Week 26- Belly Interest

Little one, you are now 26 weeks along, and your Mom and I can't believe how quickly time is flying.

You had some visitors: Last week Sam and Yumiko came down from New York on their way to Japan, and made sure to say hello to you too!

Here you are yesterday in your Mommy's belly:

The book says you're the size of a head of lettuce, but I don't think that does you any justice to the density of the bump. Your Mom is in good spirits, but you're certainly more weighty than a head of Romaine. She's now having difficulties sleeping because you're sleeping on some vital organs, and stubbornly won't move off of them. But that's okay, I forgive you...because I can! Your Mom does too. Plus, you give her a reason to eat lots of ice cream lately, and tell me that I smell. But I don't think we can blame either of those things on the pregnancy....really.



So, exciting news in baby land: you've been busy this week.

• Your eyes are forming, and will soon start to open. 
• Your eyelashes are now grown, too.
• You're getting your immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.
• You're taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

So with all this busy-bodiness, it's no wonder that you've attracted so much attention from the outside world.

Your Brother grows more and more interested Mommy's belly. Yesterday he kept lifting up her shirt and kissing the belly, and poking the belly button. Did you feel it?
 
The other night I had my hand on the bump and I felt your rump...or was it your head? Either way, it wasn't a fleeting kick or rippling under the surface. I felt you, just sitting there, either with your butt up in the air or trying to poke your head up for some head room. I love feeling the kicks, don't get me wrong, but this was the first time with you that I've felt a definitive body part. I forgot how amazing a sensation it is to have sustained first contact.
 
The moment took me aback, as if I had just found out we were having you again. I turned to Holly and said "a baby girl!!!" Or something equally schmaltzy. But it was worth being sappy and lame to experience that exciting moment.
 
So, that was me saying 'hi' and I love you.
 
Did you feel that? It was probably nicer than Aidan poking you in the head (of lettuce).

 

21 weeks: Kicks, Pomegranites, Brother and Grandchildren

Little one,

You are nearing the end of your 21st week inside your Mom's tummy. Your Brother grows more and more excited to meet you every day. He say 'baby!' whenever he sees a baby, and kisses your Mom's belly without even being prompted. He's getting pretty good at your name too. We say 'what's your sister's name?" And he responds with something very similar to your name!

You're an active little girl. Your Mom feels you kicking all the time, mostly when she's inactive. And I can feel you kicking every night now...a far cry from a few days ago when I first felt you kick.

Your mother's belly continues to grow largery and larger, but she's really taking it like a champ.

I tell her how beautiful she looks, but she refuses to believe me. But, c'mon!


21 weeks

 At 21 weeks old, you are "gulp[ing] down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid."

So last night you got to taste fajitas for the first time. And tortillas. Between your Mom and Brother, we were running the watiress ragged getting fresh, hot flour tortillas. The two of them must have consumed 8 or 10 tortillas for the night.

But, from Tex-Mex to the produce aisle, this week you are the size of one of your Mom's favorite foods (which will be in season just in time for your birth): the pomegranite.

You've reached a milestone in your development this week. Your reproductive organs and your womb are developing quickly. That means you've already got a lifetime supply of eggs in your womb...about six million of them.

We stumbled across this factoid when we were pregnant with your brother: a mother pregnant with her daughter also contains the eggs that will one day be her grandchildren. Mind blown, right? So when GiGi was pregnant with Yaya, Yaya already had the egg in her womb that would become your Mommy.

So when I feel you kicking tonight, I'll  envision myself extra spoiling our eventual grandhildren (if you choose to have any...which, and here comes the parental guilt, you'd better ;) ).

But don't worry, I'll spoil you first.

Half Way There: Week 20...and kicking

Little One,

You are 20 weeks old...and kicking.

That's right! Your mother feels you kicking many times every day...mostly at night.

She says it feels "like little bones kicking"...which isn't as poetic as I would have hoped. Despite the 'day of the dead' mood that conjures, I am extremely jealous! I still haven't been able to feel your little kicks. Every time your Mom announces that she feels a kick, I put my hand on the belly and wait patiently...and the kicks never come.

