Mover and Shaker

Hi Elliott!!

Your dad and I are getting more and more excited to meet you! You increase our excitement with all of those crazy movements you are making in there. We no longer have to push our hands on my belly to feel you move -- we don't even have to gently place our hands on my belly to feel you move -- we can just WATCH you move!! You are making my belly move in all kinds of strange, distorted shapes. It is really fun to see and feel, although, sometimes it is a bit uncomfortable! I think you are getting a little claustrophobic in there -- I'm sure your room is running out. Today I am 8 months pregnant, which means you are 8 months old, or 31 weeks old. You have been growing and growing from the tiniest 7 or 8 celled embryo to a 3 lb or more baby! And, from what I have ready you could be as long as 18 inches by now! That is so hard to believe. We look forward to seeing you in about 63 days (9 weeks)!

Love you,

Mom

PS -- One of these days I will get your dad to write you a letter. But, you must understand, dads don't always realize the reality of their little unborn babies until they are born. I think he still has a hard time imagining that you are going to be here so soon!

Under Pressure

A couple of weeks ago I had my 28 week doctor's appointment. This was probably the last "important" appointment until you are born. They gave me my results from my glucose screening, and revealed that I do not have gestational diabetes. My iron levels are great (probably because of all of those cheeseburgers you have had me craving!). I got my Rhogam shot -- "like fire in your butt" the nurse described the pain. You (my belly) were measuring right on target! However, my blood pressure was crazy high! 150/80!! I freaked out when I heard that number, thinking that surely I had preeclampsia. I was so mad at myself, thinking I had caused this problem from all of the not-so-good for me food I had been eating. I didn't want you to be at risk due to my bad eating habits. They took my blood pressure twice more before I left the office: 140/80 and 144/80. My doctor decided to have me do a 24-hour urine collection to rule out protein in my urine (a sign of preeclampsia). Everything came back fine. I now have a home blood pressure monitor, and things have been fine ever since. I must have been nervous that day for my glucose results and my "fire in the butt" shot. You will learn soon enough that your mother is the biggest worry wart of them all.

Chillin' at your crib

Today your dad and I worked on your room. It is really taking shape! Thanks to your Great Uncle Mike, the nursery is almost complete as far as furniture goes! We hung the new blinds over your windows, and added some window valances. Your Grams hooked you up with an awesome collection of children's books, that we have been reading to you almost every night. We hung the star and moon sculptures that I have had in my possession probably since I was 13 years old. I finally found a place for them! We bought you another new outfit at Old Navy today. I think you have a total of 6 outfits now! Almost one for each day of the week! Your Aunt J'aime is working on electronic invitations to send out for your baby shower, which will be held at Tower Grove Park on April 30th. Your dad made you an amazing print at his Firecracker Press printmaking class! I can't wait for you to make art with your dad! You two are going to have so much fun together! I hope that you can help him find his child-like creativity. The kind of creativity where one doesn't care what others think about their art, where the process itself is the pleasure. And as for you and me, my little guy, I hope you enjoy baking, because I plan to have you whipping up egg whites and bruleeing sugar as soon as you are able! As I type, you are doing flips and kicking around in my belly. You are also giving me crazy amounts of heartburn! I forgive you, you are worth all of the discomfort! Until next time, Elliott . . . we can't wait to meet you!

Love,

Mom

Dear Elliott

Dear Elliott,

You were so cute at your anatomy scan ultrasound. At that time (December 30, 2010), I was 18 weeks 1 day pregnant with you, and you measured exactly that! You weighed about 8 oz, or half a pound! You had quite a crowd of people that came to see your debut: both of your grandmas, grumps (grandpa Jackson had to work), your Aunt J'aime, your cousins August and Josie (they were only 8 months old), and, of course, your dad! We all gathered around to see you on the screen and find out more about you. The sonographer said you had a "nice heart," she really seemed to think it was an excellent heart, and I know it is -- structurally and metaphorically. We saw your 10 fingers and 10 toes. You had the beginnings of your, sure to be, intelligent brain. You had a beautiful profile. At one point the sonographer flipped on the 3D and we all saw you snuggled against my insides, sucking your thumb -- so sweet! Then, it came time for what we had all been waiting for -- revealing whether you were a girl or a boy. Well, you were stubborn, just like your mother, and didn't want to uncross your legs. The sonographer jiggled my belly several times with the ultrasound wand, and we all watched you jiggle inside. I was so nervous that you wouldn't uncross your legs, and that we wouldn't find out more about who you were. But, finally, you cooperated -- the sonographer outlined an object and stated, "it's a boy!" "I knew it!" I said. I thought from about 10 weeks pregnant that you were a boy! Your grandma Jackson cried, of course, because "that's what she does." Gram was very excited, she was hoping you were a boy. J'aime exclaimed that she had thought you were a boy too. I think your dad and grumps were in shock. Grumps was afraid you wouldn't love him unless you were a girl. I told him he was ridiculous! Your dad and I went out that night to celebrate -- we had one of our favorites, Pho Grand, for dinner. Then, we went to Babies R Us to buy you your first clothing item since knowing you were an Elliott! After that, we went to see a movie that you can't watch until you are older, called Black Swan. It was a great day! We were and are so excited to have you!!

We already love you,

Mom