Pregnancy Updates: 27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  Probably quite a bit, but I still think I've gained less than with Madeline.  I guess when you're already lumpy, adding a few baby pounds to the mix doesn't make as much of a difference.   

Maternity Clothes: Still combining things as much as possible.  A sweet friend at work just brought me a whole bag of warm-weather maternity clothes.  And everything is so cute!  Super excited cause all my old maternity stuff is for warm weather.  

Sleep:  Good!  I wake up a more often, but I fall right back to sleep.  Strange dreams though...

Best Moments this Week:  Passing my glucose test!  (Eric's brining me home Chinese food tomorrow night to celebrate...it's going to be epic.)  

Movement: I'm really paranoid about movement.  I don't think she's been as active this week, but just when I start to freak out, she throws me a few kicks.  I have a kick counter app on my phone, and she's moving right along as always, but I don't feel her when I'm busy.   

Food Cravings:  Not as much this week...crab rangoon is sounding good though.  

Food Aversions: No.  

Gender:  A wee lass.  

Labor Signs:  No.  

Pregnancy Symptoms:  A little less sore...hizzah!  The inability to control my bladder.  Swollen feet. My shoes are tight.  I'm starting to waddle a bit more.  

Belly Button In or Out? Loud and proud and embarrassing.  

What I Miss:  Wine   

What I am Looking Forward to: Enjoying some beautiful fall weather this weekend as much as possible.  

Upcoming Appointments/ Events:  Checkup next week!  I love checkups when I start getting nervous and antsy like this.  

Current Food Comparison?  A cabbage.     

Meanwhile, I'm the size of...

For a comparison of 27 weeks with Madeline, click here!

Puzzle Masters

I'm not the kind of mom who gets down on the floor and plays with Madeline all the time.  Of course I do, but not as much as I probably should. First off, I think it's really important for kids to learn to play independently without an adult breathing down their necks directing the game.  But mostly, I just don't like playing with Legos that much. (Ducks head in shame.) I'm a pro in the reading stories, cuddling, and coloring departments though.  I also really like it when Madeline makes me pretend pancakes.  We all have our strengths.

Luckily for little Maddie Bear, Dada is great at playing all the games that Mumma avoids.  As soon as Eric gets home from work, she asks him to play with her, and most of the time, he's more than willing to dive right in.  In fact, I think he enjoys the Legos more than she does.  He builds great towers.    

Recently, the two of them have become very interested in puzzles.  Madeline's at an age where she can do the simple baby ones without breaking a sweat, and she's moved on to figuring out more complex puzzles with only slight nudging from an adult.

Eric decided it would be fun for the two of them to get a challenging puzzle to work on together, so over the weekend he brought her to the toy store to pick one out.  She picked a 3D picture of the Disney villains with really small pieces.

The two of them set their puzzle up at the dining room table and quietly began piecing it together.  It's pretty amazing to watch Madeline try to figure out how the shapes and colors fit.  More often than not, she simply tries to force the wrong pieces in place, but she's getting the hang of it.

Mostly, I like to listen to the conversations Eric and Madeline have while they work.  Long after Madeline grows bored with the puzzle, she continues to sit next to Eric chit-chatting or playing with other toys.

This afternoon I listened to them sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as if opera stars.  Eric followed up this performance  by purposely singing the wrong lyrics to Madeline's favorite Disney songs, ("Tale as old as time, grapes grow on a vine...Beauty and the Beast.") for which he was quickly reprimanded by an indignant three year old.

And then there are conversations like this:

Madeline:  Can I be a choo-choo train when I grow up?  
Eric:  You want to be a choo-choo?
Madeline:  Uh-huh.
Eric:  Well, you can't be a train, but you could drive a choo-choo train.  Is that what you mean?
Madeline:  Uh-huh.  Can I drive a choo-choo when I grow up?
Eric:  Sure.  That would be fun to drive a train, wouldn't it?
Madeline:  Uh-huh.

I love watching their relationship grow as she gets older.  I'm a lucky wife.  And although Madeline's always been a bit of a Mumma's girl, I get the feeling that while she'll go through the awkward teenage stage of hating her mother, she'll always have a soft spot for her Dada.