Last night, your Mom woke me up and said "give me your hand." I was confused since I had just come out of a slumber, but I was compliant enough and gave her my hand. She placed it on her belly, since you were being very active.

Alas, I still couldn't feel the kicks. I guess they're still only feel-able from the inside. But when they're feel-able  from the outside, you know I'll be first in line.

Even though I couldn't feel you kick, I was content with my hand hovering somewhere near your little foot, and I dozed off holding your Mom's belly.

And even though you're not yet big enough for me to feel from the outside, you're certainly getting bigger. And this week I have proof! Your Mom begrudgingly agreed to take her week 19 and week 20 photos!

Week 19

Week 20

Week 11..WOW!

See, you're waaaay bigger than you were back on week 11!

In fact, now that you're at week 20 and you're half-way here, you're the size of a banana!

Good work! Keep on growing and hopefully soon you'll be doing the banana splits...and I can feel you kick!

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!

Rippling, Believe it or Not

A Pic from Week 23

Last night, I was up checking on the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies in the oven (that's right: cherry pie was out, cookies were in) when your Mom yelled, "Aaron, Come see this!"

And, like a true athlete, I dashed to her side in one fluid motion. She was staring down at her belly...watching you move!

She said she'd seen you move a little bit before, but tonight you put on a show! For about 10 minutes you seemed to be playing with us, rolling around, sticking out your limbs, turning around or something. Actually, we don't know what you were doing in there, because from the outside it looks like a series of pronounced subcutaneous jabs, spasms and ripples. Kind of like when in any good science fiction/fantasy movie a water monster slithers just over the surface of the water and then dives back down. Or kind of like a little alien possessing her tummy, tunneling under the skin. But, of course, it wasn't creepy like monsters and aliens...it's just other worldly and altogether impossible to describe.

It was amazing just sitting there watching you pop and kick and bounce and just cause ripples all over your Mom's belly.

We grabbed the camera really quickly and attempted to take some videos of you moving, for posterity. But, the movements didn't come out too well on video-- and you seemed to shy up when you knew you were being watched. But I think I captured 3 good movements on film, though I know there will be more displays to come. And now, dim the lights, get the popcorn, and watch the magic! (please note that any magic flashing colors are actually the lights of the TV flickering, not actual magic)

We both got the impression that you're a playful little fella, just having a grand old time for 10 minutes or so...until you passed out.

Interestingly enough, after your 10-minute kick fest, your Mom was starving again! That must have taken a lot of energy to do all that dancing! But don't worry, 2 1/2 giant cookies and two glasses of milk later, everyone was happy and full.

And now, to check on the boss bump that all this pie, cookies and other goodies are helping to grow:

Week 24

So keep kicking away, young man, and we'll keep watching! (And then, after you kick, maybe you'll get a cookie too!)

(Is it wrong to train you to do what we want like we trained Toby and Preston? I haven't gotten to that chapter in the book yet; I'll let you know when I do!)

Cosmic Happenings

Things have been having cosmic coincidental undercurrents lately. I think it has something to do with the magic of being pregnant.

For example, last night your Mom and I both had dreams about me eating Fruity Pebbles, the cereal. In my dream, I could taste the cereal (which I'd never had before). Your Mom told me this morning that she too had a dream in which I ate Fruity Pebbles, and I loved them! (by the way, I did try them this morning, and they were alright. Cocoa Pebbles are better). But is being pregnant tying your Mom into some sort of cosmic connector? How else could she have received the signal I was transmitting and had her own Aaron and Fruity Pebbles dream?

What, that's not fruity enough for you?

Okay, check out this weird Twilight Zone connection. Remember yesterday's entry about the pigment (or lack there of) in your hair? I joked about what your Mom and I would look like with all white hair.

So this morning your Mom went into see our friend Myra for a haircut. And guess what they found growing from your Mom's head?

A single white hair.

And it was short, too, which means it's relatively new. Perhaps even one day old?

So, what do you think? Is pregnancy tapping your mother into some sort of cosmic interconnectedness craziness or are you just giving her grey hairs already? Is having you in her belly tapping your Mom into the world's unconscious and cereal-related desires, or is it just a mere coincidence?

