Week 35: Maternity Photo Shoot and a Day in the Park

Kids,

The summer just ended here in Dallas, and we can finally go outside again (with lots of bug spray, especially at dusk...thanks West Nile Mosquitoes...). But it's cool...it's crisp...it's Texas-style fall here with temps peaking in the high 80s and low 90s, and much nicer than that in the morning. So we took advantage of the beautiful day and went to the arboretum.

I had a seret agenda: take pretty pregnancy pictures of your Mom. We're in the 35th week, which means, little Julia is not so little anymore. You're the size of a coconut...and that's nuts!

But...looking at your beautiful mother and her bodacious bump, I'd say coconut seems about right!

Your Mom is just ravishing, though if you talked to her she'd protest and say self depricating things. But I just pretend not to hear those at all. She's cute, she's cool, she's preggo, she's sassy and she's beautiful. Just look!

But, even if your Mom is not pleased with the photos, (despite all logical people telling her that she's gorgeous), at least -in her words- she's happy with the photos because they'll get me "off her back." See what I mean about sassy?

I just wanted to take some fancy shots to officially commemorate what may be our last big bump! (We'll see what the future holds, though...)

Amongst all the professional modeling and posing, we also had time to run around, chase butterflies, try to get into waterfalls, fly around and run up and down a hill in the wind.

Fun in the sun, now that it's not trying so hard to scorch all living things.

So, a successful day for Aidan in the fun department, and a very successful day for Mommy and Julia in the coconut department.

Big Brother, the Belly and You: Week 24

Little one,

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the bumpdom. You've been going on some kicking and tossing and turning sprees nightly, much to my and your Mom's enjoyment. We can definitely feel you manuevering in your ever-shrinking home.

It's hard to believe you're already 24 weeks along.

But, knowing that you're the size of a cantaloupe now, it's not hard to see where that cantaloupe is hiding.



Week 24



Just look at that bump! As exciting as it is to see you growing from the outside, inside your mom's belly is where the really exciting business is going down. You're totally jamming out now to the sounds of the outside world, and probably really loving the sounds of your mom's heartbeat.

Your skin is growing more and more opaque, and more pink...meaning you're really starting to look like a baby now!

But, out here, all we can do is monitor the bump and wonder about your secret inside life. I wonder if you can feel our hands when we are trying to feel you moving...it would only stand to reason that you could, right?

Well, I may not know the answer to that, but I know that if you could feel us, you'd have noticed a much smaller hand than mine or your mother's recently resting on your little growing head.

Your brother found the bump to be quite a convenient arm rest the other day...but there seemed to be something more deep going on with the way he gently opened his hand to feel the bump...and maybe the baby within.

And there his hand stayed for a good 20 minutes. Sure, sure, maybe he was just transfixed by watching "Follow that Bird" (for the first time).

But, I'd like to think that- while that's partially true- perhaps he even felt you kick, and is starting to grasp that you (a baby!) are going to one day emerge from your little bump and come out here and make him into a brother...and come into the world. Perhaps he, like the rest of us, knows that you're there...and that you'll soon be here!

10: Play Bow

Only 10 days until your due date!

And with 10 days until your big debut, you're already taking a big bow!

Last night while we were thinking about going to bed, but still sitting on the couch just talking about how we couldn't believe that you'd be here in about 10 days and just scratching our heads in awe of this whole situation and the new adventure we're about to embark upon, you decided to do a bit of redecorating.

All of a sudden, your mom's semi-spherical stomach started rolling and growing in weird areas and then, boom, you were done moving. Your mom's tummy looked more like a loaf of bread- a solid rectangular misshapen mass type thing.



We finally figured out that the protrusion was none other than your tushy, sticking high up near your Mom's ribs. But, unlike most of your bizarre movements like that, this one remained put until your Mom decided to lay down. We're talking like over 5 minutes here. What were you doing with your butt high in the air?

When dogs do this, it's called a Play Bow.

