40 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you've been in the belly for 40 weeks - which means that today is your due date!  It's now almost 10pm, so unless you're taking the Express Train out, it seems Patrick Swayze was wrong.  That's OK.

Since your mom is a doula, she knows a lot about birth, including the fact that first pregnancies usually go a few days late.  The good news is, we know that you're probably going to be late, we're patient, your mom feels great, and we still love you.

You're probably the size of a small pumpkin now and have a good amount of hair.  Still, all the physical attributes I've written about so far have been straight up guesses.  We have no idea who you look like and won't know until you join us.

We love you and can't wait to meet you... whenever that is.


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

39 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you've been in the belly for 39 weeks!

We're getting so close to meeting you and the excitement is almost unbearable.  The apartment is clean, your crib, co-sleeper, clothes, and diapers are all ready to go.  We're just waiting on you.  

You're probably about the size of a small watermelon and running out of space.  You're fully mature and just packing on some baby fat.

We can't wait to see what you look like.  Come out to play; the party is on the outside!


Eternally yours,

Tu papa

37 weeks in the belly!

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you have been in the belly for 37 weeks.  Which means that you are considered "full-term"!  You can be born now and not be considered a preemie.

You weigh about 6 1/3 lbs and are about as long as a stalk of swiss chard. 

We have no idea what you look like and we're anxious to meet you!  Your mom and I are also looking forward to knowing if you are a boy or a girl and giving you a name.  We have a short list of names picked out and when you are born, we'll look at you and talk to you and together the three of us will decide what you'll  be named. 

So, you can technically be born anywhere from five hours to five weeks from now.  Take as much time as you need.  We're ready for you!


Love you always,

Tu papa

Week 27 in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you have been cooking for 27 weeks in your momma's belly.  This is the last week of the second trimester.

You are now about 2lbs heavy and about 14 inches long.  You are probably sucking on your thumb and fingers and kicking a lot too.

One thing we learned today is that you're probably opening and closing your eyes, responding to light through the belly, and actually sleeping and waking up at regular intervals.

Your mom has definitely been feeling your active times and noticing your less active times.  We're so glad you're probably developing better sleep habits than your dad. 


We love you, even when you're kicking mom,

Your papa

nesting

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I write this one in case you ever have to live in the same house as your mom while she's pregnant.  There's something in the world of pregnancy that people call "nesting." 

In simple terms, nesting is when the momma sparrow decides she needs to get her space ready for her eggs and future chicks and starts to throw a bunch of stuff out.  The momma sparrow will also tell the daddy sparrow to move stuff, clean stuff, paint stuff, and throw stuff out.  And, if the daddy sparrow even hesitates for a brief moment, the mommy sparrow will eat him. 

So tonight I came home, took the futon apart, and hauled it out of the apartment - 'cause your momma said so.  We got rid of one more thing that was taking up space in your future room and with just three months to spare.  Phew! 

If you ever find yourself living the in same home as your pregnant mother, do what she says.  Always.

Nesting is a very real condition and should be taken seriously.


And, we do it all for you.

Love you always,

Your papa
 

OMG OMG OMG

Dear Chickent Nugget,

Not sure if the letters OMG will mean anything to you - they're kind of a recent development in the history of human language.  It's basically a shorthand way of writing "Oh my God!"

Last night I had an OMG moment.  After your mom read a book to you, I leaned over and put my hand on her belly.  From inside her belly I felt a little thump.  I asked your mom if that was her or you, and she said that it was you.

So, for the first time ever, I felt you move!!!!!!   OMG!

We've made contact baby.  It's almost as if you read my last letter.  Just so you know this is now my favorite thing to do. 

I'll check on you again before I leave for work this morning.


Te quiero,

Your papa

23 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you've been in the belly for 23 weeks.  You are now about 11 inches long and weigh over a pound.  This puts you at about the size of a mango.

Your sense of movement is now well-developed so you can feel your mom moving and dancing.  So, I'll be dancing with your mom a lot over the next few weeks.  Your ears are picking up loud noises from the outside world now.  So maybe if I scream, you can hear me.  I'm sure you'll mom will love me screaming around the apartment.

Your mom has been feeling you kick more and she's been reading books to you every night.  Last week she even got a seat on the subway because people are starting to notice that she is pregnant.   

I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to feel you through the belly.  Keep kicking baby!


Eternally yours,

Your papa

21 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you have been in the belly for 21 weeks.  Hooray!  We're halfway there.

You weigh about three-quarters of a pound and are about 10.5 inches long - which means you're about the size of carrot.  You've been growing eyebrows and eyelids and have been very active.  In fact, your mom has been feeling you flutter around a lot in the last week.  I'm so excited to be able to feel you move too.  Soon!

At this point we think you can hear your mom's voice so she's been talking to you a lot.  Every night before bead she reads from a book called My First Book of Prayers so that you get into a bedtime routine while you're in the belly.  We're hoping that these prayers have a familiar rhythm to you so that when you're born you'll be soothed by them.

My favorite so far is this one:

I see the moon,
The moon sees me;
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.
Amen. 

We love you.

Eternally yours,

Your papa

Team Mom

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I just finished reading an article about long-distance runner, Meb Keflezighi, and his preparation for last year's NYC Marathon (which he won) and this year's Boston Marathon.  It made me jealous of all the wonderful treatment professional athletes seem to get.