Whatever the meaning behind these ESP happenings, nothing really compares to the magic of feeling you kick. Your Mom told someone the other day that everytime you kick, she can't help but smile. I had my hand on her belly last night, and I got to feel you kicking up a major storm. I couldn't help but smile either. Now THAT is a cosmic happening (not me smiling (i do that a lot); i was referring to the feeling you kick part!). Oh, and Belly Button Watch Day Whatever it is: It's still an inny!

Food with a Little Kick

Last night your Mom and I made dinner (okay, well mostly me, but she watched), and we had to add this special ingredient: Chipotle Peppers in Adobo.

Your Mom had one request: "Don't make it too spicy. Bad things happen in my tummy with too much spiciness."

Actually, she said spiciness gave her heartburn, but the way I wrote it is better.

Well, I only put in the called-for amount of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, plus a little extra to "man-up" the recipe, like I normally do when I cook. You see, most recipes go light on flavor, so I always man them up a little. So, when it called for 2 peppers, I put in 3 and then a fraction of a 4th one plus a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

The manned-up dish wound up having a little kick. Not cry-your-eyes-out spicy, but spicy enough to get your attention (and Spicy enough to make your Mimi cough for 10 hours).

So, after 1 bowl and 3 glasses of water each, your Mom and I were satiated. It was actually a good dish (Smoky Chipotle Mac and Cheese), and I'll make it for you once you, well, you know grow teeth and eat people food.

But, then something really interesting happened, and it wasn't heart burn. I don't know if the caliente cuisine spiced up your night, but you were dancing the night away all over your Mom's internal organs.

You kicked for about one and a half hours straight! We both could feel you kicking and punching just from putting our hands on the belly.

I'd say that the spicy food night was your most active night yet!

But who knows if it was truly the dinner or just a coincidence. The good news, though, is that there were plenty of leftovers, so we'll get to test again tonight to see if it was food with a little kick that caused the kicks or if it was just spicy food with kick on (in) the side.

Sound Activated

You've already been exposed to a lot of differing types of live music: Paul McCartney, Ben Folds, Opera, and my amazing singing. Well, as of last night, you can add one more to the list: Bluegrass.

For your Nannah Joon's birthday, we took her to see Steve Martin (the comedian/writer/actor/banjo-er) and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform last night. It was a toe-tappin, hootenanny of a good time.

And you must have either really loved it or really hated it, because you were kicking and turning the whole time...without your Mother having to wake you up to play with you!

I'm beginning to think you're sound activated! And I think that's sound thinking.

Since we've been pregnant we've been attending more concerts than we ever have before. We're pretty well known for being mostly lame...but being pregnant with you has lit a fire under our tushies to get out and take advantage of opportunities as they come up: hence Paul McCartney, Ben Folds and now Steve Martin. I don't know if it's our feeling that we'll need a babysitter in order to go out in the future or that we probably won't want to leave you (for a while anyway!), but in either case, we're having a lot of fun hitting the town.

Plus, it's a lot of fun to show the bump off to the entire world!

Your Nannah was smart, though, and brought snacks for your Mom. It was a good call- Holly got starving just as the concert was beginning and ate almost half a bag of Gummy Bears.

But all your kicking and dancing to the music must've taken a lot of energy from both of you, because as the show ended, your Mom could only talk about how hungry she was again! But, this time she didn't know what she wanted...

Did she want Nachos with the 7-11 sytle gross cheese? Yes.

Or just Queso? Yes also.

She didnt' want toast or cereal or mac-and-cheese.

When we got home she figured it out: warm milk with honey and a banana...another banana! But don't worry, that's not cannibalism, she's eating tons of fruit lately. She scarfed two pomegranates yesterday as well!

Something about Steve Martin's bluegrass music got your toes a tappin'...but moreso it got you and your Mother's stomachs a growlin'.

So our evening of finger-pickin' readily turned into a late night of finger-lickin'.

A Matter of Taste

At 21 weeks, you are officially the size of a banana: Over 10 ounces and 12.5 inches long, on average.

Well, techincally YOU are a banana!

One of the coolest things about being a banana (aka being 21 weeks "old") is that you are now TASTING. That's right, bud, your taste buds are now fully functional- and you are tasting whatever your Momma is eating!