Pour Some Sugar on Me

You know that scene from American Beauty with the naked girl in the rose petals?  Well imagine that exact scene except, instead of a hot blond, it's me, and instead of rose petals, I'm lying in a pile of Hershey's Miniatures.

That's right, I passed my three-hour glucose test! Mr. Goodbars for everybody!

I took the test on Friday morning.  Lab waiting rooms are a lot like the DMV.  Everyone there is sick, grumpy, and late for work.  My highlight was watching an old lady across from me flipping through a magazine with disgust.  "This is a porno mag," she spat while turning to the cover to investigate what she was reading.  It was Vanity Fair.

Then, after three hours of poking and prodding, I went home to wait for my results.  And wait I did...all weekend long.

I spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and most of Monday in food limbo.  I did my best to research diet plans for gestational diabetes online, but it was all so confusing.  Some plans looked a lot like what I was already eating (minus the cake) while others seemed really strict.  Do I eat fruit or not?  Is dairy good or bad?  How many carbs are allowed?  I figured out the basics, but managing GD seems dependent on the individual and what one's body can tolerate.

Meanwhile, this emotional eater was a raging beast.  What comfort is a stressed pregnant lady supposed to find if chocolate, potato chips, and pumpkin lattes are all off limits?  Don't say "yoga," or I will slap you.  Kale chips dipped in all-natural peanut butter don't help either.  It looked like it was going to be a long third trimester not only for me, but also for my long-suffering husband.

Thankfully, the call that I had passed the three-hour test came this afternoon.  I pranced home and merrily popped a few of the chocolate-covered raisins that had be taunting me from the fridge all weekend in my mouth.

Don't worry, Eric's not going to get home from work to find me passed out on the floor with a chocolate mustache and a piece of half-eaten cake on my chest though.  I did, after all, spend a large part of Sunday afternoon prepping healthy snack and lunch items for the week.  I've got a whole bunch of celery, hard-boiled eggs, and all-natural peanut butter to consume.  But now I can dip those celery sticks in caramel sauce and pair that peanut butter with Fluff .

The eggs are probably best left as is.

Five Years

Our little daughter, Ellis Jane, was stillborn five years ago today.

There's a lot I remember in clear detail from that day.  Which stories were on the news, the way my fingers quickly swelled after giving birth, the smell of the knitted cap and sweater they dressed Ellis in.  Then there's so much that's a complete blur.  I don't remember the correct order of events...what rooms I was in, tests they did, or when Eric arrived.  I don't remember the weather that day even though I had a wall of windows in my room.  I don't remember the name or face of the nurse who took such good care of me during my stay.

Five years later, I find it so strange that even the biggest events of our lives, the ones that hurt and change us the most, eventually dull and fade like all the rest.  And there's so much to say, or not say, about losing Ellis, that I always struggle with where to start or end.  There's just too much jumbled in my mind to put down in
words.

All I know is that Ellis' existence has become a regular part of our lives.  It's no longer a sharp shock of pain to think of what happened.  And although I have so many regrets surrounding the days leading up to her birth, I also know that the current course of our lives would not be the same without what happened.  I no longer wish to turn back the hands of time to change the past.  That would mean wishing away everything we've built since losing her.

I look at Madeline and feel so lucky for all that I have.  Soon we'll be adding another child to love to our family if all goes well.  And I know it's because of my experiences with Ellis that I appreciate every kick, squirm, and roundness of my belly just a little bit more than I did five years ago.

Thank you, sweet Ellis for how you've helped be grow as a mother and as a person.  I'll always carry you in my heart.

Pregnancy Updates: 26 Weeks

How far along? 26 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  Not sure...probably a lot.  

Maternity Clothes: I was doing okay looking cute while the weather was still warm, but now that it's gotten cooler, I'm figuring out what to wear.  If only it was acceptable to wear yoga pants and oversized sweatshirts to work...

Sleep:  Pretty good this week.  I'm so tired!  

Best Moments this Week:  Madeline's birthday party.  Getting some baby clothes in the mail.  Beautiful fall weather.  

Movement: My belly has started visibly moving from the outside, which I always think is so strange.  Baby girl packs a punch.  

Food Cravings:  Sigh...still cake.  But since I failed my glucose screening earlier in the week, the love affair is over.  

Food Aversions: No.  That's the problem.  

