Dharma and Greg

So, funny story about Chris and I and the little differences in our potential future parenting styles.

A couple of years ago, we're standing outside baggage claim at an airport waiting for our ride to arrive. As we stand there, a mini-van pulls up and out hops a kid who's probably around 16. He has a crazy black Mohawk (might have been a couple green spikes in there too), fingernails that are painted black, and he's wearing one of those spiky dog collars around his neck. The rest of his outfit is typical punk/goth - black concert t-shirt, ripped up jeans, etc. He walks past us toward baggage claim, where he meets a little old couple who he swoops up in two of the biggest, warmest hugs I've ever seen. After the hugs are finished, he takes both people's large suitcases and starts back toward the van. They all walk up to the van and he rushes to drop the suitcases back near the trunk so that he can get back to the couple. He opens the back door and helps the woman climb up into the seat, then he does the same for the man, who gets in on the front passenger side. He then checks that they're both okay before closing the doors. After that, he walks back around to the trunk and lifts the two gigantic suitcases in, before coming back around to get behind the wheel. Then he drives off.

The follow-on conversation between Chris and I goes something like this:

Chris: Our kid is NEVER dressing like that.
Me: Are you kidding me? That was what you took away from that scene?
Chris: Um, yeah. Did you see his hair? And the collar? No way.
Me: But did you see how considerate and loving he was with his grandparents? He seriously came across as the nicest kid in the world. If we can teach our kid to act like that and the worst thing he wants to do is dress a little funky for a few years while he's going through teenagerdom, then so be it.
Chris: Yeah, but no. Kids don't dress that way for no reason. There's something wrong with him.
Me: You do realize that when you first met me I had all kinds of piercings - 6 earrings, belly button. I even had a tattoo.
Chris: Yeah, but you got rid of them pretty quickly.
Me: Would you not have dated me otherwise?
Chris: No...I mean, I would have...but you weren't goth like that. You were just a hippy.
Me: Seriously, if the worst our kid wants to do is dress a little bizarre, but he's still kind and nice and overall good, I say we just go with it. All kids have their phase.
Chris: Yeah, it's called I smoke pot when my grandparents aren't looking.
Me:...oh wow. You got that from his hair?
Chris: I'm just saying...

The reality is, do I know how I'll feel if our kid decides to go full-out Goth some day? No. I don't. The idea doesn't exactly thrill me, but I do feel like all kids go through a period where they are struggling to figure out who they are, where they are struggling to express themselves, and where they are trying to fit in somewhere, anywhere...that's what middle school and high school are about. So, if our kid stays a happy, healthy person, but wants to dress a little strangely, well...is that really the biggest concern? I think not. I say if having green hair keeps them from dropping out and sinking into depression then so be it. Chris, on the other hand, might not know what to do with a kid who decided to go that way. This actually gives me great hope that we will, in fact, be able to switch off in terms of the Good Cop, Bad Cop roles. I can be the easygoing parent when it comes to how they decide to design themselves over time and Chris can be the easygoing parent when it comes to them throwing a tantrum, which will likely make me totally insane. It's all about balance...I think we'll find it. Even through a Mohawk period.

Mommy's Muscles

Today Orange Seed and I swam for 40 minutes. (No, I did not take pictures of myself doing it. I am cheating and using an old photo from my first - okay, and only - triathlon)

Other than the fact that I now feel like my arms might fall off, it felt really good. I was out of commission for two weeks with a nasty cold and sinus infection (Apparently being pregnant also leads to a swelling of the nasal cavities, making you more susceptible to sinus infections. The fun never ends.), so after the miracle Z-pack, I am just finally starting to get back into some sort of workout regimen. I've been trying to stick to a regular workout schedule throughout the pregnancy. Before I got pregnant, I'd been planning to train for a marathon and was working on upping my mileage while scouring the Internet for training groups I could join. Needless to say, that plan died with the arrival of Orange Seed, so now I'm setting my sights on smaller goals. Despite what some of the women on Running Mamas might tell you, running long distances while pregnant isn't all that easy. It's been hard to realize that I can't quite do all that I could do pre-pregnancy. My beautiful 7 mile average has taken a major nosedive and 4 seems to be about the going rate nowadays. That's definitely partially due to how tired I was during the first trimester, but I think it's also just my body's way of saying that now is not the time to be ramping up my activity level. In all honesty, I really can't complain. I'm still running 3-4 times a week, going to yoga 2-3 times a week and, now that I've joined a gym, I'm back to weight training and now swimming. So really...Orange Seed and I are doing pretty darned good. I like to think that Orange Seed enjoys the exercise as much as I do. We have little talks while we run - "Okay, now you know that mommy wants to make it 4.5 miles today, so you just hang in there and if you're REALLY unhappy, okay, let me know, but otherwise, just enjoy the ride. It's probably not as bumpy as riding in that jogging stroller I'm getting you will be!" The baby seems to get it. I think we're on a level.