Baby-rearing sources suggest eating a variety of foods while pregnant, since studies show that when you come out, you'll be most interested in food you've already experienced.

And, boy, did we hook you up yesterday. But the sensory overload wasn't just a tasting-adventure; you got fine dining AND fine arts.

As a birthday celebration, Mimi and Pops took us to see a matinee showing of the opera "Otello" (a hilarious comedy) at the brand new Winspear Opera house in Dallas. But before we went, your Mom packed a lunch for the road. This lunch consisted of a PB&J, an apple and pumpkin seeds. And more pumpkin seeds. And more pumpkin seeds. In fact, your Mom didn't stop eating until we got to the Opera house, which was a gorgeous building which, unfortunately, you couldn't see. But, you did get to hear some really loud classical music and operatic singing! And you reacted like crazy-- kicking and rolling and punching.

By the end of act I (aka 45 minutes later), your Mom was starving again. So we went to the concession bar and being faced with a designer "micro sandwich" for 6 bucks (a micro sandwich is even smaller than it sounds) and candy, your mother chose candy.

So, a half a box of chocolate-covered almonds later, we were back in the opera house.

Now, maybe you were just a little bit bored (like your Mother who was more fascinated by the new building and hall than that particular opera) or maybe you really liked loud, tragic song. But, by the end of it, you were most likely just kicking because your mom was playing with you.

Finding the "Moor" a bore, your Mom took to pushing gently on her belly to wake you up-- and you responded by kicking and turning and stretching. At least you were both entertained!

After the last curtain call, we headed to dinner at The Grape, where you had a very nice gourmet meal. For appetizer, you tried candied brie (which we made sure was pasteurized, so you'd be safe) with crackers and bread with butter. For dinner you had grilled beef tournedos, maitre d'butter, garlic-herb frites, bitter greens salad and a red-wine demi glace (that's gourmet talk for steak, with garlic fries and a salad). And for dessert, you had the apple pie with Heath bar ice cream.

So, sensory overload for you in the taste department- what a way to start using your taste buds!

But, of course, later that evening, your Mother was starving again and- low and behold- needed to eat...you guessed it...a banana. But I wouldn't be to worried about those cannibalism worries we had earlier. It's been weeks since she's craved the fruit that matches your weekly size.

In the end, though, no matter what you experience in utero, whether you like bananas or tournedos or the Bard or Turendot, it's all a matter of taste. And now that you have taste buds, you know what I'm talking about!

Wonders and Blunders

Every time I see your Mom after work now I'm genuinely surprised: She looks SO pregnant! It just makes me so happy...but it's also so bizarre. You definitely are real, but you don't seem quite real yet. Some might call that disbelief, others might call that "you have no idea what you're getting yourself into, buddy." Whatever you want to call it, though, I constantly have to keep pinching myself to remind me that you're actually really coming. There's no cooler reminder of that than seeing your mother, with her burgeoning belly, come home from work every night.

Well, maybe there is a cooler reminder:

Yesterday after dinner, I was about to fall asleep on the chair and a half when your Mother called my name: "Aaron!" I thought I was in trouble because, as you'll figure out one day, wives and husbands don't really use each other's names that often...unless the other is in trouble. The equivalent will be your First + Middle names. You know when we say your first and middle name that you are most likely in deep doodoo.

Anyway, I snapped up, ready to defend my actions (I didn't MEAN to do it), and I saw your Mom smiling with her hands on her belly.

"Come here! He's kicking. I can feel it with my hands!"

I fell out of the chair and scrambled across the floor to your Mother's side, and I slipped my hands under hers.

I shut my eyes, held my breath and then....BUMP!

You kicked me (and it was a BIG one, according to your Mom)! Holly and I waited there, hands on her belly, for a few more minutes feeling the gentle popping (almost like a muscle spasm) of you turnining and stretching and apparently playing Dance Dance Revolution. It was almost like staring at the sky, waiting for a shooting star to pass by. And finally, we felt you, a little bit more gently, kick again.

Eventually, all this hand-pressing-on-the-belly took its toll on your Mom's bladder and we had to call it quits or we would have needed a new couch.