Gender:  A Little Lady 

Labor Signs:  No.  This is not a problem.   

Pregnancy Symptoms:  Still crazy sore.  Eric had to help me off the couch a few times this week simply because my muscles are so damn sore.  I keep getting Charlie horses in the middle of the night as well, so I wake up limping.  

Belly Button In or Out? Oh, it's out, baby.  

What I Miss:  Energy and not feeling sore.  

What I am Looking Forward to: Getting this second glucose screening done, so I know what's up.  

Upcoming Appointments/ Events:  Three-hour glucose screening.  

Current Food Comparison?  An English hothouse cucumber.  My, how fancy!   

Meanwhile, I'm the size of...

Glucose Fail

It's a solid fact that once you open your big, fat mouth to express an opinion whatever you say will come back to bite you in your big, fat bum. For example, a few weeks ago a friend was joking about her gestational diabetes being directly connected to the amount of ice cream she consumed during the first half of her pregnancy.  I countered that gestational diabetes probably has more to do with genetics than with Ben and Jerry's since I ate my fair share of the stuff with Madeline with no complications.

Well, up on Mount Olympus, Gluttonidas, roundest of the Gods, looked down upon with me wrath. Silly mortal, how dare you be arrogant enough to think you could eat ALL the crab rangoon?!

Guess what, folks? I failed my glucose screening.

I've got the extended three-hour test scheduled soon, which will tell me whether or not Gluttonidas has truly cursed me with gestational diabetes.  I'm hoping I can chalk up failing the first round to the amount of cake I ate for Madeline's birthday weekend.  All that sugar must surely still be in my system, right?  Fingers crossed that the second test will come back normal, and I'll have simply wasted three hours of my life in the lab's waiting room instead of having to give up cake on top of alcohol and caffeine.  I know the Gods are cruel, but come on...

Damn it, does this mean I have to eat beets? Or kale? Cause if I hear one more hipster praise the glory of kale...I will scream. There's nothing wrong with kale, but you are never going to convince me that it's omigod sooo yummy that you actually crave it.  Stop dressing it up to look cool.  People eat kale because they are trying to be healthy or because they are secretly rabbits.  Everyone knows you are secretly craving a box of Twinkies like the rest of the schmucks.

Disclaimer: In all seriousness, I will gladly adjust my diet in any way necessary to keep baby safe...even if I have to eat stewed beets.  And, as much as I joke about eating cake and rangoon, I'm not really that bad.  I eat salad for lunch and pie for dinner.  I don't see what the big deal is.  However, I am not joking about kale.  Stop it.  

P.S.  They reset the votes at Top Baby Blogs.  I made it to the front page last round, which was pretty awesome cause I'm vain and fat and possibly have diabetes, so the little things make me happy.  I'd sure appreciate some votes.  Simply click on the brown button on the sidebar, and then click again to vote.  Thank you!  You are awesome...even if you are a kale lover.

Return of the Bunny

When Madeline was just a wee loaf of bread, I'd pose her with her pink stuffed bunny once a month to see how she was growing. Now that she's a bit older, I only take her picture once a year. She's going to just love it when I make her carry the bunny to her graduation...

Can you believe my Maddie Bear was ever this small? (You can see all her bunny pics here.)

Well, here she is now!

And some more:  

 Tuck that tongue in, Maddie Bear.

And here she is last year.  She's gotten taller...

When I asked Madeline to grab her pink bunny for the picture today, she started to pout.  She wanted to take a different toy outside with us instead.  I sat her down and scrolled through all the old bunny pictures.  "Look, that was you!  Look how small you were!" I gasped and pointed before explaining that I wanted to take her picture with the bunny again because now she is three.  Madeline smiled before very willingly running into the front yard with her bunny.  She got it.  Let's see if she's so willing to carry bunny to prom...

Birthday Photo Overload

It was Madeline's third birthday on Saturday, and we held a small party for her at our house.  It was princess themed because obviously.  I spent a good deal of time trying to convince her that a rainbow dinosaur party would be totally kick-ass, but she didn't buy it one bit.

This was the first year that Madeline realized the significance of the day.  She sat up in her bed on Saturday morning and coyly called, "Oh, Mumma?!  It's morning!  It's my birthday!"

