New Contest--The Outie

Please vote on what the earliest date you think that Kelly's belly button will pop out. I can only say it's close.

Wombat Wins Worst Name Contest

The public has spoken--Wombat is the worst name for our little boy. Now we know.

Pregnant Yoga for Dudes

I have to admit--I went to pregnant yoga. In fact, I have been twice. The second time, however, was a big let down compared to the first time.

The first time there were other dudes there. We were like a pack and we suffered together; we made jokes and faltered in all the stretches. When it came to putting ourselves in a compromising poses that made us look weak, together we hemmed and hawed until the instructor gave up trying to make us do it. So I said, not so bad; I can get the valued supportive-husband through pregnancy points and not give up my manhood. I assented to the next pregnant yoga class with less reservation.

The second time my brothers in stretch did not show. Maybe there was a memo or a message sent subliminally during a recent Spurs game, but I didn't get it. Instead, I showed up.

All the yogic energies aligned against me. First, the instructor sharpened her "guys really don't like coming to this" schtick. Usually it kind of gives guys an outlet. For example, the class get long in the "ohm" or the poses have us one leg up and in tandem warrior poses like a snap shot of a synchronized swimming event. I can look to another guy and we can round the wagons and grunt. The instructor can pass off the moment by smiling and letting us know its all for our partners. This time i was the only one; so no brother to look over to, only me grunting to myself and really making me feel like a reluctant tool.

Second, Kelly, the pregnant one, really showed me up. Given, she had been coming regularly to the non-partner yoga classes. But on several occasions she asked me if that was as far as I would go. I felt like I was bending over a fence and could only go so far.

The good thing about being the only couple is that it ended early. I hope I get the next memo.

Kelly Belly

We just had a great session of belly bumps. Our child was kicking and jumping. We are afraid he is a night owl. Please don't forget to vote in the poll.

Sciency Stuff

Level of oxytocin in pregnant women predicts mother-child bond from PhysOrg.com

Humans are hard-wired to form enduring bonds with others. One of the primary bonds across the mammalian species is the mother-infant bond. Evolutionarily speaking, it is in a mother’s best interest to foster the well-being of her child; however, some mothers just seem a bit more maternal than others do. Now, new research points to a hormone that predicts the level of bonding between mother and child.

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A music interlude

A fix to his ignition.

A doll held

We held a doll today the same size as our baby. We were at our recent doctor visit. The plastic baby was bald and wrinkly and had a little butt. We each held like our own and thought how the real one moved and growed within Kelly. Nice Thursday morning to hope for our child.

Second Hints of Movement

No, for real. This evening finds us hands to belly and joining the dance party going on in the womb. I have been for the last few minutes, until I ran to the computer to blog this, laying my hands and feeling our baby bump and knock. I said to him via inter-abdominal channels, "hey what's up. What are you doing in there?" I felt a tap; perhaps he has something to say.

Nursery Sketch

Hey, thanks to Amirra for this artist's rendering of what our nursery may look like. If only I had talent to put this up on the wall.

The Crib

Yo, we picked a crib! Whoa, it was tough work.

{Before we begin let me clarify the above. "We" means Kelly and "it" means the hours that Kelly spent on the internet and elsewhere searching for a crib. "tough work" means the far fewer amount of hours (though still hours) that I spent considering and appreciating all of the "we" and "it" of picking a crib. There.}

For the uneducated, crib manufacturers don't care about your baby, last year. That means that any crib made last year is inherently defective. Bad news for last year's children. It turns out that the cribs made and sold just last year have been recalled. I am at a loss for thoughts besides perplexity, if that's really thought. How is it that the crib cannot be made safe once and for all? Think of all of last year's kids (LYKs).

What this all means to me is that picking a crib is not just a matter of price, color, or shape (usually square-ish). Picking a crib means cross-checking it for safety. I really don't think the shape of babies has changed in a few thousand years, why can't every crib be safe without the hassle.

Check you later, homies.

Baby's Startle

Kelly and I have a debate. The baby book, or at least one of them that we now own, please if you are planning to have your own child, let me know, I think I can sneak one out when kelly's sleeping. Just kidding :) The baby book says that now that our child's three ear bones--the horn, the shoe and the anvil, I think, are now formed. Formed enough that the baby can sense sound, though perhaps not hear sounds distinctly. Not only that, but the baby doesn't even know what the different sounds are, to the extent that the baby ONLY responds to loud external sounds. The book says the baby reacts, as in a reflex, to a loud sound. How wonderful, beautiful that God built in this reflex because I am sure it helps to develop the brain.

OK that last part I made up or rather inferred, I really don't know that these startling reflexes build up the brain. But I think that they are not bad for the child. Kelly, on the other hand, thinks that startling the child is not good.

She thinks that making a loud sound "scares" the child. And she thinks that should I do this, which I want to, I will later regret it and feel sorry. I think that it is my one way to interact and reach my child while he is still in the womb. As we know from the book, it doesn't recognize or react to anything but a loud external sounds. (The exceptions to this are internal sounds Kelly's voice, Kelly's stomach, Kelly's breathing.)

Now, for my own purposes, I have spoken to my child via inter-abdominal channels. I have poked and prodded Kelly's belly in attempts to reach my child. But according to the book, the loud sounds are my only shot at communication. I'll keep reading though.

In our debate, I think I'm right. I can only hope that others in the blog-isphere, agree.