can most definitely tell that, after 20 weeks of pregnancy, your mother is shaped much differently than she was before (in fact, she's now shaped much more like I was in college after 4 years of buffalo chicken calzones!)

Of course, though, your Mother is gorgeous pregnant (as she is un-pregnant). I was just fat.

But, as pregnant women are likely to do, your Mom has been grumbling lately how "fat" she is, that she can't even remember being smaller and that she's never going to be the same size again. Well, that remains to be seen, but I reinforce the truth that she is gorgeous with child (does the phrase "with child" freak anyone else out?), and that she is as beautiful as ever.

Last night, while trying to help, I kinda made things worse:

Holly: "I'm so fat!"

Me: "You're not fat at all! Look, you are gorgeous! Pregnancy has given you this glow! You seem so happy all the time!"

Holly: "You mean I'm Jolly?"

Me: "Huh?"

Holly: "Jolly Holly? I'm gonna be huge by Christmas. I don't want to have a Holly Jolly Christmas!"

I don't think "Jolly" always means "Too fat to fit in a chimney..."

So, there you have it, the eratic nature of talking to a pregnant woman. Please note that she was (partially) joking around, and that I DO think (and constantly tell her) how gorgeous she is-- no matter if her belly is growing gradually, or exploding over night, as this animation I made might have you believe!

Click on Holly to see her full size! Week 8 vs. Week 20