Belly update

Hello again,

Trying to finish up my last few narratives, I'm facing constant distraction from the web's millions of baby websites. After weeks of focusing on work, my tummy and a long-awaited release from deadline pressure has turned my brain to baby-land mush.

Pregnancy, impending childbirth and then the even larger future responsibilities of parenthood sure do come with an array of adjustments! This month the physical side has gotten more interesting. My body is morphing in ways it has never done in its past 29 years. I'll save you most of the details to prevent too many "Too much information!" comments. Save to say that itchiness is a major factor!

And then there's my tummy. It's definitely grown (I'm in around 70% maternity wear now), but its size keeps changing! Brent and I marvel as it does this daily growing and mysterious nightly shrinking routine. I seem to be waking up with close to a flat stomach (well, its only really flat when I lie on my back, but even standing it's just a lower paunch) which then expands over the course of the day into a serious Buddha-worthy belly by nightfall! And it's not giggly like I've simply had too many deserts and not enough gym, you could practically bounce pennies off it (maybe we'll try that tonight). What's the deal? A one day "pop" would be fine, but as I wake up the next morning excited to show off my finally obviously pregnant bump I look and it's gone! Here's the photos to prove it (and no, I'm not just sticking my stomach out in the second one, that's relaxed!):





I have my 4 month prenatal appointment this afternoon with a new midwife (I'm trying to switch between them so we can meet all 11 before Birth Day), so I'll have to tell you how that goes a little later (I'll try to remember to ask her about the growing/shrinking routine). But next week is the big news, we hope. On Tuesday morning we go for our 18-20 week ultrasound. I feel like we've been spoiled with 2 ultrasounds so far but I am not about to turn down another opportunity to see our little one! This one is a big deal for doctors to make sure that everything is growing correctly (no third eye, arm, etc), but it's also a big deal for us (in addition to our hopes that everything is in fact growing right!) as we will finally have an opportunity to HOPEFULLY learn whether we're having a girl or a boy! Of course this depends most of all on whether the baby cooperates. But if so, we're hoping that the radiologist is skilled enough to make out the distinction, as we're having the ultrasound at the earlier end of the range.

Now while we're incredibly excited to find out, and we're making no secret that we want to know early, I should warn you that we've decided to sit on the news a little while before we share it. I'm sure we'll have feelings about either sex and we'd just like to process those alone a bit before we make it public. Sorry for the wait, but the bonus may be that when we're ready to let the sex be known we may have a name to go with it!

In the hopes of avoiding a sea of highly gendered clothing, toys and accessories that are so ubiquitous in the baby market that you are practically forced to get something that screams GIRL or BOY, we considered waiting to tell everyone the sex until after any potential baby shower (my sister Lindsay keeps hinting at something in Victoria in early April. I don't know - ask her!). However, as many of you have been sweet enough to hint at baby gifts, which we would greatly appreciate (especially used and hand-me-downs as we seem far from that trusty barrage from family and friends who've had children being all the way down here), maybe it's just better if we make a general request? As you all know us, we hope you will understand our desire to raise a child with some independence from the pink-flowers-dolls and blue-trucks-tools dichotomy. That doesn't mean pink, blue, dolls and trucks are banned, just that we'd like to encourage our little girl to play with trucks and tools if she wants (who knows, maybe her vocation will be as a structural engineer), and our little boy to explore his passion for art, dance and drama (in case he's inherited a long lost ballet gene that neither Brent nor I were blessed with). Hmm... watch me say all this and then buy the first frilly princess dress I see when we have a girl or the cutest little fireman outfit for our son's first Halloween costume... ;-)

Nevertheless, we do appreciate it :-) Our only other request is for anything made from organic, hemp or bamboo fabric (or again, used clothing, blankets, etc are great, as repeated washes often remove most of the chemicals) so that our little one can focus on filtering the most polluted air in the US rather than also being swaddled in the world's most chemical intensive crop (dear sweet cotton) as well :-) Did any of you doubt what hippie parents we were going to be? Hee hee...

Well that's all for me for now. Our little 'something-larger-than-an-apple' has a hankering for sushi tonight!

Love from B, me and the tum.