Week 38 Day 5

Happy New Years everybody!  The henna faded a little more than I'd hoped.  But it still looks pretty cool.

As you can see in the photo, the child has contours.  The little one is still quite active and continues to make our  lives more interesting.  2012 is going to be a great, sleepless year.  Cheers!

Week 35 Day 7

   My wife sent me this video that she took with her smart phone.

   Now THIS is pretty freaky.  We have about a month to go (plus or minus) and the kid seems ready to be free.  I remember hearing that towards the end of the third trimester the baby will actually move less because it is running out of room.  It would be awesome if that were true but I think it might have been a lie to make us feel better.

   I thought this would have been an appropriate place for a link to the alien chest burster scene in the first Alien movie, but after watching it I quickly realized this would be a mistake.  Instead, here is a link to the Spaceballs version.  Which considering how much reaction we’re getting from musical events we attend seems even more appropriate.

Week 35 Day 3

   The kid is moving all over the place.  It’s absolutely crazy to see the movement just on the other side of my wife’s belly.  I hate to make this analogy but it’s like something out of a sci-fi horror flick. (She will call me an ass for saying this)

  But as I exclaim in this video, it is truly awesome.  Let’s define awesome:  Causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.  Let's see... Awe? Yes.  Terror?  Definitely.  Wonder and excitement?  Yes and yes.  Yep, this whole ride is pretty much awesome on all levels.
   The kid is already pushing my buttons, though.  It will move CONSTANTLY and then when I get the video camera out it totally stops moving.  It's like it KNOWS and is already being willfully disobedient.  I'm sure I probably deserve it for all the things I did to my parents growing up.  But seriously... my future will be filled with "smile for daddy!"  And the first sentence my kid pieces together will probably be, "Stop being such an ass, daddy!"

Week 32 Day 5

Here's a visual update of what's going on with the kid.  If you can keep your eyes from crossing due to the Beetlejuice striped nighty, you'll see a lot of baby movement towards the top of the screen.  The baby is head down and has been pretty much for the last couple of months at least.  So what you're seeing is the baby's feet doing a tap dance.

Week 28 Day 2

   I went to bed the other night after my wife as I sometimes do.  This was one of the few instances I was able to crawl into bed without waking her.  I rested my hand on her belly and felt the little one moving.  I thought for sure she’d be awake with the baby moving so much.  So I started prodding a little bit.  I was able to actually push in a half of an inch or so and get a reaction from our child-to-be.  At this point I thought my wife was surely awake and just humoring me.  But then I realized that she hadn’t stirred, moaned or made any indication of wakefulness.

   So there it is.  I totally played with the baby and didn’t even wake up my wife in the process.  ‘Course, if I HAD woken her, I can imagine the verbal berating I might have received.  So maybe I’m an ass for playing with the baby in her sleep.  Fine.  I’m an ass.

Week 27 Day 1

   Dense.  I can’t get over how dense everything feels in there.  It’s real easy to tell where the baby is because there is a lot more resistance to poking depending on where it’s located in the belly.  Not only that, but we were also lying in bed and one side of my wife’s stomach was visibly higher than the other.

   A little later it had moved to just below the belly button.  I was actually able to push in on it to evenly disperse the baby throughout the womb so there was equal resistance all over her stomach.  And judging by her reaction, I assume that this is a more desirable location for the baby.

   Not only is this really cool, but the baby fights back.  Our child is going to be “strong like bull”. (insert thick Russian accent)

   According to the pregnancy assist app on my phone, it is almost 2 ½ lbs and between 13 ½ to 15 inches long.  (That’s head to toe)  But if you ask my wife, it’s much much heavier.

Week 24 Day 2

   One of the things we decided that we HAD to have before baby’s arrival is a video camera.  Thank goodness for Woot!  There was a pretty sweet deal on this JVC Enverio for a little over 100 bucks.  A great deal for the financially challenged or those about to have babies.  Doesn’t have many frills, but it takes good video.

   Here’s a sample of the baby moving!  

    The baby is actually pretty active during the whole video here.  But look just above the belly button at around 13 seconds for a really good one.

   Pardon the sounds of a dog licking in the background.  Dog's can be total asses sometimes.

Week 22 Day 5

   Pregnancy game #4:  Wake the baby!

And I will fully admit that this totally makes me an ass.  But this is really fun for the non-pregnant partner. (me)

   This game is played pretty much the way it sounds.  Jostle, poke, prod, talk to, tickle or do whatever it takes to wake up the baby and make it move!  Then you get to giggle whenever you feel the baby elbow, punch, kick or stretch against your hand.  It’s pretty awesome.

   This is assuming, of course, your pregnant partner will allow you to do this and hasn’t smacked you upside the head before the baby gets woken up.

    While waking the baby can be highly irritating to your wife, studies have shown (if it wasn’t already obvious) that interaction with the baby pre-birth can be beneficial.  So I may be an ass, but I’m thinking of the baby, right?