progress of the peanut: 13 weeks

I have more pictures of Christmas to post, but I'm poning that post (ha. get it?) because my conscience is whining about how I'm already neglecting my second child. Josephine got near-weekly updates on her in utero growth and with this one, my pregnancy brain actually manages to forget I'm pregnant on a regular basis. Terrible. Of course, I suppose along with the weekly fetus updates, this blog also used to contain adorable pictures of Wilbur, various other musings, and the occasional house project update. All of which has mostly fallen off-- so perhaps it's just the blog I'm neglecting. Not my second child.

Let's go with that, okay?

So that we can all feel a little more connected to the wee one: according to babycenter, the baby is about the size of a medium shrimp, 3 inches long or so, and weighs about an ounce. It's looking pretty human-- the face has ears and eyes in the right place now, and the body is starting to catch up with the head (which is still about a third of the length). The baby also has lost the webbing between the fingers and toes and has developed reflexes, so it's in there swimming and kicking and grasping at who knows what, though I don't think I've felt it yet. I thought I had once or twice, but I'm second guessing that now... it's still a little early. The baby also has toothbuds in its gums, all vital organs formed and functioning, and fingerprints and fingernails!

I'm officially in my second trimester, and I have my second check up next week. So far, I haven't gained any weight, though it has redistributed and I started digging out maternity pants yesterday. Other than a bit of nausea midway through the first trimester, this pregnancy's been a piece of cake. I was severely exhausted and constantly nauseous/sick with Josephine for the first 16 weeks of that pregnancy. Not fun. This time, I've been sensitive to smells and have been tired, but it's been a thousand times simpler than the last time, which I'm very thankful for, as we've had so much else on our plate! (And thankfully, the lack of nausea has meant I've still been able to go for walks and eat food as I choose. Last time, I had to eat constantly, hungry or not, just to ward off the upset stomach, and I spent a lot more time curled up in my papasan in misery. So this feels like a pretty good, healthy start to things!)

Josephine seems to have a pretty good grasp on the whole thing-- or at least an interest in it. The other night, she heard my tummy rumble, and she pointed and declared, "That baby's SNEEZIN!" :-) Some friends of ours had a baby recently, and she didn't immediately make the connection that the baby came out of the mommy's womb, because she was asking if the mommy still had a baby in her womb. When I clarified this, she immediately demanded, "Did your baby come out of YOUR womb???" :-) I think she's pretty clear now that it won't come out until summertime. It's funny though, all of it, when I catch insights into her understanding of it. Like she seems pretty excited about it riding in the backseat with her and seems convinced that as long as we hold its hand, it will be able to walk. I know it's all typical toddler stuff-- but it's the same as everything's been the last few years: when you experience YOUR kid experiencing it, it's just remarkably impacting, I guess because you know their eyes well enough to truly be able to see through them-- and that's funny stuff.

Christmas spunk

Christmas decorations, in general, could count as Josephine's third heavenly experience in December. Inside, outside, ours, others', the touchables, the breakables, the mere idea of them. All pure ecstasy.

Peanut in a Black Blob

I find this photo miraculous for a couple reasons.

The obvious miracle, of course, is the fact that the wee gizmo came from a couple cells and now has a heartbeat and appendages and will one day grace this family with even greater joy than it already has. The more I think about that, the more my brain spins, sputters, and threatens to abandon all reason.

The second (perhaps equally blatant) miracle is the fact that the rather, uh, lackluster first trimester sonogram photo has become the ubiquitous announcement for something so precious. Surely there's a clip art image, even, that'd be more inspiring?? Maybe this?

Well, pick your preferred announcement image.

The point I'm trying to make is that we're expecting a second! (child, not hedgehog-- not right now, anyway)

A secondary point is that I need a different blog title. I've needed one for a while now, really.

Gingerbread Party and Christmas Chapel

Josephine's day school hosted some fun yuletide events for the kiddos. Sean took her to the Gingerbread House Party (that was the weekend I was sick), where she had a buffet line of candy from which to choose her house decorations. This was the second time she visited heaven in December.

I admit I was shocked at the size of the creation they brought home. We still have parts of it in our fridge! (Umm, maybe that says more about my fridge upkeep and less about the gingerbread house itself...)

I would say her third heavenly experience was during her school's Christmas Chapel, as her classmates were all decked out as angels. Seems heaven-appropriate, right? But our little angel kept refusing her halo.

Make of that what you will.

friends!

Let's see... you last heard from me when I had a stomach bug that left me bed-ridden for a few days in early December. So I have a lot to catch up on!

Josephine got to spend a Friday evening at a youth fund-raiser with Zanna (the church youth babysat the youngsters)-- this was an excellent arrangement which every member of the Sims household enjoyed!

You should have seen them at pick-up time... their sleeping bags next to each other and both of them wide awake, playing. Josephine thought she'd died and gone to heaven.

And we also enjoyed a visit from the Spindles! Couldn't believe how Sophia had grown since I'd last seen her.
She was fascinated by the ruffles on Josephine's shirt-- and Josephine ate up the attention. Just today she saw a picture of Sophia on my desk and she said, "This is Sophia. Sophia's a baaaaaby-- she's so cute." I had to agree. :-)