Mommy's Little Melon Head

It's week 35, and currently baby is the size of a...

Honeydew Melon!


A honeydew seems much more appropriate at this point than a cantaloupe!

Meanwhile, I'm currently the size of...

The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria!

An Intimate Interview with My Baby Daddy

Even though this blog is entitled OUR Little Baby, and even though I have an About US section, you may have noticed that Eric's involvement in this blog is rather limited....ya know, other than the fact that he got me pregnant in the first place. (Hoo-ray Eric!) Every now and again I have him read a post to make sure I won't embarrass him too much in front of his family and friends, but that's about it.

For months, I've been trying to get him to write a post: Pregnancy from HIS point of view. He tells me that he's not creative enough for such things, but I know for a fact that he can do much more than sit around playing his trumpet. (He really does play the trumpet.) I've seen him read books, he watches the Discovery Channel... And nobody, and I mean NOBODY (except maybe my Mom) can finish a crossword puzzle faster than he can. In fact, it was his crossword puzzle abilities that first caught my eye in the first place. Once I saw how quickly he could own the Boston Globe puzzle, I was all "Be still, my beating heart!" So, surely, he could figure out how to write on our silly blog.

However, instead of making him write by himself, I've written the following questions for him to respond to.

Without further ado, I introduce the man behind the baby bump.....

Me: Hello Eric, and thank you for joining us here today. How does it feel to be featured on our blog?

Eric: Awesome - I'm your biggest fan. I've been reading every post repeatedly and dissecting them for hidden meaning and innuendo.

Me: We're now in the eighth month of pregnancy. How have you been holding up so far?

Eric: Good - the late night trips for ice cream have prepared me for the crazy things you'll have me doing after the baby is born.

Me: Will you miss me being pregnant? Why/why not?

Eric: I was thinking that I might miss your wild mood swings, but then I realized that you had those before you were pregnant and they'll probably stick around after the baby is born.

Me: On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the worst, how much does it bother you when I walk around pantsless? Explain.

Eric: After the initial shock, I've gotten used to it. Now i expect to see a big belly coming around the corner followed by your pasty legs.

Me: You've been very involved in the process so far. For example, you've attended doctor's appointments and breast feeding classes. What have been your thoughts/feelings/observations about going to these things?

Eric: I was freaked out at first but the experience has been great in giving me some insight into what you're going through.

Me: I'll be going into labor in the not so distant future. How are you preparing for childbirth?

Eric: I'm thinking of the fastest way to the hospital - so you don't have the baby in the car.

Me: Are you going to chicken out and leave me when I start mooing like a cow? Cause if you do, I will cut you.

Eric: If you start mooing like a cow I will chicken out - I've been practicing my chicken noises.

Me: Will you cut the umbilical cord?

Eric: No way!!

Me: Will you hold the baby when they take her out of me, or will you be too freaked out?

Eric: Of course - I've been looking forward to that moment for the past eight months.

Me: What do you think we should name the baby?

Eric: Apple Starbucks -Free Stuff!!!!

Me: What part of fatherhood are you most looking forward to?

Eric: Watching little baby experience the world for the first time, and being able to get a new appreciation for the world with her as she learns about her new environment.

Me: What part of fatherhood are you least looking forward to?

Eric: Changing diapers - I need to talk to Tom Brady about how he got his son potty trained so fast.

Me: What is the important thing you hope to teach baby girl?

Eric: Hopefully I can teach her to have a passion for something in life. It doesn't matter to me if it sports, writing, acting, or music (but I secretly hope that its music).


Me: I saw a pair of metallic baby leggings the other day. Can I dress the baby up as Baby Gaga for Halloween?

Eric: No comment

Me: We joked the other night about you going as the guy from The Hangover for Halloween complete with Baby Bjorn. Will you please do it and bring the baby into bars to see how people react? Because that would be wicked funny.

Eric: Sure - I bet I'll get some free drinks (for me not for the baby).

Me: You will wear the Baby Bjorn sometimes though right?

Eric: How else am I going to take the baby kayaking?

Me: For serious though, do you think becoming a father has changed you at all? If so, in what ways? If not, ummm...do you think you've taken this whole thing seriously enough?

Eric: It has got me thinking about things I've never thought about before, like quality of a schools, not just the size of its band. Also I find myself carrying at least $20 in cash in my wallet and worrying if I have at least a 1/4 tank of gas (all things that my mom did and I thought was a total waste of time - sorry mom).

