The Shower: A Photo Pictorial

I feel like I've been a tad bit verbose the past couple of days. I just can't help it: I have lots of thoughts when it comes to you and your Mother and this journey upon which we are embarking.


But today, I'll try to be quiet, and just share some photos with you of the Baby Shower your Grandmas held for us last Saturday. It was an exciting day not only because of the shower, but also because last Saturday officially marked the beginning of our 32nd week of pregnancy AND our 8th month.

So now, feast your eyes on the event that was your Baby Shower!

It was a cold day in Dallas:

Our frozen waterfall in our frozen pond. Do you like frozen fish?

The shower was thrown by your Nannah Joon and Mimi - with a lot of help from your Great Aunt Chrissy:

Touched by a Grandma (or two)

And, the game we devised (called "Mr. Baby Head), where people make a collage of your Mom's and my baby features to create a really creepy creation (which will look nothing like you) was a big success! Look at how much fun they're having!

The results weren't too frightening. It was hard for your Mom to pick a winner!


And some people even played jokes on us:

Danny and Jeremy thought it would be funny to get a pink "Daddy's little princess" outfit. Real men do wear pink and all, but the princess part might not fly.

But we were honored with some very special non-joke gifts for you too! And apparently I made progressively dumber and dumber faces; good thing that old trick still makes your Mom laugh or I'd be up a creek!

I even tried on some of your clothes. Hope you don't mind!

Your Pops bought your Mom a bouquet of beautiful roses!

And we had fun with some of your cousins and aunts and uncles too!

Here's you and your cousin Addison

Your Aunt Sham is, indeed, eating a cupcake

Your Uncle Taff and cousin Autumn

Oh, and did I mention there were balloons? Everyone loves balloons!

Even new friendships were forged: Heck, look at Autumn and Brooks Livingston hanging out for the first time!

Autumn may have gotten a bit handsy. Brooks didn't seem to mind.

It was a wonderful shower made extra special by the company: great family, amazing old friends, wonderful new friends and a very very special bump!

Thank you to everyone for this special day!

Don't worry. We'll take the balloons off before you wear the shoes.

Pains and Names: You're number one!

So, now that it's 2010, the official lists for the most popular names of 2009 have come out and, not surprisingly, your name is tops on the list (though it is spelled differently, so technically it counts as a different name).

This wasn't really a surprise, though. Back in the summer when we were coming up with names for you, we really liked the name we eventually chose for you. I'd never met anyone with that name and your mother had only met one. We knew it wasn't the world's most original name, and that it is night impossible to come up with a truly original name that won't be shared with anyone else in the world. Unless you wanted a name like "Urashfsd" or "Hzbsba." And we simply don't earn enough money to afford to name you after an inanimate object like "Apple" or "Paper Clip" or "Seesaw" or "Trigger" like so many rock stars can afford to do.

Using the really cool tool on the Social Security website, we searched your name and saw that over the past years it's been trending upward. So, yeah, we knew it was a popular name. But we didn't know it was going to be number 1 for last year! I mean, for 2008, your name wasn't even on the top 10 list. That means you sky rocketed past Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, Daniel, Alexander, Anthony, William, Christopher to take the number one spot!

You're number one!

But, even being number one doesn't make a name that popular. For example, last year's number one, Jacob, represented 1.035 % of the people born and named in 2008. That means that about one out of 100 people were named Jacob. So, it'll all depend on WHICH 100 people you choose to hang out with!

Even though we knew it was a popular name, we still decided to give you this name. We love the flow of it, the name itself, the way it fits with our last name, the fact that it honors my Grandmother, the meaning, the sound and- already- it is just...YOU!


It is interesting, though, how names like yours suddenly enter the national conciousness.

Even though we seem to have tapped into some sort of national cosmic trend without knowing it or doing it intentionally, we are sticking with your name! So, forget about it if there are 10 other kids with your name in your 1st grade class: you're still the only you on the planet! Your feelings shouldn't be hurt if you have to share your name with some other cool kids.

You are number one in another category too, though, and this one's a little bit more painful.

With the finish line in sight, the pregnancy is really starting to shift gears toward discomfort and pain.

Your mom just can't get comfortable while she's sleeping because her belly is so big.
She has these short and sorta painful fake contractions, which are just her body prepping for the big day.
Her pants ripped yesterday when she sat down (although, they were old pajama pants that she's had since she was a teenager...but it was still really funny!)

And now, your kicks and movements and jabs are tickling less and less and starting to shock and awe more and more.

Apparently, the bigger you get, the less room there is for amniotic fluid, so the body stops producing it. The lack of amniotic fluid means that there's a lot less cushioning between your fists, elbows, feet and head and your Mom's internal organs and ribs.

But, with pain comes pleasure (it's one of those dumb dualities of life); and you already are giving us so much pleasure in our lives that the pain (which surely pales in comparison to the potential pain down the road...in a month or two) is totally worth it!