When babies do this, I'm not too sure what it's called. Maybe you were just trying to get a new perspective on things, maybe you were just stretching your leg muscles, maybe it was your head and you're trying to tunnel out. Who knows?

But it sure was interesting to see and feel.

Don't worry, buddy, soon enough the pregnancy will finally be over and you can take a real bow out here in the real world...even if you want to bow with your tush high in the sky.

The Line in The Sand...And some new developments

A challenge has been issued, little buddy:

Apparently the general consensus among non-medical people other than your Mother and I is that you are going to be early!

In fact, on Sunday, Jeremy and Michelle made a wager that your Mom wouldn't "last" 14 days! That would put your birthday on February 21st! Well, your Mom and I are still convinced that you're going to make it to March. I mean, heck we're already 3 days into that 14 day line-in-the-sand and your Mom hasn't even had a contraction.

I think we're going to make it to the finish line without a problem!

Let's take a look at the facts:

• Your Mom is 2 cm dilated
• You will be considered "full term" as of 37 weeks- this coming Saturday
• The doctor didn't say anything about your Mom being "effaced" (the thinning of the cervix)
• Your Mom is acting like a champ...albeit a champ with back pains that cause her to sleep on the couch and sort of flounder around to be able to shift positions
• We haven't packed our bags to go to the hospital yet
• We haven't put your car seat in the car yet (and we're not allowed to take you home with us without your car seat installed)
• Your Mom officially goes on Maternity leave in 2 days
• The doctor said you were right on schedule, as far as growth and weight gain.

And there are some new announcements too, though:

1. ............. After weeks and weeks of waiting, your Mom is now a "). " It's an Outie! Alright, so it's not quite an all-the-time official outie yet, but your Mom's belly button has officially made the switch from a most-of-the-time inny to a most-of-the-time small outie.
2. Your Mom can eat again regular amounts of food again (for a while she couldn't eat a lot...but had to eat a little frequently, because she got full so easily). This may mean that her organs are probably not smushed together anymore, which means that there's not a little you craming all her entrails together. This means you may have "dropped" - which means you may now be engaged in the birthing canal.

So...who knows who is right? Some of these signs may indicate that you won't make it to the 21st of February. Some indicate that we're right on time for a March delivery.

Whenever you do arrive, though, we'll be ready for you. We're putting the car seat together this weekend, and packing the bag tonight and tomorrow. So, let me revise my statement: as long as you arrive after this weekend, we'll be ready for you. Mostly.

Eighth in the Hole

It's hard to believe that our 8th month is almost over. That's right, buddy, you're now well into your 35th week of growing in your Mom's belly and, come Saturday, your Mom and I begin our 9th month.

That means that the end of pregnancy is nigh and that a new beginning is just around the corner. You're going to be born in approximately 32 days! (Although, some people are rooting for you to be born in as little as 13 days so they can win the chocolate bar bet!) But your Mom and I are hopeful that you'll make it to full term, and be born sometime in March!

As we're settling into the last month, you may be settling into place: head down. With your head down toward the cervix, you're in primo position to be born. In fact, we're pretty sure that you spend most of your time upside down now, since your Mom can feel you kick BOTH sides of her ribcage simultaneously!

But, don't worry, your kicking isn't really the sole culprit for your Mom's growing discomfort. She and you are both just getting so big that your Mom's belly is just plain cumbersome. You may have reached your final birthlength, estimated at around 17-20 inches, but you haven't reached your final weight yet. As the weeks go onward you're just going to be packing on the pounds, adding some girth and adding discomfort, (though it's unintentional).

In fact, just a few days after I re-earned my place sleeping in bed and not on the couch after my surgery, your Mom has taken to moving to the couch in the middle of the night. Apparently the firmness of the couch allows her more support to prop up her heavy belly. We tried propping up the belly on her body pillow- but it's "too tall" to get the belly on. We tried propping it up on one of those airline neck pillows- but that's too small. And last night, your Mom went into your nursery and grabbed a wedge pillow and tried to wedge her belly up with that, but it just didn't work, apparently.

