The Legend of Devil Dog (A Special Halloween Post)

Fear the glowing eyes! The flashing teeth! Evidence of the mythical Devil Dog! Oooooooohhhhhhh!

Halloween didn't go quite as planned as I was at work late, missed trick or treaters, and neglected to carve the Sprout-o-lantern. However, at this late hour, my midsection is so big that I could be the Great Pumpkin. Maggie still got in the spirit, though, and managed to stay in costume for at least 3 seconds at a time.

Sprout FAQ

So, since announcing Sprout and his ETA (look! I'm able to use gender specific pronouns now without the capitals! cannot stop using exclamations however!), we have just gotten lots of well-wishes, wonderful hand-me-downs (keep 'em coming), solid advice, and questions. As I lack a press secretary of my very own, here is a sampling I thought I would answer for folks at once:

Q: Are you excited?
A: Yes. What I find strange about this question is that it is almost followed by the question "Is Aaron excited?" Hmm....Under what circumstances would I answer that question "No"? I may start answering "no comment" just to keep things spicy. Well, he was in on this plot we have hatched from the beginning, and he is very excited. He may have been more excited when we were waiting for Star Wars Episode IV, but we saw how that ended in bitter disappointment, so I think he is playing it more low key here.

Q: Did you want a little boy?
A: I just wanted Sprout and am weirded out that Sprout is either boy or girl (though glad that it is one and not both). I admit it: I am scared of little boys. I have grown up and work in a world dominated by women, and I know and understand little girls. Heck, I once was one. Boys? Let's see, I dated some in high school and then married one, but that's the limits of experience there. And, I never had to diaper a one of them. Plus, it seems to me girls/women have more freedom and choices. You can be an astronaut or a nurse. You can wear loafers or pinchy heels. Men get three, maybe four different footwear choices. I think boys get more limited choices, too. Witness the baby clothes in Baby Super Mega Store this weekend. (Just how do the designers think of all those different ways to put puppies and planes/trains/cars/trucks on blue rompers?) I've got fears that I just didn't think about when Sprout was of an unknown sex: Will I understand a little boy? Will a little boy like me? How do you teach a little boy to pee standing up? Yes, all silly questions, but at least I can admit my fears. I am looking forward to certain things, though. One, I hear that boys love their mamas in a special way so much so that no woman could ever come close to mom. Two, I forgot: it's good to be a white man. I hear that's makes it easier to be President, Supreme Court nominee or CEO of a Fortune 500. Awesome.

Q: Isn't Aaron thrilled to have a boy?
A: Hmm. Again, this is a little weird like the first question. People who ask have not yet met Aaron or don't quite get it. Aaron is the guy who might have refused to marry me if I said I wanted to change my last name to his. His manhood isn't tied to Sprout's manhood-to-be. Aaron's just thrilled in general.

Q: Have you picked a name?
A: We are very close, I think. We will, however, not share until the bitter and likely uncomfortable end. Some of you may have heard names we were trying on, but I can neither confirm nor deny a definite name choice. It is not Amadeus, however, as Cheryl has worried. And, it won't be Sprout. Not permanently at least.

Q: What about last name?
A: No comment. I was telling people, but folks just don't understand and it takes too long to explain. If we haven't already discussed it, we will share at the same time as the rest of the name. But really, does Sprout need a last name? Doesn't only having one name give Sprout a leg up on being famous? And, it's not like people have always had last names. Geez.

Q: Have you felt Sprout move yet?
A: I won't testify to it in a court of law, but, I think yes. Over the past week I have noticed that sometimes I feel like I am being thumped like a melon but from the inside out. Mainly when I am lying in bed, but now even during the day. However, if you haven't seen from the link on the right, my uterus is trying to grow to just under my brainstem and pushing all the other organs out of my ears---I have no idea what that feels like either so I might be mistaking one for the other.

Q: How much weight have you gained?
A: What answer? I'm not going to answer that at all. However, I do like this question considerably better than when I get told that my face has really gotten round. (People! It couldn't get rounder!) Or, better than when people note I have gained weight. My young friend Stephanie says that I have gotten really fat in the stomach. God bless 11 year olds. Of course, she just found out a few weeks ago I was pregnant so she thought I had gotten really heavy for being one month pregnant. That's kind of sweet in a weird way.

That is all for now.

Happy Halfway! (20 weeks, 2 days)

I think this deserves a special post. I am halfway through this experience. The past few weeks have just zoomed past me and I'm very worried that the upcoming weeks will just continue to accelerate. It really took forever to get through the first trimester with all the worrying (which I am very good at) and secret keeping (which I am terrible at). Now that we know a lot more about Sprout, we have embarked on a few more steps to the impending babydom and each thing we do reminds we will then have something else to do and then Sprout will be here, and then Sprout will be growing up, going to daycare, driving, going away to college....What was it I said I about trying to take each day as its own day?! Ah well, we knew that wasn't going to last forever...