Keflezighi had a stress fracture, followed by some severe muscle fiber-something-or-other, and was nursed back to health by a team of professionals that looked after him almost 24/7 for several months.  Today I felt knee pain.  I put my feet up on the couch.  That's all I get.

Anyway, as I was reading about Team Meb and their singular focus to get him back to the starting line healthy, I realized that I am basically the captain of Team Mom.

Your mom is carrying the most precious thing in the world to us - you!  And my job is to make sure that she is healthy and happy.  I am the gatekeeper.  I am the bodyguard.  I am the personal assistant, the head chef, the massage therapist, the personal researcher, the provider of water and lotion. 

My job is to get your mom to the starting line so that she can get you to yours.

So, although I would still love to be a professional athlete some day (ha!) and be pampered and looked after by a team of experts, I can't help but love the role that I'm in right now.  I am Team Mom.

Looking forward to meeting you at the starting line.


Eternally yours,

Your papa


PS - Since you'll be reading this in the future, I predict that Meb Keflezighi wins the Boston Marathon in 2010. 

20 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Last night your mom and I went to the doctor to get an ultrasound.  We saw you!

You've grown so much since we last saw you in an ultrasound.  Last time we saw you, you looked like a chicken nugget.  Now, you look like a little person. 

We saw your hands, arms, and legs.  We saw your spinal cord and ribs.  We saw your head, face, belly, and beating heart.  I held your mom's hand and stared in awe at the monitor as we watched you moving around in the uterus.  You we very active!

In fact, I'm pretty sure you threw a jab or two - so I'm thinking you're going to be a mixed martial artist.  Your arms were bent up so that your hands were right up by your face which is a pretty good guard.  Keep your hands up and protect your face, nugget!

Your mom has gained about ten pounds and you are about 10.5 ounces now.  You measure about ten inches from head to heel, or about the size of a banana.  Your mom has been feeling you move around more often now.

You're doing great.  Punch away, little nugget!  It's the only time you'll be able to get away with punching mom.


Eternally yours,

Your papa

boy/girl heartbeat

Dear Chicken Nugget,

This afternoon I came home to find Amanda, a friend from Chicago, and Miriam, the midwife, visiting your mom. 

Amanda is here for a wedding this weekend and happened to arrive at our apartment around the same time as the midwife.

Miriam, our midwife, is the lady who will help you come into this world if all goes as planned.  She's an incredibly smart lady, no nonsense, very sweet, with a very comfortable intensity.  We picked her as our midwife because we trust that she'll work hard to make sure that when you come, all will be good and healthy for you and your mom.

I got lucky and arrived halfway through the appointment and was able to hear your heartbeat for the second time ever.  Your heart rate was about 141bpm, which is where my heart rate goes when I run sometimes, but for a baby in the womb, it's perfect.

There are rumors that you can tell if it's going to be a boy or a girl based on how fast the heart rate is.  Yours was kind of in the middle, so you're not giving us any hints.   And that's OK, nugget.

We will love you no matter how fast your heart beats.

Eternally yours,

Your papa

18 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Something happened this weekend that is wonderful . . . your mommy felt you in her belly.  For months now we've known you were there but she had not been able to feel you.  Then, on Saturday, during a workshop, your mom felt butterfly flutters in her belly.  That was you!

At week 18, you are about 5 1/2 inches long and weigh about 7 ounces - which means you're about the size of a bell pepper.  Your mom's belly is starting to show and she's gained more than six pounds. 

I'm excited by the fact that she's feeling you now.  One day I'll be able to feel you in her belly.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you about Nebraska - that's where your mom's originally from and where we are right now.

Keep moving and growing baby.  Let your mom know you're there.  She loves feeling you.


Eternally yours,

Your papa

17 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you have been in mom's belly for 17 weeks.  That means that you are firmly in the second trimester.

Your hearing is starting to develop so we hope that you are starting to hear your mom's voice.  You won't be able to hear mine for a few weeks.  But, your mom is making sure she talks to you a lot.

Your bones are becoming stronger and you're starting to use your joints so you may able to suck on your thumb.  In fact, you're probably moving around a lot in there.

My favorite part is that you're growing.  You are now about five inches long and weigh about five ounces, which means you're about the size of a turnip.

In the next few weeks your mom should be able to feel you moving.  She and I will both be very excited when that happens.   

Keep growing strong, little nugget.  Listen carefully for mommy's voice.  And, grow, grow, grow!


Eternally yours,

Your papa

15 weeks in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you are 15 weeks old in your mom's belly. Only people who know her well can tell that she has a little baby bump.

On Sunday, while at church, one of the older ladies came right up to your mom, placed her hands on your mom's belly and asked, "Are you expecting?" In the future you'll know this is a dangerous question to ask because it could be that a lady simply had too many french fries for lunch.

But, I have a feeling that the older ladies at church have been around long enough to know when it's a french fries belly and when it's a baby belly.

Your mom's belly is growing because you're growing. Right now you're about four inches long and weigh about 2.5 ounces. Inside your mom's belly, you're about the size of an apple.

So, no, you're technically not like a chicken nugget and haven't been for a while but you're stuck with the name, kid.

Soon I'll be scanning a series of drawings I've made of what I think you must look like in your mom's belly - starting from Week 8 when I kind of made you look like a Smurf.

The picture above is soooo much better than what I drew, as you will soon see.  Just remember, nugget, your mom is the artist.  Get your art genes from her.

Anyway, keep growing baby!  Be strong, be healthy, and make your momma fat.

Eternally yours,

Your papa