I know this because when I woke up this morning, your Mom was sleeping on the couch.

A few more nights of this and, perhaps, your Mom will become one of those people rooting for Febraury 15th after all!

Ringing in the Holly-Days

Well, actually your Mom won't be ringing in any holidays, or New Years for that matter.

Pregnancy has a strange effect of making women gain weight in almost every area of their body...including their ring fingers. Every book we've read, and most people we know have suggested to your Mom and her swollen hands that she take off her wedding and engagment ring before her fingers get too big. Because if her fingers get too big, and the rings won't budge, then the doctors will literally SAW them off of her finger when she's admitted to the hospital for your birth.

Her wedding ring wasn't budging for a long while now; growing tighter and tighter. Finally your mother lotioned up her hands, pulled and twisted and was just barely able to get the rings off her finger. It was a close call.

But don't worry, people won't think she's an unwed mother-to-be. Before we went on our Honeymoon, we were paranoid about being held up and our new-found bling being pinched in the process. So, while in Paris, your Mom wore a gaudy decoy ring that she bought at Target for 10 dollars.

The decoy ring - probably due to its gaudiness - has its fans though. Some of your Mom's teenage students, who never commented on her actual ring, complimented your Mom's wedding ring-- as if they'd never seen the real platinum one!

Guess we could have saved a lot of cash by just shopping at Target.

So, even though your Mom may be ringing in the holiday season with a fake ring on, we still will be celebrating because sitting under our tree - actually sitting on the couch near the tree- is the best Christmas/Hannukah present anyone could ask for!

And, because we're super clever, we wrapped that present up in a bow, took a picture of it and sent it off to all our family and friends as an electronic holiday card:

That's right- the best present under our tree is YOU! And everybody in the family wanted to get in on the action of having their pictures taken with you!

Well... maybe "want" isn't the operative word here, but as you can see, they still were IN the pictures with you!

Do Fetuses Dream of Embryonic Sheep?

There you are, a big, bountiful baby bump on week 28 of this journey. I know it seems like I've reported almost every movement, every kick, every turn, every hiccup you make. That's because when you move, it's very exciting for everyone here in the outside world.

But, as you are now almost fully developed some cool things are happening in your off time too. When you stop kicking or rolling we normally say, "I guess he went to sleep," and either wait for you to wake up again or jostle you to wake you up for more playing (rude, huh?)

Scientists know that you- and others in your predicament - can actually sleep in two different ways: inactive AND active sleep. On the outside here, we sleep inactively first, and then actively. On the inside, though, you do the opposite- active first, then inactive.

Active sleeping is synonymous with REM (no, not the band, silly; Rapid Eye Movement). And, REM sleep is when we on the outside of your Mom's belly tend to have dreams.

There's no real way to tell, but because you engage in REM sleep, scientists actually think that you might be able to dream too!

In a rare role reversal, I found that absolutely fascinating and amazing, while your Mom took a pragmatic approach.

"But dreams are just your brain trying to make sense of random synapses firing off in your brain- brining in random images of things you've seen or witnessed," she said.

And that's true, as far as I know.

But I still think you have plenty to dream about:

• Certain flavors of food or smells
• Your Mom's heartbeat
• My singing
• The dogs barking
• Your Mom's internal organs
• Being jostled (like in a car ride)
• Kicking
• Music
• The Paul McCartney & Ben Folds Concerts
• Guitar Music
• The feeling of being on a walk

You probably also have a few things to even have nightmares about:

My singing

• That time we put the flashlight up to the belly
• My singing
• Spicy Food
• My singing

So, even if you're not dreaming or just don't have too much to dream about, I can still dream that you are dreaming, right?

And, I know that your Mom and I both are having tons of dreams about you.

While you continue to get bigger and bigger, we'll continue to dream about you coming out to meet us - and, maybe, you'll be dreaming about meeting the people connected to all the voices you've been hearing and internal organs you've been cozying up to for the past 7 months.