Me: What advice would you give to other men whose partners are pregnant?

Eric: Be there as much as possible. The experience has been a little nerve wracking but it has been totally worth it.

Me: Do you still love me even though I could currently star as Willy in Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove?

Eric: Does that make me Bindi Irwin?

Me: Well, Eric, that's about all we have time for today. Thank you for being here with us today, and best of luck! I think you'll make a wonderful father.

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: Going by my last checkup, 27 lbs.

Stretch marks? Yes, on my legs of all places! None on my belly though.

Sleep: I never knew rolling over in bed could be so difficult. I still find myself wide awake in the middle of the night a few times a week, but I nap a lot.

Best moment this week: Being able to see baby's face so clearly at the ultrasound.

Movement: A lot over the past few days. I can feel her little feet, and my whole stomach moves along with her.

Food cravings: Anything you put in front of me. Still eating a lot of ice cream.

Labor Signs: I think I'm starting to get Braxton Hicks contractions because my stomach will get rock hard and crampy every now and again. My body's putting on its game face!

Belly Button in or out? Waaaaayy out.

What I miss: Having wine with dinner now and again. Small price to pay though.

What I am looking forward to: Dressing baby in all the adorable clothing and shoes she's accumulated so far.

Weekly Wisdom: Every now and again you'll break down in tears over something like being able to snap the car seat into the stroller because OMG, how are you supposed to be able to take care of an infant?! Take deep breaths. Much stupider people have raised children successfully. You'll figure it out.

Milestones: Baby is head down and likely staying there since she's pretty snug!

Introducing Our Newest Family Member!

And no, it's not baby....

It's our new dog, Charlie Parker a.k.a. Bird. (Eric named him. Don't ask me. It's a jazz thing.)



Our fake dog Bird is adjusting well to life in his new home. He almost never whines, and he always stays when we tell him to. We're still working on roll over, but I think he's getting the hang of it.

He likes to sit in the Bumbo...
And to be rolled around the living room in the stroller...

And he's such a good dog that he doesn't even put up a fuss when I carry him around in the Baby Bjorn!

Dizzy's still not sure if he likes sharing his home with a dog, but Bird is trying really hard to make friends.

I'm sure soon Dizzy will be as happy as we are to have Bird as a member of our family!

New Pictures!

We had an ultrasound today....perhaps our last one? It was very cool. We could see baby's face really clearly on the screen. The pictures below don't even do it justice. We could almost see what she looks like. We also got to see her practice her breathing. Her little lungs were working furiously in preparation for the big event. She moved her little arms and hands around a lot while we were there too. AND, she's head down! Hoo-Ray!

She's such a smart, talented, well-behaved and beautiful baby!

She's all puckered up in this one. Eric thinks she's doing raspberries against the side of my stomach.
Face One

Face Two

Deja fruit?

It's Week 34 and Baby is the size of....

A Cantaloupe!!!



Hold the phone there Sargent! Wasn't baby a cantaloupe already? Like at 20 weeks?
That's it! My whole faith in the fruit to baby system has been blown. Who's ever heard of a 4 lb cantaloupe anyhow?

Meanwhile, I'm currently the size of a....

Vodka infused watermelon!

Parenting 101 with The Linsners

Once when Eric and I were reminiscing about fond childhood memories early on in our relationship, he told me about how he and his parents used to play Log. At first, I thought he was making it up, but when I met his parents for the first time, his mom started to talk about the game of Log as well. Apparently it was quite popular when Eric was a wee tot.

The object of the game is as follows:
Lie as silently as possible without moving to pretend you are a log. The person who stays like this the longest wins!

I imagine it sounding something like this:
Little Eric: Dad, dad, let's play a game!
Eric's Dad Eric: Sure son! Let's play Log!
Little Eric: Log?! Oh Boy! I love Log!
Eric's Dad Eric: Ready? On you mark? Get set? Go!
Little Eric: ........................................................................(I'm winning! I'm winning)....................................................................
Eric's Dad Eric:....................(Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz)


The fact that little Eric once fell for this is quite endearing to me. I can picture him lying like a log on the floor for hours staring at the ceiling. Meanwhile, his dad was giving him quite a challenge as he played log on the couch comfortably and without interruption.

I just know that one day I'm going to come home to find baby girl lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling like a log while Eric sleeps on the couch. I guess I can't really argue with tradition.

It also reminds me of this little gem from Ren and Stimpy, which I never really liked because it made me feel weird and gross inside, but I do remember the log song.