Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Furniture Shopping: Round 1

After doing research on Consumer Report as well as reading many reviews on baby websites, we decided we were ready to shop for a baby crib and furniture for our little pumkin's room. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the most overwelming experience thus far.

Aside from the quadrillion cribs to choose from in the store, the cribs we had on the top of our list turned out to be a bit unsterdy or flat out unattractive in person. Needless to say we left the store empty handed, but not without a clearer vision of what we want.

Monday, May 18, 2009

24 Weeks and counting

Finally an update

Ok, it's been a while. You can blame it on the documentary "We Live in Public" (and maybe a bit of mommy paranoia). It really had me second guessing how much of our personal life I wanted out there on the Internet, and the possible effects this might have on our daughter. But after looking at this realistically, I now believe this documentary was a bit exaggerated. The internet and all that comes with it is now ingrained in our culture. You simply can't avoid it. If you see the documentary you'll know exactly where I'm coming from.

So without further ado...family and friends here's what's been going on with the biggest joy of our life, Honey Bunny.

Our little pumpkin is doing just great! If kicking and being extremely active is a sign that she's a healthy baby, then our daughter is as fit as they come.

We've been having so much fun with her now that she can actually hear and feel us, and we can feel her movements more often and stronger. She responds to Daddy's voice, and believe it or not, they've started their own little game. One tap and Mommy's tummy from Pumpkin renders a single kick or punch from Honey Bunny. Then repeat. It's amazing. Oh, did I forget to mention she's most active at night? She's like a little drummer drumming on and off when the lights go out. Let's hope this is not a sign of what's to come.

We still have our reading sessions in the evenings, and with the NBA playoffs now in full swing, she'll either be a lover of basketball, or extremely irritated from hearing so much of it in the womb.

Aside from being completely entertained and amused by Honey Bunny's little antics, I've come to look forward to and enjoy our weekly video chats with family across the globe. Courtesy of the oh so awesome WWW. They can see my growing belly in real time...and always seemed shocked at how much bigger I am.

My big sis has been more than a shoulder to lean on. She's been ears, a heart, cheerleader and comforter. It's great to have a big sis I can count on. My sister-in-law, being a fairly new mom herself, has been giving non-stop advice that is always welcomed. We love you both Mich and Jody. And Ed too!!!

My mother-in-law! It's amazing we can't run out of things to say from talking to her just about everyday of the week. She's been there as she's always been. And my mom is just so happy she'll finally be joining the Grandma Club.

Big thanks, hugs, kisses and love yous to Kev, Micah, Gabby, Tia, Simone and all our aunts, uncles and cousins that have showered us with love and support.

As for me, I'm finally at that point in the second trimester that I've read about but up until now has eluded me. The aches, pains and nausea have just about disappeared. I do have the occasional backache and I still have a difficult time sleeping at nights. However, I've read that 75% of pregnant women suffer from insomnia, so knowing I'm not alone is a bit comforting.

Overall we're very happy, nervous and panicked at times :). We've been getting huge support from family and friends, and we simply cannot thank each and every one of them enough.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days

She's a kicker people. That's right. Baby Pumpkin is now officially a baby girl pumpkin. We saw her wiggle, jump and display some extraordinary agility in the foot/leg department today. Not sure if she was dancing (Muff can throw down a leg or two on the dance-floor) or if she was practicing some high knee lifts for her future sprinting career. Whatever she was doing in that womb- it impressed. Thanks for responding to the glass of OJ Mom fed you right before our visit Baby Pumpkin. Thanks for being so healthy. Thanks for being here. And thanks for reminding us how life evolves and family's grow. You are loved so much, by so many people. We can't wait to meet you.

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (video 2)

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (video 3)

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (video 4)

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (video 5)

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (video 6)

Third Ultrasound: 18 weeks 3 days (pictures)





Thursday, March 19, 2009

Daddy Pumpkin feeling Little Pumpkin for the first time!

And it just keeps getting better. Our Little Pumpkin has been moving a lot more these days. I've tried explaining to Pumpkin how it feels, but it's almost impossible to describe. But something amazing happened for the first time this Wednesday night--earlier than usual thanks to mommy's petite frame. Our Little Pumpkin made lots of "waves" for daddy to feel from the outside of mommy's tummy! This went on for what seems like forever...and, once again, absolutely amazing.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The last week of the 4th month...already!!!

Week 17 is coming to an end, and I simply can't believe how fast the time went by. I guess when I'm not worrying all the time, it's a much easier journey.

We bought tons of books over the past week, as I promised Little Pumpkin. I like to believe his/her favorite is ‘I Love You with All My Heart’ by Noris Kern. It's all about mommy's love for Little Pumpkin. And so that Pumpkin doesn't feel left out, I picked him up a few books that's all about daddy, as an anniversary gift. He absolutely loves them. Unfortunately though there aren't enough books out there about daddy (especially ones that aren't gender specific)...what's up with that? Aren't there daddies out there too?

Our next appointment is on Monday, the 23rd. And I'm pleased to announce that I've managed to change Pumpkin's mind about finding out the sex. He agrees that concentrating on one sex for choosing a name...or even just to admire the cute little baby outfits we see in the stores...would be a lot easier. Hopefully, Little Pumpkin will cooperate with us, and we'll find out if the little thing that's causing me to get up at 4:30 AM every morning to raid the refrigerator is a girl or boy.

Eight


This past Monday Muff and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. A milestone we respect and cherish. We've gone through a lot together. Hills and valleys. Streams and mountains. Life has its way of throwing curve balls when you least expect them. We've managed to handle them all - some better than others. But overall, our love for each other has grown. We know what we're about. We have an idea of what works and what doesn't and we appreciate each other. I'm not sure what I would be without her, but I'm glad she puts up with me.

Over the weekend we drove north up the coastline to the Marshal Store in the town of Marshall. That's our spot for oysters. They do them raw, baked, bbq'd and Rockefeller styled. They also serve up a mean clam chowder if need a fixin. We hiked a bit and ended up staying overnight at a quaint lodge in Olema (Population 50. 52 if you count us). It was a trip and a weekend well spent.

On Monday, Muff bought me my first Daddy books to read to little pumpkin. It warmed me up inside. Actually, it melted me. I get a bit teary just thinking about it. The thought of me being a father in some way feels like an abstract idea. I know I'm one. I sort of understand what they do, but the realization doesn't come right away. The ah-ha moment isn't always there. That is, until you see the first ultrasound, or hear the heartbeat for the first time. Or in my case, you receive your first Daddy books to read to your child, from the woman carrying your child. Those moments are special. And I had one on our 8th anniversary. Thanks Muff.