Head to heels, the Tummy Monster now measures about 13.5 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for a more rounded one. As the Monster gains weight, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more like a mini newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now in color and texture, although both will likely change after he's born.
Text adapted from Baby Center.
Hunter James Sicard, a.k.a. "Ribs", born September 12, 2007, at 9:47 PM; weighing in at 7 lbs, 3 oz and measuring 20 inches. The Monster has a cousin, and our family is now plus one. Happy (Jewish) New Year, indeed.
So... it has been a little while since the last Tummy Monster post, I realize. The delay may have to do with the fact that in the span of two weeks we closed on a townhouse, we moved half of our stuff from Providence to Smithfield, we moved the other half of our stuff from Mystic to Smithfield, we probably bought another half of stuff and had to put it together/install it ourselves*, I finished one job on a Friday and started the new one the next Monday, we held a Fantasy Football draft party/BBQ and Stef helped prepare for a friend's baby shower. Or it may be because I'm lazy. Who knows?
Anyway, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait a bit more for updates and whatnot, because we're still kinda' busy and reeling from the move. Updates will be sporadic for a time. Until then, there's a new poll of middle names to vote on. Hooray!
*Everything but the gas dryer, of course. That we had to hire a plumber to install for us.
The Tummy Monster is steadily growing, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week. Since he's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but his body's filling out proportionally. The Monster's brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds may be working now. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. The Monster can hear more now, and Stef may even start to notice him startle at loud, sudden noises. But he's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as me barking at the TV during a football game, or the purr of Jackie resting on Stef's belly.
Text adapted from Baby Center.
The Tummy Monster is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. He may be able to feel Stef's movements now. He looks red now due to blood vessels showing through his transparent skin, but his true skin tone will develop over the course of his first year. Blood vessels in the Monster's lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months. The lungs are the last organ to fully develop.
Text adapted from Baby Center.
The Tummy Monster now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at almost 11 inches and almost 1 pound. The Monster's skin will continue to appear wrinkled until he gains enough weight to fill it out. The Monster's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. The Monster's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath his gum line. However, he won't have his first snaggle-tooth until he's around 4 to 7 months old, unless he's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth.
Alexander
Sex: boy
Language(s): Latin (Greek)
Meaning: defender of mankind
History: The name was probably coined originally as a title of the goddess Hera, consort of Zeus. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) conquered and ruled the greater part of the known world before his death at the age of 33. History describes him as a man of high physical courage, impulsive energy, and fervid imagination. It was a royal name in Scotland.
Variant Forms: Al, Alasdair, Alastair, Alaster, Alaxander, Alcander, Alcinder, Alcindor, Alec, Aleco, Alejandro, Alejo, Alek, Aleko, Aleksandar, Aleksander, Aleksandr, Aleksanteri, Alesandro, Alessandre, Alessandri, Alessandro, Alex, Alexan, Alexandre, Alexandro, Alexandros, Alexei, Alexi, Alexio, Alexis, Alic, Alicio, Alick, Alik, Alisander, Alissander, Alissandre, Alistair, Alister, Alistir, Alix, Alixandre, Allie, Allistair, Allister, Allistir, Alsandare, Alyksandr, Iskander, Iskender, Lex, Lexo, Sacha, Sander, Sandero, Sandor, Sandro, Sandros, Sandie, Sandy, Sascha, Sasha, Saunder, Saunders, Sikander, Xander, Zander, Zandro and Zandros.
Popularity: 2006 (12), 2005 (12), 2004 (15), 2003 (16), 2002 (15), 2001 (20), 2000 (20), . . . , 1990 (28), 1980 (92), 1970 (137), 1960 (231) (Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth. Name data are from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.)
In case you didn't know, it can be a bit intimidating naming an unborn child. For instance, if you name your kid "Orangejello" or "Female"* the teenage years are going to be a problem, and odds are that you will be paying a lot for bail or therapy (or, likely, both). Thankfully, Stef and I have had a wonderful boy's name picked out for a few years now: "Alexander," which friends naming their own children have avoided on the chance that we have a boy. Thanks people!!! Naming the Monster "Alexander" is more than just nod to our favorite male TV character from the bestest TV show ever, it is a traditional way to honor both of our maternal grandfathers, Albert and Anthony.
Nevertheless, we remain in a quandry as to the Monster's middle name. See, the middle name doesn't really get used in today's society unless you're filling out a government form or getting yelled at, but you still want it to be cool. If for some reason the Monster doesn't like "Alexander" or any of its derivatives one would hope he chooses to be known by his given middle name. Which leads us naturally to this blog's second round of polls.
Because democracy is awesome, and so are sports-type brackets, we're going to have a fast a furious couple of week-long polls wherein you get to help name our child. This is not to say that we will actually choose the name you pick by popular vote. Just look at how badly you performed at the last poll; we can't trust your input at all! However, your votes will be a jumping off point for our internal discussions, and therefore your votes may very well sway us to pick a name in the end. So go ahead and vote early and often for your favorite middle name. For those of you who use RSS readers, I'll remind you each week when a new poll goes up.
* Actual names of people with horrible, horrible parents.
This morning, Stefanie and I visited Rhode Island Hospital's Women & Infants Prenatal Diagnostics Center ("conveniently" located as far from the spot we parked and through as much construction as possible for a building in the same complex), so that we could get a good look at the Monster. I mean, it's one thing to read about how big the Monster should hypothetically be, and another thing entirely to, you know, see it for yourselves. After a long walk and some quick "genetic counseling" (which basically consists of a young MD collecting a somewhat lackadaisical family medical history) Stefanie's belly was slimed, and pictures of the Monster were taken by Ultrasound (Level II, in case you're curious). What you see above is a still from our apparently hyper-active fetus. The technician called the Monster a "smart alec", because he kept moving away from the camera, dancing the placenta cha-cha and sucking his thumbs the whole time.
Yeah, that's right. He. His. The Monster has boy parts. And while news of the Monster's gender doesn't make us happy or unhappy in and of itself, it does, as Stef said, "make the whole pregnancy-thing more concrete in our heads."
In related news, 67% of you got our first poll totally wrong. You're terrible at this. See if you can do better with the next poll. See next post for further details.
News that did make us happy when we got it this morning was that the Monster was, as far as the technician and the OB doing an echo-cardiagram could tell, perfectly healthy and within all tolerances for size and shape. It also looks like the due date is what we thought it was. And that's all the news for now.