Or maybe, you'll just keep dreaming of embryonic sheep.

The Lion, The Wardrobe (no Witch)

December 9. Winter's definitely descended upon Dallas. Normally at this time of year it is still light-jacket weather (50s), but this morning it was mid-20s with a windchill of 11 degrees! This must sound ridiculously cold to you, seeing as how you're used to a cozy 98.7 around-the-clock.


But with winter weather, comes the winter wardrobe. Unfortunately, though, your Mom's winter pea coat, which usually envelops her, and could do so twice over, hardly buttons around her belly. It is dangerously close to what your Pops coined as the forced-casual look.

In fact, over the weekend your Mother postulated that she might have one more week before the jacket simply would not close around her. At that point, though, I will donate my jacket to the cause. By the time she outgrows that, we hope it will be Spring though.

But not to worry, we'll keep the bump (that's you) nice and warm and cozy.

You'll also be warm and cozy in your nursery too. And now that the basics of the nursery are down, we're talking decorations.

Your Mom wants to decorate your nursery (or at least one wall of it ) with illustrations of animals from Classic children's books.


As part of our continuing effort to pre-natally communicate with you daily, we were reading Shel Silverstein's "Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back" out loud to you last night. It was a good book. When you understand English we'll read it to you again.

But, due to this reading, Lafcadio made the list of creatures in your nursery!

After we read, we brainstormed about other characters for your nursery, and here's who else you may be seeing:

George, Curious.Lion, Cowardly.Manic Depressive Donkey

Crocodile, Lyle, Lyle

Caterpillar, Hungry, Hungry

Brown Bear, Brown BearBabarSylvester (of the Magic Pebble Situation)And the Petit Prince's Fox

...but that's just to name a few.

How is this all going to work together in a cohesive design? I have no idea. That's not my department. But I do know that you're going to love your nursery (or at least we will), and that you'll be sound and snug in your new home. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and promise you that you'll be even more snug than your mother's winter jacket!

I wanna hold your...foot? hand? unknown appendage?

Last night while cuddling on the couch, your Mom and I both had a hand on the belly (yes, it's certainly big enough to accomodate that now). You were doing your sommersaults and kicks and rollings, like usual, but then you did something new, and very cool:

You pushed, and kept pushing, your foot (or hand?) out to us, for at least 10 seconds at a time. Your Mom and I both held your hand (or foot?) and it was truly remarkable. I could feel bone, detect the shape of the appendage and feel you pressing against me.

Remember this picture from before? Well, what you were doing felt like it should've looked like this. But, don't be freaked out, it didn't look like that at all.

Sure, we've felt jabs and even 2-second holds before, but this was as if you were just stretched out in the belly, making yourself as comfortable as possible, kicking your feet all the way out to the edge. And, as a result, you kept your foot out there long enough for us to hold it in the palms of our hands...and smile.

The Thin Brown Line

They said it would come. And it did. About a month ago I started noticing the fabled "linea nigra" (or black line) appearing vertically on your Mom's belly.

She swore she didn't see it.

Then I definitely knew I was seeing it, and even tried to point it out to her. But she still said she didn't see it!

Finally about a week or so ago, your Mom finally saw the line!

"Guess what? You know that line we're supposed to get on our bellies? I think I have one."

"That's what I've been saying all along!"

The evidence, which is clear to everyone now, is below:

Much to her surprise, though, the line seems to confirm that she's not symmetrical. Or at least that's what she thinks, anyway. The line falls off to the left side of her body...so either the line is out of whack, or your Mom's not symmetrical.

It appears the what causes the line isn't a mystery at all. Basically, the same thing that causes all of pregnancies other fun time happiness- HORMONES- is what causes the line.

But, why the line appears where it does still IS a mystery. They don't know WHY it appears down the center of the belly!

Is it a racing stripe? The 50 yard line? A connect the dots? Who knows.

But what we do know, though, is that this thin brown line is yet another sign that you're going to be coming out to see us soon.