So keep on kicking, buddy, and we'll keep watching for your feet to ripple under your Mom's belly. And while I'm smiling at the opportunity to feel you kick, and your Mother is grimacing, just know that we are eagerly waiting your arrival.

See, you're number one already!

8 months in...and you're unbelievable

It's hard to believe but as of Saturday- the day of our Shower for you- we are 32 weeks along. That officially puts us in our 8th month of pregnancy! In an effort to avoid cussing, but still express to you the enormity of this number and the awe we are in at the proximity of your impending birth, I'll say the following (because I like fishing): "HOLY CARP! We're 8 months pregnant!"

It seems just like yesterday that we were in awe of being 10 weeks pregnant! But now, this is getting real.

It's hard to believe that you're now over 3 pounds and around 16.5 inches long (if averages are supposed to be trusted). It's hard to believe that your Mom is starting to have what the book is calling "Braxton Hicks" contractions, which is basically her body practicing for delivering you.

It's hard to believe that you're now using all 5 of your senses actively. It's hard to believe that you could already be sucking your thumb and (believe it or not) crying in there! But, just like crying in space, no one can hear you scream in utero.

It's hard to believe that you're blinking and dreaming and learning already.

Finally, though, here's something that I CAN readily believe: now that you're 8 months in, your skin is no longer transparent. With all the baby fat you've been accumulating over the past months, your skin is finally getting to be opaque. And that's way easier to picture than transparent skin.

Speaking of accumulating fat: the food at the shower was great! I ate a lot of it, to be honest. But I did leave some for your guests. We couldn't have done it without your Grandmas (Mimi and Nannah Joon) and your Great Aunt Chrissy who all rocked the house with their food and party planning.

And the games were a lot of fun too. A lot of people had far too much fun with the "what will you look like" game, creating monsters that are even creepier than the well-intentioned cut-and-paste babies.

I'll show you some of the "winners" later this week. But, just to prep you, we know you're not going to have two heads, or noses for ears. You're going to be far cuter than that! And that, too, isn't hard to believe at all (you'll believe me when you see these collages).

Showers (expected and otherwise)

This weekend is the baby shower in your honor! What? You didn't get the invitation? It's alright, we already knew you would RSVP yes; you pretty much had to.

What is a shower, you may ask? Well, primarily it's a device in which one cleans himself thanks to running water and a drain. But, that's not the type we're having for you. It's when all of the people who already love you get together and SHOWER you with love, and affection, and excitement and gifts, if they so choose.

There's going to be a lot of good food, which I know you'll love. There are going to be some fun games too. But not "everyone come play this game" game... more like "anyone can play this if they want to."

In one game, your guests can cut and paste together pictures of what they think you might look like, using your Mom's and my baby features. Here's a test your Mom did on the computer:

This game absolutely frightens me. I hope you can see why. You kind of look like a monkey wearing someone else's face like a Mexican Wrestler Mask. But that's okay. It's still a cute idea and should theoretically be fun for anyone who wants to play!

We're also doing a little illegal gambline and wagering. People are going to place bets on the date and time they think you'll be born. But, don't worry, it's not for money: it's for chocolate.

I like chocolate, and I love you: so I'm going to go ahead and be the first to wager. I think you'll be born on March 3, 2010 at 7:30 pm.

Hopefully I win some chocolate. But, either way I win because you will be here finally!

Now, onto less expected precipitation. I don't want to say too much so as to not gross anyone out, but let's just say that if your Mother were currently any setting in the Harry Potter series, she'd currently have to be called the Leaky Cauldron. She just discovered that this morning! It's definitely weird, but it's completely normal and only concretizes the idea even further: you're coming, and you'll be here in about 2 months...

on precisely March 3 at 7:30 pm! (c'mon...Daddy needs some new chocolate!)

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!

Hiccups, Toe-Tapping and other Movements

As was promised in many of the books we've been reading, you, sir, have been getting the hiccups quite frequently. How can we tell?


Well, that's really easy for me, because your Mom says, "He's got the hiccups again."






How can she tell? That's a bit trickier. But, sometimes when you move it's a regular, rhythmic pulse that just so gently vibrates your Mom's tummy. I can feel it when I put my hand on her belly, and the difference between hiccups and your regular tumbles and rollovers and stretches is noticeable.

But, then again, maybe you're tapping your toes or snapping.

A few times your Mom has sworn that you've been getting hiccups in beat with the music that she's listening too. Who hiccups in beat? Perhaps you're just a natural born musician...both of your parents kinda have the music gene, afterall!

Or maybe we're just going crazy a little bit and looking for patterns and cognisance that isn't there yet....or is it?

The benefit to all this movement, besides that it demonstrates that you're active and healthy, is that you make it really easy to count your movements. We're supposed to keep track and make sure that you kick at least 10 times within an hour, twice a day.

With all this hiccupping, and moving and dancing, you move 10 times in 4 minutes! Even last night, as we lay in bed, I had my hand on your Mom's belly and felt you kicking like crazy as I fell asleep.

A lovely diagram of how big you are at 31 weeks. Not much room for toe-tapping.

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!