Tis Better To Give

Merry belated Christmas, loyal readers! Another holiday come and gone. Being that this was our last Christmas before the baby, I was looking forward to getting some presents for myself for one last year. Which leads to some advice for expectant parents before Christmas: don't tell anyone you're expecting. Doing so results in presents with your name on them that should really say "To: Your Name('s Baby)." Knowing this will lesson the shock if your inaccurately labeled gift contains onesies that are nowhere near your actual size.

One essential piece of reading wifey received was the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. Probably one of the most important to-do's mom-to-be (and moms that are) will need to do is to learn about sleep, both for baby's growth and mom and dad's sanity, and this book will suggest the best ways to accomplish this so every party gets the rest they need. Other gifts for moms-to-be for any occasion could include body pillows, massaging pillows, and back supports, as her body is increasing in weight and size, in many different directions. (You of course, should never point this out to her.)

I hope your holiday was happy, your festivities festive, and you got all the presents you wished for. Get some rest before the new year, because I predict this will be a big year for many. (Meaning you will likely have to babysit.)

Baby Kickback

At night, wifey's been having me place her hand on her growing belly to feel the baby squirm and move. I can barely feel something move, similar to if you put your hand on my belly after a sushi buffet: you can feel something, but it's probably not a baby. Earlier this week, when she felt the baby wide awake, I put my hand on her belly and there it was: the baby kicked or punched or headbutted my hand. When I finally felt the unmistakable presence of a little guy in there, I was as proud as any dad who's kid was already out of the womb.

Sometimes the baby squirms around a lot and keeps wifey from sleeping. A friend of mine who just gave birth to her son this past Thursday (Congrats S & H!), told me that sometimes the baby will stretch from his fetal position, and she'll feel the pushing in an area of her body that isn't in the tummy. Ouch.

Next time we see any of you, maybe the baby will be awake and jumping. If wifey offers you to feel a kick, I'll gladly let you put your hand on my belly too to compare.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Wifey has begun listening to classical music for the baby, which led me to wonder what the baby actually hears. I told her that with the baby sitting in a balloon of water in her tummy, he probably won't be able to hear much, unless she lied face down on top of a speaker. Then I read about Month 5 in my baby book, which proved me entirely wrong. (It's worse enough when wifey says I'm wrong, but it's worse when it's in writing.)

The next few paragraphs will be taken directly from The Expectant Father:

'In one study...newborns whose mothers had watched a particular soap opera while they were pregnant stopped crying when they heard the show's theme song. Babies who hadn't been exposed to the show had no reaction when they heard the music.

'Nine out of ten newborns selected a story recorded by their own mother over the same story recorded by another woman.'

As a father, 'if you whisper in one of your baby's ears and an unknown man whispers in the other, the baby, who "recognizes" you,will turn toward you 80 percent of the time.'

And the most fascinating piece, from Canadian orchestra conductor Boris Brott:

'As a young man, I was mystified by this ability I had to play certain pieces sight unseen. I'd be conducting a score for the first time and, suddenly, the cello line would jump out at me: I'd know the flow of the piece before I turned the page of the score. One day, I mentioned this to my mother, who is a professional celloist... All the scores I knew sight unseen were ones she had played when she was pregnant with me.'

So all this stuff about prenatal learning is actually true. So next time you see us, or any other pregnant person, be careful what you say - baby's listening!

It's a...

At 20 weeks old, the baby has developed full facial features, hands, fingers, fingernails... And genitalia. I was watching the sonogram at our latest appointment, looking for a hint at any sign of a girl or boy. I saw a spine, limbs, and a beating heart. The sonogram image is always moving, so it's hard to tell what you're looking at because as soon as you can imagine what a yet-to-be-born baby butt cheek would look like, you're all of a sudden looking at some other body part. Five minutes into it, the technician asks us if we were going to find out what it was, and we simultaneously say "yes." That's like asking me if I want to eat that last donut. She says calmly, as I'm sure she's said it a dozen times already that day: "You're having a boy." At that moment, it's almost like finding out you're having a baby all over again. Thoughts of fathering a baby boy rush into your head, and you again want to immediately tell everyone you know.

In other news, baby and mom are healthy so far, and he weighs 13 ounces right now. One of the books we're reading says he should be around 9 ounces right now, so he's a bit above average. (Babycenter.com emails say he's the size of a banana.) I also realized that it's the halfway point and he's under a pound; over the next 4 1/2 months, he'll be ballooning up to least five or six more pounds on average before birth. This will begin the point of an entire closet full of big belly clothes. (For wifey only, and hopefully not me.)

Girl or Boy

On Tuesday, December 4th, we'll find out if we're going to have a girl or a boy. Sometimes I'm asked, "Don't you want to be surprised?" Surprises are nice, but I know that our baby will be either a girl or a boy, so it won't be that much of a surprise (like when compared to finding out wifey was pregnant in the first place). Anyway, I think the shock of witnessing a human being eject a much smaller human being from their loins will be surprise enough for me. Then people say, "It's a good thing to find out so you'll be prepared." You'll know when you're on the receiving end though, that deciding what color one piece booty pajamas you should buy is probably not going to be a priority.

Family's thinking it'll be a boy, co-workers think it'll be a girl. (My friends just aren't giving their opinion.) I've got more girls on my side of the family, and wifey's got more boys. Any bets placed, the odds are pretty much 50/50.

And for the record, I have no preference. Diapers cost the same either way; I just have to know whether the absorbent pad goes in the front or the middle. And they'll still learn how to hold an Xbox controller (which comes in both pink and blue). Stay tuned...