She opened her present from Eric and I as soon as she woke up (Legos), and I don't think I saw her sit down for more than five minutes for the rest of the day.

She spent the duration of her party running around the house like a crazed Snow White hopped up on too much sugar.  Every time I saw her run by, her hair had grown a little more wild and she was screaming.  (Just like Mumma during those wild college days.) She had a fantastic time.

 Thank you family and friends who helped us celebrate.  We love you all.

Three

Dear Madeline,

Today you turn three years old. I have a feeling this is going to be a significant age for you. After all, our family is about to change in a very big way. You will never be two again. Life will never be the same again.

I'm thrilled that our family is growing. I just know you'll be a great big sister. Still, there's a part of me that mourns our time alone together. For the past three years, I've been able to devote all my energy into you. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to drink you in, watch you grow. You taught me to be a mother, and for that, and for so many other things, I'll be forever grateful.

I hope you always know how deeply you are loved by your father and me. I hope you feel it down to the tips of your toes. I want you to grow up with the security of knowing that nothing you could say or do could change that. You are our inner light.

And I hope you go through life with enough confidence to grab happiness by the handful. Don't ever let that inner Maddie Bear spark grow dim. Don't ever forget that you are awesome just as you are.

I'm so proud of you, my sweet girl. I'm proud that you held your friend's hand at school while she was crying. I'm proud that you have so much empathy that an episode of Caillou where his friends are mean to him makes you tear up. I'm proud that you remembered to ask to use the potty when we out today. I'm proud that you know the lyrics to "Beautiful Boy" and all the words to the book Ten Apples Up on Top. I'm proud of every joke you tell, every pair of shoes you get on yourself, and every loving pat you give my belly. I'm so proud of the cool little kid you've turned into...seemingly overnight.

Happy third birthday, Madeline Lee.

Love,
Your Biggest Fan

Pregnancy Updates: 25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  At least 15 lbs  

Maternity Clothes: The Bella Band is my friend for now, but I will need to go out to buy some maternity pants for work soon.  I think pregnant woman should be allowed to go around pantless.  I'd wear a really long shirt to cover my thighs.  Or I suppose I could just wear dresses...    

Sleep:  Not too bad.  I'm so tired by the end of the day that I pass out immediately.  I did wake up at 3 am on Monday though, so that was a drag.  

Best Moments this Week:  Madeline likes to lay her head against my belly to cuddle the baby.  She's a sweetie.  

Movement: I can feel her more frequently, and not just at night.  I have a kick count app on my phone that I like, but I haven't really had to use it this week due to how often I feel sweet baby girl bopping around in there.  

Food Cravings:  Eric keeps buying me cake, which is nice.  I also bought an apple pie on my way home from work today, and plan on eating as much of it as I can once Madeline goes to sleep.  

Food Aversions: Nope.  

Gender:  Girl! 

Labor Signs:  No 

Pregnancy Symptoms:  Still quite sore.  I've got major pregnancy brain.  Trying to give my students directions is almost comical.  Poor children stuck with a crazy AND pregnant English teacher.  

Belly Button In or Out? Well, a stranger did laugh at my belly button at work the other afternoon...sigh...but it seems to come and go.  It's out!  It's in!  It's out!  It's in!  Gross, it looks like a nose!  

What I Miss:  Sleeping on my back.  

What I am Looking Forward to: Madeline's birthday this weekend!  Reaching the third trimester in the not so distant future.  Hopefully I get to pee in a jug this time around...cause that was pretty awesome.  I kid.  Obviously.  No one wants to pee in a jug.  

Upcoming Appointments/ Events:  I forgot to go do my glucose screening this week.  (pregnancy brain) I'll go sometime next week instead.  Cause nothing beats peeing in a jug except for that orange sugary drink they make you chug.       

Current Food Comparison?  A rutabaga.  Haha...such a funny word.  

Meanwhile, I'm the size of...

Return of the Baby Fat

While flipping through the channels on TV one night about a month ago, I noticed that the programing on TLC consisted of "Obese and Pregnant" followed by "Obese and Expecting."   I didn't actually watch either of these shows, so if anyone knows what the difference between the two of them is, please fill me in.  I could be wrong, but they seem to both be about obese people who also happen to be pregnant.

Since I had just polished off an order of crab Rangoon...cough...by myself...don't judge...I had the sinking feeling that the television might be speaking to me personally.