And maybe, that's what the line is afterall: A Finish line! When you see it, you'll know you've finished the first part of your journey!

Rockin' Around (The Christmas Tree)

You've been a busy little boy lately. You are moving regularly and it's not just little kicks, jabs or rolls anymore!

Two days ago, after we put up our Hanukkah and Christmas decorations, you were kicking and rolling all around in your Mom's belly (especially after she ate some cookies).

Last night, you were extending some limb (a foot? a hand? your head?) into your Mom's gut for extended periods of time. These weren't just fleeting movements..I actually had my had around whatever that was for like 5 seconds at a time. Maybe you were reaching out to me as a reaction to my voice or my hand on the belly, or maybe you were just trying to get comfortable and I kept bothering you.


Either way, it was truly amazing to just hold your (foot?)...it felt like a human...just a human wrapped up in a thick comforter pushing against you. So, yeah, I could feel a sturdy little appendage reaching out!

But cookies, my voice or touch aren't the only thing that's making you move now a days. We've told you how you react to music just the way that the pink ectoplasm does in Ghostbusters 2, but your Mom has been telling me that certain music makes you move more than others, letting us think that maybe you can recognize (and like?) certain tunes. You've certainly been exposed to enough Ben Folds and Beatles to know them by now, but your Mom swears that you'll wake up from a sleep and start moving around whenever she puts on Folds or the Beatles.



In fact, today she was sewing you a stuffed Lion and was listening to Abbey Road, and as soon as the tunes started, you started dancing.

This is consistent with our findings a couple of a week ago: When your Mom and I were playing "The End" from Abbey Road on Beatles Rock Band, you started kicking like crazy! So, your Mom made me play the song 5 times in a row to try to get a good video of you kicking and moving. Take a look at yourself moving:

• Specifically, around second 33, look at Toby's ear!
• And look for the big one at 1:09 near Toby's collar.

(also, ignore the gentle rat-a-tap-tap-thump-clods of my ah-may-zing drumming..it's on Expert, so give me a break!)

But, of course, we're gonna test this theory and see if it's JUST Ben Folds and Beatles or if it's just music in general that gets your motor running and starts you rockin' around!

A Light in the Belly

After reading a chapter in this book called "The Expectant Father" about communicating with you while you're in the belly, your Mom and I have really been stepping up our intra-uterine communication.

There's some amazing research (and anecdotal accounts) out there about how much you can actually be hearing and even soaking in. The book tells a story of an Orchestra conductor who somehow knew the Cello lines to the scores before he'd ever even heard or read them. As it turns out, his mother, a concert cellist, was practicing those very same symphonies throughout his pregnancy.

Of course, we've been singing to you and feeling your kicks and talking to you, but now we're trying to have conversations (albeit one-sided) with you and even play with you.

The book makes it a point to say that you will definitely know your Mother's voice (and heartbeat (and stomach gurgling noises)), simply by nature of you being in her belly. You'll also recognize my voice just from being around me, but if I make special effort to communicate with you in the belly, you'll be even more familiar with my voice.

Right after I read this chapter, you got a major concert on the way drive back from Houston two days ago of your Dad singing Ben Folds' greatest hits. And it was pretty dang good, because everyone knows that people sing the best when they're in the car.

So, besides singing to you, I've decided to start just chatting with you, giving you narration of our day, what's going on on the outside and more. It definitely feels silly to be talking directly to your Mom's belly, and takes getting over some self consciousness, but I'm starting to find it more natural. So instead of just reading out loud, like we've been doing, we're actually starting to engage you in conversation...

And, believe it or not, you're quite the budding conversationalist. Of course, not all this communication is verbal or audible. The author of the book said that he would often try gently pushing the belly once and saying "One," then pushing twice and saying "Two," etc. He said he would often get one belly kick back on the "one," and sometimes even got two kicks back on the "two!"

I tried this trick quite a few times and, to my surprise, I got some kicks back on the "One," but no matching on the "two."

