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!

Sugar, Sugar!

If the past month of sweet treats has taught me anything, it's that your Mother is NOT diabetic, or she would have needed some sort of major insulin shot by now, after candy, ice cream cake, pie and cookies galore.

But, nevertheless, we went to the Doctor yesterday for our 24 week checkup and they had to make sure that your Mom didn't have pregnancy diabetes. The test was pretty fun (for me anyway).

They gave your Mom a pretty big bottle of orange liquid and say "you have 5 minutes to drink this."

Apparently it was like pure sugar and your Mom said it tasted like flat orange soda.

The nurse said sometimes it gives people the jitters, like a sugar high.

And, no, they wouldn't give me one at all!

After the first couple sips your Mom said "it's not too bad!"

A few sips later her opinion had migrated elsewhere. "This burns."

And with about a quarter of the bottle left and a minute and a half to go, she asked if she had time to take a break before finishing the chemically-orange liquid.

But, she did finish it before the 5 minute time frame was up. The nurse told me to "watch [your Mom]...she may get shaky." And watch her I did.

So, an hour after downing the drink, she had to get blood drawn to test the ol' levels.

Your Mom's tummy hurt. And, when she was told that she couldn't drink or eat anything in the hour between drinking and testing, she decided that she was starving to death. That's the power of suggestion in action!

In the meantime, though, we met with Dr. Hagood and had a stellar appointment. It was just heart-beat checking again, and your heart sounded great!

It was about 147 beats per minute, which was slower than we'd ever heard it.

But the Doctor said not to worry, because the heartbeat really just depends on what we catch you doing.

And sure enough, right after she said that, you bolted and she had to chase you around your Mom's tummy (probably the sugar drink kicking in). Once she found you, your heart beat was back up to 160 bpm-- racing as you were chasing!

The Doc measured your Mom's belly and sent us on our way.

All in all, it was a perfectly uneventful appointment, but your Mom might not be drinking Orange Soda, Orange Gatorade or Orange Juice for a while.

And, after dinner last night she didn't have cravings for any candy.

Maybe this Glucose test Sugared your Mom all out!

The test will come in less than a week: Thanksgiving is coming, and Thanksgiving means PIE!

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!)

Pigment of your Imagination

Welcome to Week 24! Although you are still supposedly the size of a papaya, we know you're growing like crazy in there. You can't look at the picture above and think "hmmm...papaya." So, we know that you've evolved beyond the papaya comparison!

You Mom said that your movements are feeling more and more fluid, rather than the jabby old punches we felt earlier. Your Nannah Joon even got the opportunity to feel you kick!

You're developing right along: you're face is pretty much formed and you're just accumulating fat. But, one of the coolest things we learned was that as of right now you're not a red head, blonde or brunnette. You have hair, eyelashes and eyebrows already but, as of right now, it's all WHITE! Pigment hasn't been developped yet!

So you won't feel bad about being a white-hair, I wanted to show you what your Mother and I would look like with all white hair! (Please note, this photograph is not my finest hour of digital manipulation...)

So, it IS possible to look good with all-white hair. I bet you look just dashing. To make up for that tomfoolery, though, I have to share with you some much higher-quality photographs I took two weekends ago. Your cousins Ruthy and Steve were kind enough to give me their old Digital SLR, and I've been experimenting ever since! We went to the Dallas Arboretum and spent the afternoon taking pictures of your Mom and her bump (well, at least that's what I did). The results are way better than the previously featured photograph.

So, even though we are officially in week 24, you can still enjoy some of these photos from week 23 at the Arboretum.