I don't know how other people feel, but I know I would go crazy if I didn't feel well enough to get outside and stretch. I have so much respect for all these women who are horrendously ill throughout their first trimester or who wind up on bed rest for months at a time. God bless them for learning how to make it through that. Myself, I get bored watching two TV programs in a row - too much downtime - so I am very grateful to Orange Seed for letting me feel well enough to keep up my active lifestyle. Fingers crossed that I can do it all the way through to Week 40.

Butterfly Wings or Gas Bubbles

Orange Seed is officially a full 15 weeks old today. According to What To Expect When You're Expecting, Orange Seed is weighing in at a whopping 3-5 ounces this week and is now somewhere between 4 and 5 inches long. No fruit description from What To Expect this week, although Your Pregnancy Week By Week is guessing "avocado". I swear last week they said softball, so I find this mildly confusing. Either they are seeing some BIG avocados or they don't know the difference between a softball and a baseball. Seriously...since when is an avocado bigger than a softball? I am not crazy to think this does not happen, am I? I remember softballs pretty darned well from my days as a First Basewoman on the Suicidal Eggplants (ahh...middle school sports...those were the days) and I definitely remember them being bigger than avocados. But anyway...

So Orange Seed is growing fast and getting stronger every day. I should start feeling him/her moving around sometime in the next few weeks. They estimate between 17 and 20. Chris will have to wait a little longer. That said, it is possible to feel him/her earlier and trust me...I'm trying! The problem is, the description of what the movements should feel like is as hard to picture as those little tiny movements might be to feel. The descriptions range from "Oh, it will feel like a little bubble bursting in your stomach" to "It will feel exactly like butterfly wings fluttering against our stomach" to "hmm...honestly, you'll be luck if you can tell the difference between the movement and gas." Nice. But I am apparently more likely to feel it in moments of stillness and quiet and so, I am focusing. I really am. I could have sworn I felt something the other night...and then again today...but it is so hard to say. They really need to come up with a device that can clarify these things. Just like the baby monitor gives you sound/sight from the baby's room nonce the baby is born, it would be nice to have regular access to an Ultrasound so that you could check if those little flutters are baby vs dinner.

It would also be nice for reassurance. I'm still not gaining weight and I look far from pregnant. The only comment I ever get from fellow pregnant people or those whom I tell I'm pregnant is "Oh wow...you must be very early...". Don't get me wrong, I am fine with being the skinny chick normally, but once you're pregnant, the belly is a sign of prestige and for the first time I am just waiting to gain some weight in the ab region already...

Ah well, soon enough, right? Soon enough. :)

In-between for Halloween

So now that Halloween (best holiday ever!) is approaching, I have realized one very sad fact...

I am in-between on Halloween! Pregnancy means two very exciting Halloween possibilities. Either you have a big Buddha belly to create all kinds of fun costumes around OR you already have your baby which provides a million and one hilariously adorable costume possibilities. Alas, as I'll only be around 16 weeks come Halloween, it is not looking like I am going to fall into the first category and, obviously, we have no desire to fall into the second. Hence follows the alack.

I'm not going to lie...I have been surfing the Web looking at all the baby costume ideas. The possibilities are endless. I'm particularly fond of anything that provides related costume options for mom and dad. One of my favorites is the lobster in the pot option. We could be chefs!



Then again, isn't everything cute when it's this little?



This is...



This one too.

This one?



Definitely.

See? All cute.

Now the pregnancy Halloween costumes are a mixed bag. Some cute. Some, well, woah...

Mother Nature with a belly globe...



Cute!

Basketball player with a belly ball...



Cute!

Detailed drawing of your baby and innards?



Hmm...not so sure, though I do admire the artistic skills!

At any rate, seeing as I have neither a belly nor a baby yet, I will be sticking to plain old costumes. I had a BRILLIANT idea, but since the dress I ordered showed up in aqua rather than green, my plans may have been thwarted.

More importantly though, to allow me to live vicariously, I hereby demand pictures of the little ones in their Halloween costumes from all my baby-mama and baby-daddy friends. Thank you!!

Comment Freedom

So, oops...I accidentally had the blog set so that only Registered Users could comment. Sorry!! For all those who have been asking, the blog is now open to all! Feel free to leave a comment by simply clicking on "Comments" under one of the posts and then choosing either "Name" or "Anonymous" from the dropdown menu.

