Letters to Herme - Vol. 2

3/18/2010
Baby Herme,

Today is a big day. Today there are only 199 days left until, in theory, you are supposed to arrive. I have passed the 200 mark in the long wait to meeting you. Like I said though, this is all in theory. I suppose you will more than likely arrive fashionably late, just like your mama who cannot get where she needs to be on time. Ever. This morning while I was rushing to work I said to you in the car, “Herme, you need to be better about being on time to things!”. Take a page out of your dad’s book, getting places early is the way to go. Unless you’d rather show up like a tornado because you are rushing due to lack of time.

You are starting to become more and more real to me. I got to hear your heartbeat for the first time on Monday, and let me tell you little baby, I cried. Like a baby. At the doctor’s office. Awkward! Your dad had to work so he missed it, but I can’t wait for him to hear you as well. Your little heart was beating away at about 160 beats per minute, which is pretty darn fast.

I want to thank you, though it has more to do with hormones, but thank you for not making me sick. I have been feeling healthy and happy this whole time. I admit that I’m a bit more sleepy than usual – and I’ll also admit my “usual” is actually a lot more than most people’s “usual”, but I love to sleep! Most days I don’t feel pregnant at all. Now if you could work on not giving mommy stretch marks I’ll buy you a pony or something really awesome some day.

I just wanted to say that we are still so excited to meet you. We can’t wait to find out of you are a girl or a boy. I can’t wait to feel you kicking away from the inside, and your dad can’t wait until you can kick him on the outside. What a surreal experience that is going to be. Until next time, keep on growing little one. We love you!

Love,

Your Mom

11 Weeks

This week from The Bump we have a lime:

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

I need to apologize. I have been seriously slacking on my blogger duties! Not a lot has happened in the past two weeks to blog about though. I didn’t take pictures yesterday or today, but, imagine me from week whatever (when did I post pictures last??), and that’s me. I haven’t gained any weight, I still fit in my pants, and I feel wonderful.

With all of the feeling great you are probably thinking I’m just making this up, right? But I’m not, I swear. I had my second doctor’s appointment today. No ultrasound picture to share this time, but I did get great news. The nurse had me unbutton my jeans and lay back to try and find the heartbeat. She warned me that it still might be too early to hear anything. I lay there, expecting to hear nothing. She found my heartbeat right away, and then a second later found the baby’s. Baby McG’s heartbeat was around 160 bpm. I cried, and then wished that TJ didn’t have to work so he could have heard it too.

According to the old wives tales it is a girl. Supposedly a heartbeat over 140 is a girl, and less is a boy. And, the Chinese Gender Chart also says girl. I have a girl feeling deep down. My mom however would tell you she is 150% sure that I am having a boy. Hopefully we'll find out in the next few months for sure!

Until next time!

9 Weeks

I just realized that I skipped my 8 week post, and am about to skip my 9 week post also. Whoops. Annnnd, the battery in my camera is dead, so no pictures this week. I know you are all bummed that you miss out on my bloat baby! ;)

This week from The Bump we have a green olive:

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby!

So I am feeling Tony the Tiger Grrrrr-eat! Except for being tired at night, I still sack out at 7 o’clock on the couch. And the bloat. Ohhhh, the bloat! I had someone tell me last week I’m getting fat. Yes, pick your jaw up off the ground, that is what they said. Maybe not in so many words, but really, you shouldn’t tell a hormonal, pregnant, ragey woman that she needs to look into buying clothes soon. And you also shouldn’t give her the once over after you say such a rude thing. And, just so you know, rude person who I shouldn’t even care about anyway, I have LOST a pound since getting pregnant thank you very much! And you are a rude asshole. Ah, I feel so much better!

Back to the bloat! I will admit that even if the scale says I weigh less, my belly has this round little poochy thing that it didn’t have before. My mom and sister went shopping this weekend, they called me while TJ and I were out playing putt-putt golf on Sunday to say they were “Crazy Grandma/Auntie shopping.” My eyes lit up and I told TJ I was going to head over to mom’s house after golf and see what they bought. I scored! They bought me really cute maternity tops and two dresses (and some awesome baby loot, including a cute Elmo terry cloth robe with matching slippers. I almost died from the cuteness). Thanks to my friend bloat I am wearing one of my new maternity tops today, and it is sooooo comfy. My poor husband will never see me in a cute/tight/sexy top again. Hello muumuus and oversized shirts! Where have you been all my life?

We talked names a bit more this weekend. We are still trying to nail down a girl’s name in which we both agree upon. So far on our list of OK names we have: Lydia, Poppy, Allegra, Piper and Maggie. If it’s a girl we’ll probably use my middle name, Rey. We haven’t fallen in love with any of the names though, so I’m not sure we are quite “there” yet should Herme be a girl. Naming a person is super hard! Take my name for instance, I was never just “Jen/Jennifer”. Why? Because I was always Jen/Jenny/Jennifer C. My name was #1 the year I was born, and 25 –almost 26 –years later it is still in the top 100 baby names in the US. I don’t want my kid to have a totally outrageous name like Motorcycle (see previous name post and TJ’s bad sense of humor), but I also don’t want Herme to have the same name as half the other kids in his or her class. Don’t get me wrong though, I love my name and wouldn’t change it for the world, but I just don’t want to use something so popular.

I am 9 weeks and 1 day today, there are 216 days left to go (if this child should decide to arrive "on time").