Tuesday, August 30, 2005

him

At first I thought we were having a girl, then after the 1st ultrasound (and we met "the trampolinist") I thought boy and Xavier thought boy (our 4-year old friend). Lately, I've been reading, "Mother-Daughter Wisdom" and was thinking girl again. But, at dinner last night the card said, "Boys have those."

We saw brain, heart, arteries, organs, bones, backbone, legs, hands, feet, nose, lips...and during the 30 minutes he flipped around 3 times. I felt the movements as I watched the screen and hope I can now distinguish head from legs.

At Pasta Bella, in our dark corner, we started listing names: Tyrone (Ty) and Maurice (Mo) are favorites, although we're still looking. We also started making up names using objects, verbs, etc. "Perriwinkle Vinegar" had me laughing so hard I almost hurt myself.

J said, "I hope he looks like me but acts like you" and we agreed we're "in for trouble." But, from everything I've heard about young J, who cares if our son is messy as long as he is kind, caring, creative, and has a good sense of humor - just like his dad. And, hopefully, he'll love and respect his mother as much or more than his dad. :)

We also found out that he is 10 days larger than expected! Reminding me that J was a 9 pounder. Of course, J's first thought was "basketball." So Gil, we'll have to work together on this one! I'm going to need your help.

Friday, August 26, 2005

unexpected benefits

Before getting pregnant I was afraid that being pregnant and having a child would take me away from the creative direction I wanted to head; instead, I've been pushed in that direction. For example, if I hadn't gotten pregnant Koalie wouldn't have asked for a photo of my belly and I wouldn't have started publishing photos on flickr, and would not have discovered the snowball effect of the flickr community on my art. The encouragement keeps me thinking about new photos and finding inspiration in others'. I also have an urgency to finish the documentary before I go on maternity leave and by working on it, I'm realizing how great the story is and how many possibilities we could have. Tomorrow, I'll attend a workshop, "The art of funding your film" to learn how to solicit a sizable sum so that we can make the film that we're envisioning. I have a couple photos shoots planned and am talking with a friend about illustrating her children's book. Today, I heard that there may be interest from a publisher on a different book project (where I'd be co-author, not illustrator, although maybe I could shoot the cover or something ;) ).

Who would have thunk that heading in the direction that felt least likely to open up these avenues is exactly the road to take? That instead of limiting opportunities, there is a world of new ones waiting for me? I was excited about the expected growth that John and I would experience (although, I had no idea how much more I could love him...and this is just the beginning...and this comes 15 years into loving each other) and I knew many unexpected things would happen, but for some reason I never thought it would awaken and connect to my creative side. Funny that, since it's the most amazing act of creation I've been involved in. :) And, we haven't even met the newcomer face-to-face.

I hope all of the seeds growing now continue to take root and that this metamorphosis will be larger and more rewarding than I could have expected. Everyone's been saying, "having a child will change your life forever" and I knew that, but it's so hard to predict how and how much. I still don't know how different things will be when we actually meet him or her. But, for all of the beautiful changes that we've experienced so far, thanks Gil!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

20 week appointment

We were hoping to have the ultrasound today to determine if gilhooly is a boy or girl, but today's appointment was fairly routine - my blood pressure (good), listened to gil's heartbeat (good - strong!), asked some questions (can I still sleep on my back? will I know when it's not good? yes. is all the kicking good or is any of it a response to being uncomfortable? it's all good.), recorded my weight (2 pounds more), and then scheduled the ultrasound for Monday.

Our plan is to have the technician write the sex in a card then we'll go out to dinner that night and open it there. Someone else gave us the idea and we loved it.

So, no major news today....Monday!

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

style update

She's only 2 weeks away and "Britney's ready for baby!" Her chubby cheeks are so cute!

Meanwhile, Jennifer Garner is due in November. Cute top - with matching handbag.

We're attending a wedding in Chicago on 10 October. I'm looking forward to a shopping trip to Village Maternity.

additional features

A couple people have pointed out that in the recent rainier portrait my belly isn't the only thing growing, there are a couple other additional features that have gotten a little larger since last they saw me. I have to admit that a recent trip to Victoria's Secret is one of the highlights of my pregnancy - much more satisfying than the Sears' girls' section...

Monday, August 15, 2005

19 weeks - mt. adams

me and my 36 inch-round belly standing on a rock with mt. rainier in the background
J, 3 friends, 3 dogs, and I hiked to the base of Mt. Adams which gave us this clear view across the valley to Mt. Rainier. I'm happy I can still do 10 miles of moderately rugged terrain, although it's amazing how much more difficult it is than a few months ago.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

overalls

Even though I have plenty of room in my new stretchy, maternity pants (and shorts and skirts), after today's bath I wanted to free my belly. I scoured my closet for mumus, scarves...anything without a waistband. Towards the back, in the "prepregnancy section" I found the answer that millions of pregnant of women before me have chosen: overalls.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

kicks

I've been teaching a workshop the last 2 days and yesterday as I listened to my co-presenter, I'm pretty sure I was feeling kicks on the left side of my belly. I felt it again at last night's dinner. As I've heard, the feeling can be difficult to distinguish from gas or digestion, but it's been getting stronger and in the same place...weeeee.

prenatal yoga

Last Thursday I attended my first prenatal yoga class. I have a couple prenatal yoga dvds and have been doing those, but wanted to start taking a class not only to ensure I'm doing things right but to meet other expectant moms. Our class was small - just the instructor (who had her second child in March), one woman at 29 weeks, one woman at 38 weeks, and me (at 16 weeks). The woman who was at 38 weeks (about 2 weeks from her due date) wasn't much more than a head, a belly, and two legs, but she managed to get into every pose. I'm inspired!