Mea Culpa!

To Be or Not To Be

So, it is with some embarrassment that I admit that I signed up to attend an "Expectant Moms Event" today. I have a friend in the city who's gone to a few and raves about them, but she is also Super Mom and actually enjoys researching stroller types and the newest and greatest in highchairs. I can't help it...I'm not there yet.

The event is being held by a group called Big City Moms (http://www.bigcitymoms.com) and it promises to provide me with "tips on what you should bring to the hospital with you and what you should expect the first 3 weeks home". Okay, so I feel like this is the expectant equivalent of joining the stroller jogging group (I might plan on doing that too. Shh...), but I feel like I need to at least give it a try! Best case scenario, I meet a bunch of other women who are giving birth around April and are also looking for New Mom Friends AND I win a stroller (their site swears you can!). Worst case scenario, I get a bag full of goodies, a good dinner, and information overload. It's worth a try, right?

Irresistible

So, I have to admit that one of the best parts about being pregnant is the abundance of precious baby gifts. They are all tiny and soft and designed to elicit ooohs and ahhs and they made me all googly eyed even when I wasn't pregnant, so you can only imagine the awwww factor now.




Last week was our big "coming out" week. I think I told half my company population, plus we finally got to call all the remaining friends and family who we'd been dying to tell. Needless to say, the cuteness has started flooding in and we couldn't be more thrilled. Every little thing we get makes all this feel just a little bit more real. Holding little tiny baby clothes and realizing that we are going to have someone to actually put them on in only a few months is really just the most incredible feeling.




It is not news to us that we have the best friends around. We've been lucky in our lives to meet more amazing people than we would ever have thought possible. To see how excited all our friends and family are for this baby just cements that fact. It has been so fun to tell each person. Tons of screams, hugs, and general love have been thrown our way. It's so nice to finally be able to share the big news. Seeing everyone else so excited just makes us even more thrilled.

Many thanks to Aunt Janie, Uncle Dave, and Adam; Aunt Kim; Miss Heleana; and Aunt Irene for all the wonderful things above!

In other news, we did finally take our first Belly Pics. As I still feel like this fairly flat stomached fake, I've been resisting taking pics; however, it is Week 15 and I figure it is time to start showing the progress, even if Chris and I are the only ones who really see it.



For those of you who don't know...my stomach did actually used to curve IN at the bottom, rather than out. It's a tiny baby bump, but trust me...it feels much more significant when it's you! Still excited to actually "pop" though and join the ranks of the obviously pregnant! Rumor has it that could still be weeks and weeks away though, so no excuse to buy a new wardrobe of maternity clothes just yet.

Singing it from the Rooftops

Now that we are finally "official" and are spreading the word to friends and family, it seemed like starting a blog would be a great way to keep everyone up-to-date regarding Orange Seed's progress. The nice thing about blogs is that you only have to look at them when you choose, so you can decide whether you care to hear about whether or not Orange Seed has fingers, toes, and eyelashes this week or whether you would rather just stay blissfully unaware of all the little developments that keep a parent-to-be fascinated morning, noon, and night (and all the hours in between, if we're being honest).

For those of you who do care...this week Orange Seed is about the size of a woman's clenched fist. Hair is starting to sprout on its little head. Its vocal chords are already beginning to develop (uh oh!). The baby now has individual fingers and toes and based on the last ultrasound, finally looks like a baby, not just like a crustacean, a la 9 week ultrasound.

9 Weeks!

12 Weeks!

Oh! And the moniker...the story of the Orange...so way back in Week 5 when C and I first found out about Orange Seed's existence, I immediately bought us all the Must Have baby books so that we would know what the heck we were getting ourselves into to. If you haven't seen any of these books, they are absolutely fabulous and try to make this little creature, whose existence feels completely surreal for oh so long, at least a little more tangible for you. One way they do that is to describe your child as various fruits and veggies in an attempt to make those "This week your baby is 3.5cm long!" announcements a little easier to grasp. The week we found out that we would be parents come next April, our baby was the size of an orange seed. The title has stuck. Even now, 9 weeks later, when Orange Seed is actually the size of a peach, we're still referring to him/her by his/her original name.

So, 14 weeks down and 26 to go. Amazing how something can feel so real and surreal all at the same time. There's no real belly yet, no outward signs. The ultrasound where we saw him/her swing its little arms and legs was really the most "real" moment we've had. That said, we kiss Orange Seed goodnight (well, Chris does. Little hard for me.), we talk to him/her and we love him/her more than is really reasonable or comprehensible at this point. It's the most amazing experience...we're enjoying every moment.