Some women can gracefully waddle through pregnancy in a pair of JCrew maternity skinny jeans that emphasize their long legs and perfectly round baby bump. God bless those women, but mostly I just want to punch them in the face. Because me pregnant? I look like a walking sweet potato.

This is partially due to genetics. Even at a fit 120 lbs, (Not that I remember what that was like.) I sport some heafty cankles. It's not so bad though since those cankles help support my sturdy school marm legs and bodacious thighs. The term, I believe, is pear shaped.

But my overall roundness is also caused by the fact that I'm pregnant, and I'm going to eat cake...or Rangoon...if I feel like it, dammit! Now, leave me alone, TLC.

In spite of my love for Chinese take out, I'm certainly not ready to audition for "Obese and Pregnant." And while I may not be gracing the cover of Fit Pregnancy anytime soon either, I think I qualify as normal and healthy. But damn, it feels weird watching your body blow up like that blueberry chick's from Willy Wonka. And damn, there is a lot of pressure to make one's pregnant blueberry body look as perfect as possible.

Wasn't there a period in time where pregnant people went into confinement? Why'd we stop doing that? Sometimes the thought of being tucked away from public eyes to grow fatter in peace seems pretty good.

For example, someone pointed out that my belly button was popping through my shirt the other afternoon. That was just what I wanted to hear seconds before facing a room of twenty high school freshmen. Cause if it's not awkward enough that they know where babies come from, now they can see my belly button too. Bring on the shapeless maternity sacks of yore, I say!

But no. Pregnant women had to go ahead and liberate their bodies because the miracle of life is "beautiful." This wouldn't be a problem because pregnancy IS beautiful in its own bloated, life-creating way, but the images of pregnant women we hold ourselves up to are far from normal. I blame you, Demi Moore. Heidi Klum, don't think I've forgotten you either. And you, Beyonce. (I'd blame Kate Middleton as well, but she's just too pretty to hold a grudge against.) It's easy to be pregnant, proud, and half naked when you look like that. If I were them, I wouldn't wear clothes at all...ever.

So, now we live in a world of extremes. On one hand, we're bombarded with maternity bikinis, postpartum celebrity weight loss secrets, and pregnancy books that advise against consuming dairy because it will make you fat. You know what else will make you fat? Being pregnant...

Meanwhile, celebrities like Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian are plastered on the cover of tabloids so that we may laugh, "Bwahaha! Look at those fat, pregnant bitches!" But, oh, wait a second...that's pretty much what I look like pregnant. (Except without the designer clothing and professional makeup artists to help take the attention away from my eye bags.)

Which, in a very round about way, brings me back to shows like "Obese and Pregnant" which highlight the other extreme. As a pregnant lady it seems you either must strive for Heidi Klum perfection or risk being unhealthily overweight. And seriously, why does this show even exist? To warn of the dangers of being overweight and pregnant? Okay, well I'm pretty sure obese women already are aware of the health risks associated with their weight. And what about all the not-obese and/or not-pregnant people watching? Is it just more of the morbid obsession we currently have about weight gain, and more specifically, weight gain while growing a human? Is it so we can judge? Feel better about the carton of crab Rangoon we may, or may not, have just eaten?

As for me, I'll continue to balance my chocolate cake with some healthier choices, listen to what my body needs, and try not to worry too much about the girth of my canckles. Above all, I will remind myself that it's normal to look like a sweet potato when pregnant. I may also wear some muumuus and look into the possibility of teaching via video conferencing so teenagers stop staring at my belly button.

Signs I May be Living with a Teenager

In just a few days, Madeline will turn three years old. Yet, I can't help feeling that within that skinny little kid with pigtails and bruised knees lurks a full-fledged teenager.

Here's why I'm suspicious:

When I tried to wake her up for school this morning, she moaned, "Leave me alone," before rolling over to go back to sleep.

M: Hey! I want a banana too!
Me: What do you say if you want something?
M: ...(pout)
Me: Can I get a 'please?'
M: ...(pout)
Me: Ok, I guess you don't want a banana.
M: (total sass mouth) I guess I DO want a banana.

She wants to put on makeup, wears my bra around the house, and stares at herself in the mirror.

She stays up later than her parents.

