Your Room Awaits

Hi baby-to-be,
When we moved into our new house, your big brother Sammy was still sleeping in the crib.  So we set him up in the nursery, and figured that he would start sleeping in a Big Kid bed.  So we waited...and waited...and waited.  The problem was that we knew you were on your way, and would probably like having the crib for yourself.  We tried offering Sammy treats, having a special blanket he could only use in the bed-anything we could think of, but he wouldn't budge.

I was starting to get afraid that we would need another crib, and finally told Sammy that since he was three years old, he had grown too big and would not fit in the crib any more (I stole this idea from Little Bear's Little Boat).  He got really quiet for a while, and hasn't slept in the crib since.  So, you officially have your own crib to sleep in.  I hope you appreciate the effort, and spend lots and lots of time sleeping peacefully in there.

Baby Bump

Hi baby,
The other night I heard your mommy laughing to herself on the couch in the living room.  I thought she was probably reading something funny or looking at the computer.  But when I went in she was staring at her tummy, where you are currently growing.  Apparently you were kicking up a fuss in there, and she was laughing every time she saw the bump from your hands or feet or who knows what else bulge out a little.  So good job, keep working your jab and cross in there and we'll have you on pay-per-view in no time!

Another Look

Hi future baby,
People keep asking whether we are finding out if you are a boy or a girl.  We'll, we are not, but that doesn't stop us from taking a peek at what you look like anyway.  Here are some more of your first snapshots!  Note that when your manual dexterity and computer skills have developed more, you can click on each one to see the full-size image.

This is probably the coolest one.  It shows the profile of your face, as well as your little knuckles and fist.

The sonogram lady labeled this one 'Face.'  I think she's crazy- I don't see a face in there, so you?

I think this is another profile/silhouette shot.  It also looks like you have a desk lamp in there with you.  Perhaps you will like reading!

Here's another skull and fist image.  I think you can even see the soft spot on top of your head, too!

And one more profile and fist for good measure.  Congratulations, baby, you're looking more and more human all the time!

Heartbeats

Hey baby person,

Yesterday the whole family took a trip to the Mama Doctor.  It was a pretty quick visit, but we got to hear your heartbeat.  That took a minute, as you were apparently riding low in the morning.  Maybe you are like your Daddy: not a morning person.  Your big brother liked hearing you in there, but liked a Winnie the Pooh book in the waiting room even better.  When asked last night what he remembered about the visit, Sammy recalled how "the doctor put the jelly on the stick."  Translation: the technician applied gel to the fetal heartbeat monitor.  Never know what will make an impression!

Kicking

Hey future baby,
I've been feeling lately that it's been easy to overlook the fact that you're around.  When Jess was pregnant with your brother it was constantly in the back of my mind, probably due to the newness and strangeness of the whole process.  While you are starting to poke out a little more, Jess still hasn't gotten really big yet, and so it's easy for me to space out on the fact that you are there.  They say that siblings have to compete for the scarcest resource- their parents' finite attention.  Which is perhaps why last night around Sam's bedtime you decided to start treating your temporary home like an indoor soccer arena.  We all had a nice time feeling the soft thumps you were making in there, and it was a good reminder that you are with us, though we can't see or hold you yet.  I'm sure that while we will never forget about you, once you are born there will be times when you need to remind us to pay attention a little more.  Let's hope you won't have to kick anyone.

Playing Catch-Up

Hey new baby,
There is an article in Time magazine this week that examined favoritism among siblings.  The basic premise of the article was that even though parents pretend not to have a favorite child, they almost always do.  One survey found that 65% of mothers and 70% of fathers showed a preference for one child.

The bad news for you, future younger child, is that the favorite was usually the older child.  So, before you are even born you're starting out with a natural disadvantage.  But, don't be intimidated!  Think of this as your challenge: to be the best super-baby you can be!  Sleep all night after two weeks!  Potty train when you are one!  Land a lucrative endorsement deal with a cloth diaper company!  It's a uphill battle to be the favorite, but you can do it!

By the way, the studies also say that parents should never ever reveal which child is their favorite.  Even if you don't succeed in the things I listed above, we'll never let on.

Ready For Your Close-Up

Hi Baby Huntling,
OK, it has taken me exactly one month to scan and post your first-ever pictures.  They are pretty great though!  Once you develop hand-eye coordination and computer skills, you can click on each one to see the bigger version.  Off we go!

1.  Here is your huge dome, a hand and a foot too!

2.  A butt!  Some legs too, but whatever.

3.  Another foot shot.

4.  This one is cool, it looks like you are holding your hands together.

5.  A leg, supposedly.

6.  I think the ultrasound tech was just making this one up.

7.  Whoa!  Whoa!!! You can see your spine!  Your face too, kinda, but look at those vertebrae!

So that's it so far.  Head, arms, hands, at least one leg, a spine, a face, and a butt. You are pretty photogenic so far!  See you in five months!

Leapling

Hi baby,

Even though all good advice tells us to ignore due dates, we couldn't help but notice that your due date is really close to February 29th. 2012 is a Leap Year, so your birthday could come around only once every four years. This seems like a great deal for parents but a terrible deal for a kid. According to Wikipedia, someone born on February 29 is sometimes called a Leapling...perhaps we have finally found your name! Leapling Hunt!

One More Time...

When we found out we had a baby on the way in 2008, we kept a mostly-weekly blog of pictures and thoughts, for friends and family to follow along. It was an exciting time, since Sam was our first child and we had been married less than a year.

It was also a time to learn a lot of new things and make a lot of decisions: cloth or disposable diapers? New crib or hand-me-down? Doctor or midwife at delivery? What kind of car seat? Drugs or no drugs? Water birth, home birth, birthing ball, birthing stool? Circumcision? Vaccines? What would a baby mean for our relationship, our work, our lifestyle?

Now three years later, the result is a precocious, talkative, curious little boy. His two-year birthday seemed to be a milestone- after that everything seemed to progressively get a little easier. He slept through the night (mostly), fed himself sometimes, walked without support, used fewer cloth diapers, let other people take care of him, and became less of a helpless infant and more of an autonomous toddler. Now at three, Sam has started nursery school, can almost dress himself, and swims on his own (with a float, natch).

So of course, we had to go and throw all that progress out the window and start from scratch with you, tiny new baby.

We always wanted Sam to have a brother or sister to share his childhood with, even if he may not really want this for himself. Both of your parents hold their relationships with their siblings as some of the most important in our lives, and wanted Sammy to have that experience too. In the winter of 2008, during a snowstorm, we cross-country skied through the streets to buy a pregnancy test, In 2011, we walked through the cemetery across the street (a little morbid, but really lovely), to get a test. And with the little plus sign appearing on the stick, we are off for another 40 weeks.

The feeling this time is different- we have a nursery in our own house, bins and bins of (boy) clothing ready to go, and the knowledge that we've done this before. But the biggest difference is probably the little guy running in circles right now tooting like a train. How will he handle a new member of his family? How will we juggle two kids at the same time? Are we crazy to potentially forsake the small amount of grown-up lifestyle that we have slowly reclaimed? Some people say that adding another child doesn't double the amount of work; it increases it exponentially. Terrifying!

But, the genie is out of the bottle now, or in your case little baby, the genie is in the womb. As we set off down this path again it feels less intimidating and more familiar, but no less exciting. We hope that some day you will be able to read over these entries and feel what life was like for you at the very beginning of your life. But mostly, we can't wait to meet you, and there is a world of people out here who feel the same way. See you in about 24 weeks!