Pregnancy is like that, though: For each awe-inspiring, amazing reminder (like seeing your Mom's bump seemingly grow day to day or feeling you kick), there are equally omnipresent and way funnier daily reminders too.

Last night we were eating dinner at the coffee table. I was doing my normal chow-down and then I looked over at your Mom. She was struggling to eat her dinner-- not because she was full, but because she couldn't lean over the table the way she used to.

"My belly makes eating at this table so hard!" she said.

And it was true: her belly restricted her from getting as close to the table as she could, leaving a big gap between her plate and her mouth. And filling that gap, ever hopeful, were your dogs, Preston and Toby, hoping that a morsal would slip through the gap.

We both just had to laugh. By the end of this, we'll probably need a new coffee table! (and Preston and Toby may finally get that freebie they've been hoping for).

Despite all the wonder and comedy that pregnancy provides, it's still so hard for us both to hold on to the fact that you'll be here in March! And we'll be parents! (Although, I'm sure it's a little harder for Holly to 'forget'). Me, on the other hand, I get to experience these wonders and blunders as a third party. But you know what, third party is still a party- and I'm enjoying every surprise, every new view of the belly, every stomach obstacle and every minute of it (except for maybe the barfing on the airplane).

I've got a feeling & a Stroller Coaster

Baby W, you are now 19 weeks old! We're getting closer and closer to that official half way point!

You keep growing, and so does your Mom's belly! This week you're the size of a Mango!

Seeing as how you're really climbing up the produce food chain, and that you're moving like crazy in your Mom's belly, it's no wonder that she's been feeling you kick and turn and move for just about a full week.

But, what was a wonder to me, was that I felt you move too! We were on the couch watching a movie (oddly enough, a movie about an expectant couple called "Away We Go"). During the movie, I had my hand on your Mother's belly and...POP!...I swear I felt you move below and to the right of her belly button.

Was that you in there?

Holly said that she "wasn't paying attention" to know if what I felt was, indeed, you moving...but I'm pretty convinced that was you! It felt almost like being gently flicked, but very quick and abrupt. Was that your foot? Your hand? Did you hit your head?

No matter what it was, it made my night! No, it made my whole week! Maybe you could hit your head against her belly again tonight?

Speaking of moving, you'll be happy to know that your Mother and have moved forward in a particularly difficult arena: registering.

As you'll recall, we were both incredibly overwhelmed by Babies R Us and hightailed it out of there with our tails between our legs. I was happy with never going back to that store again, and figured you'd do just fine in hand-me-downs and old cardboard boxes taped together to create a crib. Little did I know, though, that your Mom found her comfort zone for registering and basically went through every category of everything you'll ever need by registering online. It was way easier!

But, when I got filled back in on the loop, there were still two items that were vexing your mother: your crib and your stroller. So, I figured we should take it up a notch. Biting the bullet, we headed to another baby superstore: Buy Buy Baby.

They even let me park right up front!

This store was A LOT better: each employee is an expert on baby things, and the store is laid out to not induce hyperventilation and vertigo. So that's a plus. On our first trip there, we learned a heck of a lot and saw about 15 million strollers and cribs.

Stroller Over-Load! We felt like this couple, except that I still have my lucious head of hair! (as of this writing)

We definitely still felt overwhelmed...but not as badly as before. I guess going to these baby stores and registering is like being bludgened: the more you experience it, the less pain you feel! But we ironed out a lot of ideas and brainstormed and discussed and talked and thought and thought some more and sought advice and turned inward and...we made a decision on both fronts!

So yesterday, we decided that we needed to go back to Buy Buy Baby to see if our idea would even work! In order to make ourselves feel better about being bright-eyed and deer-in-the-headlights at these baby stores, we decided to bring some folks who would make us feel like old pros: enter the Nodelands! So, with BJ and Kari in tow, and confidence artifically heightened, we went back to Buy Buy Baby to register for more amazing junk for you and test our stroller idea.

Registering can stink. Is that a fake burger patty in your hands or are we in a PetSmart?

After a hands-on demonstration from three different associates, encountering an even-more bewildered couple than us, and test driving (and test lifting) about 10 carrier and stroller combinations, you might have thought we'd high-tailed it out of there again. But no! Consider your stroller and infant carrier registered-for! You're gonna be so comfortable (and safe (and stylish))).