I nearly had a heart attack when she got behind the wheel of a Big Wheels Jeep and drove it into some brush over the weekend.

She threw a fit when I wouldn't let her wear a summer dress to her cousin's birthday because it was too short. That night, when we went in to check on her, she was wearing it over her pajamas.

Sometimes she cries when we take away the iPad.

Stop growing up so fast, Maddie Bear!

Mumma Potato Head

"Look I made her so pretty. She looks just like you now. She has lips and hair and blue eyes and everything."

*I don't have blue eyes...for the record.

Happy Friday!

Pregnancy Updates: 24 Weeks

How far along? 24 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  I underestimate myself and my capacity to gain ALL the weight.  15 lbs so far.  Ga-gunk.    

Maternity Clothes: Still mixing things, but more and more maternity items are sneaking their way into my...now limited...wardrobe.  

Sleep: I tossed and turned a lot this week.  Not sure if it's the weird dreams, school anxiety, or basic pregnancy-related uncomfortableness.  

Best Moments this Week:  Hearing baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office.  Cuddling with Madeline on the couch after school.  

Movement:  She's a little quieter this week than last, but girl can still pack a punch if she wants to.    

Food Cravings:  More cake...and chocolate.   

Food Aversions:  I was little blah about shrimp this week even though I usually like it.  

Gender:  A GIRL!  

Labor Signs:  No, sir.  

Pregnancy Symptoms:  So...so...tired.  I get winded at work easily cause, as I teacher, I talk a lot.  

Belly Button In or Out? Flat...but starting to pop a bit.   

What I Miss:  Having energy to spend on my family after work.  Last time I was pregnant I could nap, but that doesn't happen often with an active Maddie Bear who needs me.  

What I am Looking Forward to:  I'm enjoying being pregnant, but at the same time, I really want to fast-forward to December to meet my baby.  I think this feeling might have something to do with being back at work...

Upcoming Appointments/ Events:  Glucose screening something this week.  Yum.  Also, 24 weeks is when I lost baby Ellis, so it's a big milestone week for me.  24 weeks?  Check.  

Current Food Comparison?  An ear of corn.  

Meanwhile, I'm the size of...

God bless maxi dresses.  For a comparison of how things were cooking at 24 weeks with Madeline, click here.  

Gender Bias

A pregnant woman can expect to be asked a myriad of personal questions once people notice the bump. From the harmless, "When are you due?" to the offensive, "Was this baby planned?" nothing seems to be off limits to little old ladies in the produce aisle. One of the more common inquiries is, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

When someone asks this question, one is supposed to answer, "It doesn't matter as long as the baby is healthy."

This is much more polite than, "None of your damn business, Q-tip Head". It's also a plain and honest answer. After all, a healthy baby trumps any other hopes you have for your child.

However, I always felt a little dishonest giving this response. Yes, a healthy baby was, and is, the most important goal, but that doesn't mean I haven't also had strong preferences in regards to the baby's sex as well.

My truly honest answer to that question would have to be, "Gimme some more healthy baby girls, bitches!" because that's what I want most of all.

Once upon a time, gender didn't matter so much to me. When pregnant with Ellis, I had a slight preference, but I don't remember feeling as strongly about it as I did when expecting Madeline. During that pregnancy, I wanted a pink baby...bad. Maybe the urgent desire was the result of losing my first baby girl.

When Eric and I started talking about expanding the family last year, I thought the pressure was off. I had my healthy little Maddie Bear all dressed in pink and could be happily ambivalent about the the sex of the next child. So, imagine my surprise when I got pregnant and found myself crossing all my fingers and toes for a girl yet again.

Don't get me wrong, we wouldn't have returned a male child to the stork, and if we were having a boy instead of a girl, I'd be writing about the excitement for a our new adventure. Besides, I have four very nice nephews who prove that boys aren't bad at all.

Still, before finding out that we were indeed having another girl, I'd spontaneously cry out, "Oh my God, Eric, what if it's a boy?!" from time to time.

I just couldn't wrap my mind around the concept. What would it be like? We'd have to paint the bedroom something less pink. What about names? Few boys' names appeal to me, and most of the ones I do like would likely lead to recess beatings. How would I talk him out of playing football? Or the tuba? Would we circumcise him or is that unnecessary mutilation? How does one take care of a baby penis anyhow?

