Week 31- The Magic All-Telling Bump

Julia,

We are now 31 weeks along with you. Your Mom is growing and tired and beautiful! Her feet stink a little, but I rub them every night. I (apparently) stink a lot to her, due to her incredible super smelling powers, but your Mom lets me close enough to her to rub the aforementioned feet. I don't remember smelling this awful to her with Aidan, so hopefully you won't think I stink when you come out.

At any rate, let's try to move on to some non-stink related news.

Developmentally, you are going through major brain and nerve developments AND it says that all 5 of your senses are working wonderfully. Which would be good news if we weren't trying to avoid discussing the olfactory funk that apparently has consumed my being. Hopefully since you'll have taste now, you'll have good taste and you really won't inherit your mother's perception that I am a big stink bomb. I don't smell of garlic and onions and general stank; think of me as sweet...with a hint of sharpness.

Like a pineapple!

Which is quite coincidental, because at week 31, that's about how big you are!

Which is not surprising at all: Look how beautiful your Mother looks!

Can you believe how far you've come in just 20 weeks?

WHOA!

And the 31 week-old belly apparently is giving off 'Julia vibes' like crazy!

A few weeks ago a random Dad at our local yogurtery approached your Mom and said "I'm not trying to be creepy, but are you having a girl?" He could just tell! Amazing...and he was a bit creepy.

Then, this week, we went to a local salad bar, at which kids eat for free (so we'll be going there a lot) and we walk in the door. The employee who opened the door stopped us after we had taken a few steps and said "Excuse me. When is the little girl due?"

It took a moment to click that he- without knowing us from a cherry tomato- could tell you were a girl just form looking at your Mom's belly!

Isn't that incredible?

I gave him a high five and asked how he knew. He said "A man always knows."

Okay.

He also thought your name was beautiful and wanted us to make your middle name your first name. He also wanted us to spell it with a lot of apostrophes in it: perhaps "S'Keineh" or something. Sorry, magic oracle salad bar guy, you're very nice and your gender detection senses are very keen. But, Julia Sekina is Julia Sekina...although the spelling of your middle name is still being debated. But we do know there will be no apostrophes for you, little girl.

But, a rose by another name would smell as sweet. And you, little one, apparently are setting off all the oracles radars with your sweetness: they know you're a girl the moment they see how you're riding in the womb. We are so pleased with the seeming magical nature of these two random occurences, and think it's a good omen that you will be a great girl and strong woman. And nothing stinks about that.

Oh what a difference 20 weeks makes

20 weeks ago your Mom was 11 weeks pregnant. And my what a difference 20 weeks can make.

20 weeks ago it was mid August and very nice temperatures outside. Everyone was comfortable. Your Mom was hot. Today it is early January and we are in the middle of the coldest winter streak Dallas has had for a long time. The high today was 30 degrees. Everyone is freezing. Your Mom is finally comfortable. Temperature-wise.



20 weeks ago your Mom reported raging cravings. Now I can report of your Mom's raving rages! Well, they're not really rages, but due to hormones, she can't really seem to help being easily agitated and, therefore, snapping at anyone who annoys her. This is not good for me, as the "A" in "Aaron" (the second one) actually stands for "annoying." But, seriously, sometimes there is no logic to her snapping. For instance, while we were driving to the doctor for this morning's appointment at 9 am, I decided to chime in with Boston (playing on the radio) and hit the high note in "More than a Feeling." This was interpreted by your Mother as "yelling in the car," and I was told that it was far to early for such behavior. Talk about irrational hormonal anger!

20 weeks ago your Mom and I were shivering in our (metaphorical) boots. We were uninformed, mostly scared about how to care for a baby and what kind of parents we'd be. Today we're shivering in our (real) boots (or at least I am, your mother seems to think that 20 degrees is the new 50 (see above)), but we're only kinda scared now. In fact, we're mostly ready for you to come out and meet us!

20 weeks ago your Mom could see her feet. Today, well, you get the picture.
20 weeks ago your nursery was a dining room. Today the old dining room is almost a nursery, the old record stand between the windows is a dining room, the old unused space by the front door is now where the record player stays, the old coat closet is a bass closet, the old bass closet is a nursery closet and the old nook under the stairs is a coat closet. And we're not even closet cases yet.

And in less than 6 weeks, now, you could be born!

It's official...

It's now 2010-- the year in which you'll be born! We're 31 weeks now. You could be here in as little as 5 weeks! But, your Mom is still hoping you stay in there for 9 weeks, simply because February is a pretty crowded birthday month in our family and March is mostly unclaimed territory!

But, your Mom may be changing her tune relatively soon. In the past couple of days her back has been getting more and more sore, and she hasn't been able to find that "sweet spot" for sleeping.

In fact, last night before we went to bed, your Mom said these infamous words:

"It's official: I'm uncomfortable."

But not to worry: you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing. You're growing, kicking, hiccupping, sleeping and (I think) sometimes you're dancing too. But maybe you don't have to dance right on your mother's spine.

Now that you weight at least 3 pounds and are about 16 inches long (from head to toe), it makes sense that your mother is officially (on the record) uncomfortable! You're nearing your birth length! But, you're probably not even halfway to your birthweight yet. So, maybe, by the end of this month, your Mom will be rooting for a February baby!