I've got a good feeling about this!

Your new ride! We don't look too scared, do we? Plus, check out your Mom's 19 week bump!

28, part I : Sand Dollar

Today is your Mother's 28th birthday! What does that mean to you? Well, it's pretty cool because

a) that's the age she'll be when you're born!

b) she will be eating lots of cake!

It turns out that both you and I got your Mother birthday presents!

I gave your Mother a silver Sand Dollar on a necklace for her birthday. Back in the summer (early June, actually), we went on a trip to the beach down in Padre Island, Texas (don't worry, you'll get to go there too). On our very last day, your mother found a WHOLE Sand Dollar! She'd never found a sand dollar before in her life!

Here's the sand dollar in question:On the drive home, we put the sand dollar in a very safe place in the car. Or, at least, we thought it was a very safe place. Turns out NOWHERE is safe from me! It seems that the weight of a simple I-pod is more than enough to split a sand dollar in half.

When we found out the sand dollar was broken, we were both upset. Your Mother was more upset than I was. In fact, she looked like she was going to cry and didn't talk to me for a long while after that, no matter how many times I apologized. I promised her that I would get her another sand dollar.

Later on the drive, she started talking to me again, and when we got home, she successfully glued the sand dollar back together.

But I kept my word: I got her another sand dollar. And I gave it to her today! She loved the necklace, but loves it even more than I could have guessed.

Your mom told me this story today:

You see, back in the summer, we had been trying to make you for such a long time. Your mom was trying everything: temperature taking, special medicine, special diets, etc. And just before that trip, your Mom thought she was pregnant, but the EPT said that we weren't. So, we were both dejected. Your Mother more so than me (which is odd, because in this duo, I'm normally the pessimist, and she's normally the optimist).

So, at the end of that vacation, when your Mom found that sand dollar washed up on the shore- her first WHOLE sand dollar- she subconsciously took it as a sign, took it to mean that you would arrive one day! And I think she even made a wish on that sand dollar that you would come sooner than later.

So no wonder she was pissed at me when I broke it!

But, as it turns out, the EPT test was wrong, and the sand dollar was right: we were pregnant with you already (very very very early). (That explains the extra "emotions"!) So, the power of the sand dollar works; and the present that you have given your mother for her birthday is you, yourself! She wished on a sand dollar back in June that you would be here, and here- on her birthday- you are! And your mother's now wearing a silver sand dollar around her neck!

How cool is that? I wish "sand dollar" was acceptable as a baby name...but it's not. Totally not. Don't worry!

She felt you kicking today during her Birthday Burrito Lunch (weird cravings, man) and just couldn't stop smiling. How many ladies get exactly what they want for their birthdays: a growing baby kicking her tummy like mad AND a burrito!

Oh, and you're giving her another cool birthday present too: a rapidly growing belly! Check it out!

Week 18

Subject seems to have developed a growth on her back.

Kicking, no Screaming

According to the Bump at week 18 a fetus is moving like crazy, doing things like:

• yawning



• hiccuping



• rolling



• twisting



• kicking



• punching



• sucking your fingers



• swallowing

Now, where I come from, yawning and swallowing aren't big on the list of physical activities; in fact, I think those events were removed from the Winter Olympics for being not competitive enough. But for a baby, that's a lot of activity!

And we on the outside world have taken notice. Or, more specifically, your Mom has taken notice.

In the past few days, she has begun to feel you moving around inside her tummy! At first, she wasn't sure if that sensation was gas bubbles or something else, but ever since Monday afternoon she's become more and more aware of your movements!

This totally makes sense: now that you're 18 weeks, you're big enough to be felt. And, since your mother's belly seems to be growing by leaps and bounds over the past week, she's big enough to feel you!

In fact, she just called me and told me that she felt you kicking her just now!

Please refrain from kicking like this...or sweeping the leg.

Being the jealous and curious type that I am, I asked her to describe it to me.

Basically, she said, it feels like a series of quick little bumps. It seems to happen pretty close to meal times, although she did feel you yesterday while she was driving her car.

I haven't been able to feel you move from my vantage point yet, but I keep my hand on the belly, poised to feel your kicks!