However, when your Mom tried this trick, she swears that she got a One and a Two! Don't worry, I'll keep trying!

Even if she didn't, this new chapter on communication has begun in our lives and it's proving to both me and your Mother that there IS a light on in the attic...or, rather, in the belly!

Stuffed...

It's now week 26....Under 100 days left until you arrive! And your Mommy and I are continuing to grow more and more excited...and your Mommy is continuing to grow and grow.

We're safely in the middle of the 6th month now, and I just read that the 6th month is the time of greatest growth for your Mommy's belly.

And that couldn't have come at a better time of year. Your Mom and I both LOVE Thanksgiving, not only for the family, but mostly for the food said family makes!



We had the pleasure of having Thanksgiving dinner once with our friends...

...once again with your Mom's side of the family in Sulphur Springs (at your Great Grandma's house)..

... and Twice with the Weinstein side in Houston at your Uncle Taff and Aunt April's house.

Now, I must admit, it's hard to not get stuffed like a turkey on Thanksgiving...and I certainly had my fill.

But, with all the Turkey, cranberry sauce, hot rolls, sweet potato souffle (made from sweet potatoes in our garden!), stuffing, olive salad, deviled eggs, pumpking pie, coconut cream pie and pumpkin rolls (made by your Mom, herself), your Mom and I both agree that Thanksgiving dinner(s) was major fuel for you to grow--

Subsequently, your Momma's belly definitely had a growth spurt this weekend!


I don't think the people who wrote these pregnancy books banked on the 3rd week of the 6th month landing on Thanksgiving. Instead of it being the month of your Mom's biggest belly growth, it may just have been the biggest growth of the pregnancy in one week!

Or maybe we were just both stuffed!

All Hands on Deck: Pre-Thanksgiving Edition

We've made it to week 25, and you've finally graduated from papaya to the next produce item on the list. That's right, buddy, in perfect time for Thanksgiving, you're, no, not a turkey, but an eggplant! (Mimi makes the best Eggplant dish on Thanksgiving...so, it's not a total non-sequitor)

That doesn't mean you're a purple, moslty mushy food that hardly anybody likes; It takes a LOT of effort to get as mushy as an eggplant. What this does mean, though, is that you're growing- probably about 1.5 pounds and 13.6 inches long from head to toe.

But we don't need to play guessing games to know you're there or that you've grown. We can see AND feel that just by watching and touching your Mom's belly.

Over the weekend you were kicking for what seemed like 10 minutes at a time and we both just watched and felt in amazement. In fact, you seem to react a lot to music too! Your Mom and I were playing Beatles Rock Band and at this one point with a lot of bass your Mom saw you dancing along. But more on that later.

We can't help but smile every time we feel you kicking. This show was too good to keep to ourselves, so we had to take it on the road.

At a Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving feast at the home of our friends BJ and Kari, we were all just sitting around talking after the meal. I went over and put my hand on your belly to feel you kicking and then your Mom grabbed Michelle's hand to let her feel too. She felt you kick and, also, couldn't help but smile and laugh! Michelle said she could almost even feel a little foot kicking her hand!

Next thing we knew, everyone wanted to feel you kick and squirm and move, and you didn't disappoint your future "Uncles" and "Aunts" and friends: they all got to feel you kick, and all reacted differently. Uncle Jeremy didn't even realize it when he felt you kick- he thought it was just a muscle spasm!

But everyone overall loved "meeting you"-- and they, like me and your mother, can't wait to meet you for real.

Feeling you kick definitely makes your arrival seem more real...but it still seems so unknown, so far off and altogether UNreal. That is to say, we still can't fathom what it will be like when you're here, nonetheless, we still can't wait for it!

To feel you kicking and hold your feet and see your eyes for real will be beyond words; but for now, feeling and seeing you kick against your Mom's belly is incredible enough and, on this week of good food and family, seeing you kick, feeling you move, watching you grow and knowing you're in there definitely and being able to share that with everyone gives me something to be Thankful for.

And THAT's how you get as mushy as an eggplant!