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.

Feel the Kicks

Little one,

I finally was at the right place at the right time.

We were relaxing on the couch when your Mom reached over and grabbed my hand.

She placed it on her belly.

I felt you kick!

Again and again and again.

I couldn't help but smile.

I'd forgotten what an amazing feeling it is, and you, little lady, have some very strong kicks!

Week 18: Feeling Something

Little one, It's week 18 and you're the size of a sweet potato. It's no surprise...you're already so sweet.

The books say the following: "Your fetus (that's you!) has become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon."

Just last night, your Mom told me that she decided: she's definitely feeling you flutter around. I got really excited, but then a bit jealous. I- of course- can't feel anything!

But I realized, I may not be feeling kicks, but I'm definitely feeling something!

I'm nervous. I'm excited. I'm happy. I'm a bit scared. But mostly, I'm feeling...ready.

Your Mom makes a great pregnant lady, but I must admit, I 'm ready to meet you, to hold you, to kiss you!

Alas, we still have about 5 months until that triumphant day. Until then, I still continue to be by your side whenever I can. And I'll continue to dream about what life will be like for me, your Mom, your brother, your grandparents and you when you finally arrive.

I've been thinking of this awesome Paul Simon song. It makes me smile, because it makes me think of you.

Just close your eyes and listen.

There could never be a  father loved his daughter more than I love you.

I'm gonna watch you shine, gonna watch you grow....

Kicks aren't for Kids?

One of our pregnancy books said something that made a lot of sense: as we ease into your due date, you're going to keep growing and growing, filling up the uterus more and more. Soon, your cozy home is gonna be pretty cramped. Now, you won't be uncomfortable or anything, but these tight quarters are definitely going to start cramping your style, and your movements.

And that means we may soon be feeling fewer kicks. And that actually makes me sad! Feeling you kick makes me smile no matter what kind of mood I'm in. In fact, I even fell asleep with a smile on my face and a and on your Mom's belly a few nights ago; you were kicking before bed time!

The book says that we will still be able to feel some smooth, rolling movements; but the short kicks and jabs may be out the window.

For now, though, we're still in the clear on feeling kicks: Last night you had some HUGE movements too, squirming and rolling and kicking and stretching the whole night long. And we'll hold on to each one as long as they last!

But, I can't say that I'm too sad about you stopping kicking soon, because I know that I can feel you kick IN PERSON really soon!

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.

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!

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!