Luckily, these are all issues I won't ever have to concern myself with. (Except maybe the tuba.) Now, I can stick to worrying about the overall drama that is the teenage female.

Yet, beyond the basic unfamiliarity and inconvenience of adding a boy to the mix, it simply wasn't the way I pictured our family. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I feel like we were meant to raise girls. (In my brain, our reproductive necessities wear tiny pink bows on their heads. TMI?).  In short, we're thrilled to be having a second girl.

I keep thinking of what my friend, Emily, said.  "Eric and three ginger girls?!  That's a sitcom."  While the jury is still out on the ginger aspect, it will be fun watching Eric raise two girls. There's really nobody better suited to the task of putting up with three women under the same roof. Eric's an amazingly calm, patient, and gentle person. If things get really rough, he'll simply retreat to the basement to play his trumpet in peace.

So even though the polite and technically correct answer is to say that a baby's sex doesn't matter, I wonder how many women actually mean it. I admire those who do. I think for the most part people say it because it's easier than having an intimate conversation with grannies in the produce aisle, or because they don't want to jinx anything.

As it is, after writing this in front of God and everybody, I'm a bit worried that our baby will come out with three penises just to make the question of circumcision that much more difficult.

The Perks of Being Pregnant

When you're pregnant other people:

• Offer to let you cut the line for pizza.
• Graciously accept that you smell like onions.
• Carry boxes for you.
• Expect you to eat ALL the cheese.
• Say, "You look great!" even though you've started sporting a double chin and have sudden-onset acne. 
• Bring you home chocolate cake. (Well, my husband does...not strangers.)
• Call your burrito belly "cute."
• Avoid you in shared restrooms.

Not too shabby....

Merriment on the Merry-go-Round

On Saturday, we spent the day in Boston and happened upon the grand opening of the Greenway Carousel.  The carousel is located on The Rose Kennedy Greenway between Fanueil Hall Marketplace and Christopher Columbus Park at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Grove.

This puts it directly in the path of all the kiddos visiting the aquarium, touring Quincy Market, or running through the grass on the Greenway.  And if those children are anything like our Maddie Bear, they won't be able to resist the lure of a good merry-go-round.  In fact, we rode it twice.  

The coolest thing about the Greenway Carousel are the whimsical characters the children get to ride on.  Instead of traditional horses, this carousel uses species native to Massachusetts such as a whale, sea turtles, a fox, a skunk, and of course....lobsters.  According to the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway website, the animals were inspired by the drawings of Boston school children and sculpted by local artist Jeff Brigs.

While I waited in line with Madeline, we talked about which animal she wanted to ride on.  At first she wanted the sea turtle, then the bunny, then the butterfly, and, oh, the pirate ship!  I could hear the other kids around us plotting over which animal they were hoping to get, and I worried briefly that there might be a kid-on-kid scuffle over the whale.

Luckily, Madeline was perfectly happy riding almost any of the animals as long as it wasn't a lobster.  Girl has a deathly fear of lobsters.  So, we found a bunny and climbed aboard.

Big Belly Alert...And There's Still Four Months to Go!

When the carousel began to move, and Madeline's bunny started climbing up into the sky, she giggled nervously a little.  "Look, Madeline!  Your bunny is hopping!" I told her.

"Yeah.  That's so silly," she replied and held on a little more tightly.

When we were finished, she ran to Eric who had been watching and snapping photos from the sidelines.  "Was that so fun?" he asked her.

"Yeah, but I wanted to ride the butterfly..." she pouted.  Kids.  They're never satisfied with the first bunny they ride.

We told her that maybe we'd let her ride again on our way back if she was a good girl for the rest of the day.  Then we headed toward Christopher Columbus Park to view the art festival being held, walked along the water for a bit, then found some pizza in the North End.

Madeline kept her end of the deal by being a good sport while we dragged her through craft booths and over cobblestone streets, so we looped back toward the carousel before catching the train home.

There's a lobster lurking nearby...

And this time, she got to ride a butterfly with Dada.  They did have to switch seats a few times though because there were too many lobsters nearby.  It's a good thing there were so many butterflies to choose from.  If she had wanted the whale, we would have been in trouble.

That's better.