I celebrated by taking my mother-in-law to a Greg Brown concert. (Umm, I am having hard time figuring how to put links in my posts in my browser, so you will just have to go to www.gregbrown.org in some less convenient fashion than a link.) The bluesy Iowan folk singer (or folksy blues singer as it seemed last night) was actually touring someplace way down in Dixie for the first time since I started listening to Greg Brown in high school. I was so excited to go to the concert, because there are few musicians that will go see in concert and so few of the names on that list tour or say that they will ever tour again: Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon (sans Garfunkel), Prince. I thought I would never see Greg Brown. Anyway, pretty good in all, though I was sad that Variety Playhouse was half empty, but at least it meant that we got to sit in the center front row. I think I might have disturbed the sleepy Sprout as I got a thump a few times during the opening set. Aaron was at home suffering from ick that I have managed to dodge.

I also indulged earlier in the day in a little pre-shopping at the Baby Mega Super Store. I love those little guns that you use for registering. I might have wanted to have a baby just so I would have an occasion to register. That will just be our secret, though.

Updated Ultrasound Gallery (19 weeks, 4 days)

See link to right. I've posted some new "pictures" of Sprout. My favorite is the picture of the little foot. A special edition version for diehard fans (ie the 6 minute video) should be posted tomorrow.

As I mentioned, Tuesday was very overwhelming for me. Aaron thought I just might have been stunned to find out Sprout was a boy (which wasn't that much of a surprise to me). However, it was really having one of those moments to say that this having a baby thing is REAL and not just my clothes getting tighter. We spent at least half an hour with the very sweet ultrasound tech as she took anatomical measurements. Making the connection that I am carrying this independently moving creature with all of those little bones and organs....well, it was very new and emphasizes to me the reality that I already know: while deeply connected to Sprout, Sprout is his own person to be. How wonderful and terrifying.

Which brings me to another point. Learning Sprout's sex was strange (please, don't try to count how many times I use that word in this blog) because it means we have hit a new milestone of being able to use a specific pronoun: HIS toes, HIS movements. As a matter of fact, switching just from "Sprout" and "it" to "he" took a moment and I still feel like I am speaking in capital letters everytime I talk about Sprout now: HE is due in March. HE is very healthy. You know that I will have settled down when I can start talking in lowercase again.

Also: Happy birthday to my dad!

It's a....(19 Weeks, 3 Days)

Well, the suspense is over. Yesterday's ultrasound was really overwhelming. Sprout is in perfect condition. Has all 10 fingers, 10 toes, 4 heart chambers, 2 kidneys, etc. Weighs 11 oz and measures exactly exactly as Sprout should at week 19, 3 days. And, for those who are interested, just let me say that Sprout has a sprout. It was pretty apparent that this child o' mine to be is a boy. More later (including pictures.)

A BIG DAY! (19 Weeks, 2 Days)

I've made a website! Oh, and today is the day that we have the BIG ultrasound. (That's the real news). During the ultrasound, we hope to learn whether Sprout is a boy or a girl and still as perfect as we assume Sprout is. We should also get a movie. Make sure to come back at the end of the day to find out the results. That is, if we decide to tell!

Starting an online journal about Sprout and the pregnancy feels very strange, as both Aaron and I are intensely private people. I just feel like I can't miss the chance, though, to record this incredible time in our lives. I feel so good that I just have to share with our loved ones and, as most of you aren't in Atlanta, you can check in this way for news. Bear with me as I learn how this tech stuff works.

It is so hard to believe that we are almost halfway through this pregnancy. So far, everything has been going really great. I feel good and have been keeping really busy. The biggest signs of pregnancy have been that I am tired (well, that's not new) and focus on what I eat a lot (again, not at all new). And, now, I am slowly growing out of my clothes (well, to have it happen so fast is a little new). I have even been feeling pretty optimistic and upbeat (entirely new). I feel as if my life is just filled with blessings. Aaron and I have a great life together complete with little house, paid for cars, double incomes, (almost) behaved animals, and good health. I might not have recognized it if it weren't for this pregnancy, but we are living the lives we hoped for so long ago. Really, how many people get to live their lives that way? It's far from perfect, but it is pretty good.

And now with Sprout....well, each day, I try to take one moment and really commit that moment to my memory. I try to remember each day is unique and moving us closer to this entirely new part of our lives and I am in just utter disbelief. I feel like I am having the most profound experience of my life, while in the middle of one the most common experiences in the world. It is amazing.

Thanks to everyone for their love and support.