Our little ear of corn

We are officially in our 6th month and I am beginning to wonder when I should start counting down the weeks rather than up. There are now only 16 weeks left until my due date. I'm thinking that it might be fun to make a paper chain like I did when I was kid and maybe we'll cut off one link for each week remaining until our little guy arrives. 

Yesterday we had our 24-week appointment and we were very encouraged to hear that everything is progressing perfectly! My belly is measuring at 24 cm which is dead on at 24 weeks. Basically, the measurement should be the same number of centimeters as weeks (give or take 2 cm) so he is just the right size.  We also got to hear the heartbeat again which is by far the most treasured part of every visit. Our midwife was able to feel around and find his back so she knew exactly where to put the Doppler to get it loud and strong.

Back when we first found out that we were pregnant, we signed up for weekly e-mails from Babycenter  and we always enjoy the updates on what's happening in my belly. Our favorite feature of each e-mail is the comparison of the baby to a fruit or veggie that is approximately the same size. In the past, we've referred to him as "our little fig" or "the lime" or very early on, he was "the poppy seed." At 9 weeks, we learned that he was roughly the size of a grape and he was starting to develop teeth. We developed quite the vision of a little grape with fangs in my belly. Often, our friends will ask "what is he this week?" Well, at 24 weeks, we learned that he is as long as an ear of corn (about a foot). We got such a kick out of imagining a poky little ear of corn with arms and legs that Brad searched and found the perfect graphic. I had to publish it here for posterity :)

Kick me please!

I never thought that I would actually want someone to kick me, but for the past few weeks, I have been anxiously awaiting a kick or punch from the little guy. I've felt a gurgle here and there, but nothing that I could clearly associate with the baby. The proverbial "they" claim that you should feel the baby move sometime between 16 and 20 weeks. Since I am now in the 21st week, I was starting to get a little anxious.

Well, this morning it happened! After a wonderful yoga practice at Ginseng, I was relaxing in savasana (the final relaxation pose) listening to the beautiful music the instructor had playing when I felt a clear kick in the belly! Not only could I feel him from the inside, but when I placed my hand on my belly, I could feel him from the outside too. I am convinced that he must have been performing his own series of sun salutations in utero. After class, I asked the instructor for the name of the song she played and I am trying to track down the CD because he was clearly a fan! Apparently, he has very picky taste though as I'm finding that Thomas Otten's Close to Silence is not going to be easy to find.

I rushed home after yoga and Brad got a kick too. It was definitely an exciting moment to share together! I'm sure that soon enough, I'll be so pummeled from the inside that I'll be asking for a break. For now though, it is such a treat to feel the kicks and punches from our budding little yogi.

Rejuvenation, Renewal, Hope

As Merrilee and I left our local polling place after voting this morning, a light rain began to fall and continued throughout the morning. Later, as we drove through the mist to our 20-week midwife appointment, we talked about the rain's symbolism; how it represented renewal, rejuvenation, cleansing, hope. Today will go down as an historic moment in US history regardless of the outcome of the US Presidential Election: we'll either have our first African-American President or our first female Vice-President.

However, all the political madness disappeared into insignificance as we sat in a small office at the UCSD Medical Center and heard how our baby was completely healthy, was growing just fine, was in the 62-percentile in size for his age, and Merrilee has no risks which would bar her from having a normal, healthy labor and delivery at the UCSD Birth Center. We looked at each other, smiled, and took a moment to appreciate just how blessed we are.

On a day which represents a re-birth of our political leadership, we listened to our baby boy's heartbeat and imagined a birth that is yet to come.

Halfway there!

As of yesterday, the little dude is officially half baked! 20 weeks down and 20 weeks to go! I have a feeling that with the holidays coming up, these next 20 weeks are going to fly by. We decided to celebrate with a little bit of Ben & Jerry's :)

Apparently, he is now approximately 6 1/2 inches long (according to
Baby Center, about the length of a banana) and he weighs around 10 1/2 ounces. Rumor has it that he might even be able to hear us now so we'll have to read him some good books and make sure that he develops a fabulous taste in music. No serious kicks yet, but I'm waiting. Every once in awhile I think I might feel a little something, but it's hard to tell if it's him or my gurgling stomach.

Tomorrow is our 20 week appointment. We're really looking forward to hearing the little heart beat again. Good times!

It's a boy!

Well we decided to find out the gender and I must admit that as much as I really wanted to be surprised, I am so excited to know that we are having a little boy and I know that we will have a wonderful surprise when we meet him on his birthday. When the ultrasound tech asked us if we wanted to know the gender, we told her that we did as long as the baby was willing to cooperate. Basically, we didn't want to go crazy poking and prodding to find out and we figured that if the baby wanted to share, then it would. It turned out that no coaxing was required and I am convinced that he wanted us to know. It didn't take more than a couple seconds before the tech announced "it's a boy!" She said "see this and this and this" as she pointed out his anatomy on the screen. There was no question about his gender. So now all the fun begins - what name to pick, how to decorate the nursery, what college he'll go to. We've already lined up his prom date. Am I getting ahead of myself? I have to say that I had no idea how much fun this whole adventure would be :)