36 weeks and counting

This weekend was devoted to the last few things on our "punch list" to prepare for Lil' Bit's arrival. Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with our progress.

We got the nursery mostly organized, decorated and supplied. We installed a car seat base in each of our cars. After learning that over 80% of these things are installed improperly, Heather is headed to the fire department tomorrow where they'll check our work.

After much debate and some advice from real parents of real children we have decided to go with an old-fashioned rocking chair and not get one of those new-fangled glider rocking chairs--for now. If we get the sense that the rocker ain't doing the job? It's off to Babies R Us.

Amid all the soothing colors and despite the shade tree, you may notice the Diaper Champ in the lower left-hand corner. It's a subtle, constant reminder that there's gritty work ahead. Are we ready? I can only hope that enthusiasm and good intentions will compensate for anything we've forgotten up until now.

As you can see, Heather is handling pregnancy all in stride. So far, she's been feeling very good. I have every confidence she's going to come through all of this with flying colors. Wish us well and stay tuned!

Nesting

Today Heather's at 30 weeks-- 3/4 of the way there! We've been getting the nursery ready. Lil' Bit's been kicking up a storm. You can see her celebrating after a good meal or trying to settle down for bed time. Won't be long now. Our neighbors Sam and Janice let us borrow their crib, which I built without any instructions. Say a little prayer that I did it correctly. Daisy must sense she's about to slip in the pecking order.

Hi Kjell!

When Lil' Bit got the news about Kjell Peters, she was eager to meet him. In this photo you can see her giving him a wave.

Actually, this photo was taken on Monday. We went back to get another ultrasound on Memorial Day to get a better look at the heart. When we got our first one done, Lil' Bit wasn't giving the technician a very clear shot at her heart and there was a concern that she might have had a tiny hole. The good news is that on Monday we got good looks and the doctor and technician both agreed that Lil' Bit has a good heart. We already knew that.

Feel free to shake hands with Lil' Bit. Her favorite handshake is the one where you move the cursor of your mouse over her hand in the photo above. Try it. It's fun!

IT'S A GIRL!

Our girl, Lil' Bit, scratches her head in this shot on the ultrasound. When we went in on Monday we also saw her stick her hand in her mouth and kick around some. There were a handful of shots not suited for a family blog that assured us that our baby is a girl!

Churros con Chocolate por Bit Pequeno

The three of us just got back from Spain last night. We went for a week to enjoy one last hurrah before Lil Bit's arrival. Everyone had a blast. Heather and I have both been to Spain before and Lil' Bit certainly will go back when better able to appreciate everything. So the focus wasn't on seeing as many churches and museums so much as it was on enjoying the cafe lifestyle and trying to get a bit of the Spanish Weltanshchaung (as they say in Spain) to rub off on us.

It was a completely relaxing trip with lots of treats and coffees and walks and people-watching. Lil Bit was a trooper and seemed to really have a good time too. S/he has gotten to where s/he jiggles and dances around a lot after a good meal or some good exercise--or sometimes in the middle of the night for no reason. Heather's been feeling Lil Bit move for a few weeks now and I felt my first movement about 10 days ago, so it's all getting very exciting!

Monday we go for our Ultrasound. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll find out whether Lil Bit is a him or a her. Sorry I've been lax about posting, but there should be more to look at here before long. Thanks for checking in on us!

Pesto Chango!

The breadmaker that Rebecca and Michael gave us for our wedding makes great pizza dough. You just dump in the ingredients and gather some toppings and cheese. Dave was impressed with our pesto, tomato and mozarrella creation. As best we could tell Lil' Bit liked it too.

We're getting lots of questions about Lil' Bit's progress. We appreciate everyone's interest and enthusiasm. Lil' Bit is hard at work growing like mad. Heather's feeling good and looking even better. We get our first ultrasound in a month or so. At that time, we'd like to find out whether Lil' Bit will be a boy or a girl.

Heather has an appointment on April 3rd, but we don't expect to learn too much. It's just a checkup. Thanks for checking in! Click on the pregancy calendar if you want to know what's going on here in week 16 for Lil' Bit.

Here I am!

This morning I didn't know we were at the doctor and that I had another chance to make myself heard. The midwife had to really look around for me using the fetoscope. I realized what was going on after a short while and moved a little closer and tried to make some noise. Finally, mom and dad got to hear my heartbeat again for the first time in a few weeks. Just for good measure I gave a good kick, which made a "pop" sound on the fetoscope. Things are moving right along. Mom and dad said they were going to spread the news about my blog.

One Trimester down. . . Two to go!

Heather and Lil' Bit made it through the first trimester! Monday we go to the doctor for the next checkup. We're excited finally to be able to tell folks our good news.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to say that in the last week it seems that Lil' Bit and Heather have come to some level of peaceful co-existence. Heather is excited to report that the nausea finally seems to have abated.

12th week!

Click on the "Pregnancy Calendar" link to see what I'm up to, how big I am, etc. I get another week older every Friday. On March 3rd, I'll have finished my first trimester, and begin Week 13.

Getting Started

My mom and dad have been keeping me a secret for now. When I'm done with my 12th week, they'll start telling anyone who will listen, I suppose. Up until now my parents have been really excited about my development.
Sometimes I feel a little bad, because I have lots of "hormones" or something and I make mommy feel sick. This is supposed to stop in a matter of days, so we'll see. Lately my biggest accomplishment is that I offically became a fetus on February 10th. By the end of this week, I'll be done with my 1st trimester too. So I've got that going for me.
When we all went to the doctor on February 9th Tina, the midwife checked my heartbeat. I was excited to check in with my folks, so I got right up against the microphone thingy and showed my stuff. I could hear Tina say, "Thanks for letting us hear your precious little heartbeat, Lil' Bit." That's how I got my wombanym. I'm told people call you something different on the "outside." Pretty exciting. Thanks for stopping by. We'll have more soon.