a first for everything

So I was grocery shopping the other day, buying Cheerios (no, not in preparation for having a toddler who likes finger food, but because I haven't grown out of that stage yet myself) - and one of the boxes had a kid book in it, so of course I picked that one. Then as I was standing in line, I thought "oh, holy geez, this is the first time I've picked cereal because of the 'prize' included" - yikes!

straight As!

So here's our 20-week ultrasound! (The picture at the left is a profile of baby's head and chest, lying down.) For those who don't know, some facts: this is our last scheduled ultrasound, so the next time we see the baby (unless something goes wrong) will be in person: How exciting!

This was the big one where they check all sorts of fancy measurements to make sure that baby is growing well, no defects, etc. It's really amazing how much you can see - the little heart valves, the shapes of the kidneys, each tiny vertebra - what a gift!

This is also the one where we had the option to find out baby's gender, and we didn't - so we're locked into the 'surprise' - we all have to wait for March (hopefully). And to dispell a few myths: no, sex isn't clearly obvious, and no, the radiologist doesn't know either - they don't look unless there's a problem. "God only knows" (haha)

So after we got all the measurements, etc. the radiologist came back in and said, "Congratulations: this is your baby's first straight-A report card!" - hurray - if we only ever see one A-report, this is definitely the one that matters :)

Then she did a 3D reconstruction, which is medically meaningless as far as I can tell, but really freakin' cool! It's like a live image of baby's features - here are some little feet (the small 'growth' out of the right leg is just artifact). The head and face pictures are definitely the best, but I only have those on paper, sorry!

the evidence!

Check out this STORY from CNN (which some of you might find more reputable than my 'granola' sources!).
- anyway, maybe my organic-ness isn't just a huge consumer scam to steal our $$. [and thanks Tia for the link.]

week 20

half-way to baby-time!!! Does that mean half-prepared? shopping half-done? half my books read? half the growing done? Definitely not. But I think I'm feeling half-ready to be a mom, so I suppose that's a start!

Anyway, here are some pictures for you people - I am staring to feel LARGE (and for all those who are thinking that this is nothing, just keep it quiet!). The one on the left shows the normal belly. The right is my new 'sucked in' belly, which I think is very funny because you can see the exact contour of baby (etc) - As a side-note, Joey doesn't like when I do that - he says "don't squish it!" but maybe baby likes being squeezed - it's like a full-body hug. :)

week 17

definitely a "pooch"! I finally broke down and went shopping today - Joey said "it's very important to feel comfortable all day long" with full science-teacher authority. Ergo, new pants and even a skirt to fit around my growth :)

It's hard to describe how strange it feels to have a 'grapefruit' stuck in your abdomen: Already if I lie on my belly, I feel as if there's not enough space for everything in there - how odd!

when I grow up, I'm going to have a REAL belly

a new development: This morning I started the pile of "clothes I hope I can someday fit into again" after I had to try on three pair of pants to find something to wear! So my eating is back to normal. I feel totally fine. I am gaining weight but not very much or very fast. People at work, my yoga teacher, etc. keep telling me that I look just the same and they could never tell. You might start to wonder if I'm really pregnant - I will admit that I feel like I'm not changing much. BUT ... the baby is growing :) - most of my clothes are now uncomfortable, which doesn't necessarily make me very happy, but it is definitely reassuring that she is getting bigger bigger bigger! Hopefully by now, he's about 5 inches long, and already has a full set of organs! He knows how to breathe, and even swallows and blinks! Incredible. If only I could learn new skills that fast - I'd be a statistical wiz by now!

PS: picture coming soon.

living simply

While I have been busy not-writing for a while, we have been thinking/talking lots about what sort of stuff we want for baby (thanks in part to the help of two great books), so I thought I'd give you all an update on how extreme we are hoping to be in introducing baby to an 'all-natural' world. Our theme is going to be, "less is more" - as we are a bit short on funds these days (teacher and student - you figure it out!) we are trying to invest well in a few pricey things that we can be sure are safe, rather than piles of cheap, toxic things. Here are a few things we've decided:

1. clothes! so many cute baby clothes out there, we have decided to be quite picky: preferably 100% organic cotton, or used cotton (pesticides wash out over time). Wool and hemp fabrics also okay, preferably with as little dye (or natural dye) as possible. No synthetic fabrics (although I imagine we might make an exception for a 'hiking-fleece-cover-all' so that baby can brave the elements!)

2. shoes! no baby shoes - most are made of toxic substances and go directly in the mouth (as soon as toes are discovered!), so we will wait until she is walking to give her hard-soled shoes. Booties it is. This might also have something to do with my life-long wish to spend every day in slippers :)

3. diapers! organic cloth (yes, I know, it's challenging - encourage us please!). We are going to make an exception to the 'no-plastic rule' and have plastic pants to save the mess. For traveling, non-chlorine, gel-free biodegradable (i.e. gDiapers.com or tushieswipes.com).

5. toys! no plastic for at least the first 9 months - there are several companies making wooden toys treated with safe coatings, or cloth but of course non-synthetic. I know this is limiting for stuffed animals, but really there are so many cute knit things out there. And don't worry, once he gets to 'Duplo' age we hope his immune system will be able to handle the shock of plastic :)

Okay, there are my first thoughts on what we will and won't use - now you are in the loop - more to follow as we get deeper into this. Feedback welcome!! and thanks to everyone for the support you have shown for this so far :)