Monster Update: 21

The Monster now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. It is really on the move now. Fetal researchers say babies move about 50 times an hour even while sleeping. All that movement helps stimulate the Monster's physical and mental development. Stef doesn't always notice the approximately 50 kicks, punches, and twirls during the day, but as she's settling down at night she feel the Monster dancing the night away, totally oblivious to our schedule. Plus! the Monster has fully-formed eyebrows, its taste buds have formed and it can suck its thumb.

Text adapted from Baby Center.

BREAKING NEWS: Grandparents Spoil Baby, Parents

For my 30th birthday, the Tummy Monster's paternal grandparents came up to visit us and share the love. We had a very hectic but very nice weekend, wherein much spoiling was done of both parents and the Monster, and much yummy food was consumed (restaurants visited included: the Waterman Grille, Box Seats (a.k.a. Huge Portions), the amazing Mill's Tavern (with both sets of grandparents, and many fine gifts), Blaze, and Roba!Dolce for a perfectly sweet ending to the trip).

In addition to the consumption of good eats, we were able to do lots of productive and entertaining stuff with my parents. For example, on Saturday morning we packed up the kitchen and then drove to Smithfield to showed off the new townhouse. We also stopped by the huge nearby shopping mall. While driving around the Crossing we just happened to find a maternity store which we just happened to walk into, where Stef just happened to find an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes she liked - and which my folks were more than happy enough to buy so that the Monster stays warm and stylish. We also saw Stardust, which was a very good movie. On Sunday, we went to IKEA and Jordan's furniture and saw many, many, many dining room sets. Although none of them really grabbed our fancy, we did figure out some things we were/weren't looking for. We also visited Baby Furniture Warehouse and found a crib and a dresser/hutch (more on this later), which Stef's parents had previously given us money for.

On that note, we want to take a moment and publicly thank both sets of grandparents for their generosity. Obviously, we would not be in the position we're in without all of the support (financial, emotional and otherwise) we've received from them, and which, of course, we hope to continue to receive. In this day and age you really can't buy a place and start a family on your own, and we want to make sure that my parents and Stef's parents really know how much we love and appreciate all that they have given us.

Monster Update: 20

The Monster now weighs about 10.5 ounces. It's also either around 6.5" long (from head to bottom), or about 10" (from head to heel). That makes the Monster the size of a small cantaloupe (pictured).

In grosser news, a greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats the Monster's entire body to protect its skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Also, the Monster is swallowing more, which is good practice for its digestive system. The swallowing and some cell loss produces meconium, a black, sticky substance which will accumulate in its bowels, and we'll get to see it in the first messy diaper. So that's something to look forward to.

Text adapted from Baby Center.

Doctor Visit: 04

For the second time in a row, we waited for quite a while in the doctor's waiting room before a fairly routine five-minute check-up. Apparently, Monday nights are extremely popular at the Ob/Gyn's, so we're going to try and have the next appointment on a quieter day. Hopefully, this will help to minimize or even eliminate the Monster's prenatal exposure to Oprah.

As for the Monster itself, it's doing just fine. Stef has gained 3.5 lbs, which is right in keeping with all the books and charts and what-have-yous. The Monster's heartbeat is still chugging away at a clip of about 160 BPM (and, no, that is not indicative of a gender, sorry). However, perhaps the best news of the entire visit was that Stef got express permission to eat the occasional sushi roll or deli meats - advice which is in keeping with every pregnancy book written in the past decade that I've read, but against the "conventional" wisdom and habits of some of our more cautious pregnant friends.

The Venerable Nanny

This past weekend, the Monster got to "meet" Nanny, its great grandmother from Florida, who was up in Boston for a few weeks of vacation and senior-oriented education. Nanny was "trilled and delighted" to see Stef, who at least has a little bump, even if she isn't as far along as other friends we got to visit while up in Boston (cough*Sharona*cough). And, of course, Nanny took the whole family out to dinner at Stefanie's on Newbury, because the first rule of this family is that food=love!

Monster Update: 19

The Tummy Monster weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and it measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini (pictured). Its arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of it's little body now. The Monster's kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on its scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: the Monster's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.

Text adapted from Baby Center.

Monster's First: Sporting Event

For a few months now, I've been in a Rhode Island lawyer's softball league. I'm on the Law Clerk's team, and it is a bit of an understatement to say we've lost a few games (all but one, really), but it's been a lot of fun and a nice way to be social outside of the office. Back at the beginning of the season, Stef was regularly attending our games and cheering us on. But, as you know, shortly after we found out she was pregnant Stef started feeling poorly, and so I started going to the games by myself.

Thankfully, Stef's been feeling much, much better. So good, in fact, that last night she suggested going to the game with me, and, as a result, the Monster got to "see" its daddy "play" sports for the first time. Of course, I cracked under the immense pressure, going 0-for-2 and letting two catchable balls drop in right field. The team lost, no thanks to my horrible performance, but everyone was good sports about it, so the Monster at least learned a bit about sportsmanship. Maybe next week I'll do better.

Book Report: "From The Hips"

Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris, 2007

So, after a brief hiatus from reading pregnancy-related books (not to mention dealing with an actual pregnancy), I'm back on topic with From The Hips, which I had heard was made with our generation in mind. Unfortunately, it wasn't as helpful as I'd have liked.

Sure, the book is very pretty. It certainly gets style points over all the other books I've read for its illustrations* and its use of color and interesting design elements and what-have-you. And it definitely uses more "hip" (pardon the pun) language. However, content-wise it was a bit lacking. This is mostly due to the book's two main conceits - (i) the "fair and balanced" approach to data presentation, and (ii) the use of thought bubbles conveying anecdotal information which re-enforces the author-created content on the page.

For example, there's a section of the book wherein the authors discuss whether or not pregnant women should eat sushi. They present an argument pro and an argument contra, and basically leave it up for you to decide. Fair enough, I suppose, as every pregnancy is different, and I understand the trepidation they might have regarding litigation in this day and age. But "fair and balanced" is not very helpful. Even less helpful are the (visually arresting) thought bubbles surrounding this "debate" on the page, wherein anonymous mothers present one-sentence snippets which repeat, albeit in first-person format, the pro and contra arguments already discussed by the authors. As someone who frowns on the use of one-off anecdotal evidence, I was more than a little distracted by these quotes, and they took up about half of the book!

Nevertheless, some great information did come through. Although the first third of the book (which focused on the pregnancy) really just repeated information I had read in a more condensed format earlier, the second two-thirds of the book really expanded my knowledge regarding (i) birth, and (ii) post-birth issues. Clearly, the book isn't big enough to make me an expert, and the presentation of the information is, as stated above, not the most useful. But it, I think, is good to know about the major issues women have with giving birth, and some of the physical, emotional and practical problems that come with actually, you know, having a baby. Overall, not a book I would recommend unless I knew a pregnant person with ADD who needed all the graphic doodads to keep them interested.

Monster Update: 18

Head to bottom, the Monster is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato (pictured)), and it weighs almost 7 ounces. The Monster is busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that Stef will hopefully start noticing. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around the Monster's nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth. Oh, and genitalia (male or female) has been pretty much fully formed. We won't find out which kind until August 20th, though, so hurry up and vote in our poll.

Text adapted from Baby Center.