Thursday, June 30, 2005

Perambulation! Walking! Strolling striding strutting jaunting hiking STEPS! Tons of them!

OK, maybe 8.

This is a near real time update, folks. Oh, the magic of the internet.

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Friday, June 24, 2005

You are correct, sir.

I was right! Did you ever doubt me, internet?

Possibly you did not know that for the last few months I have been substituting the pronoun "he" for Figgy wherever appropriate, with the impunity of someone who knows they are never to be corrected.

I am not. We are having a bouncing baby boy. We are so happy!

Now that everything is going well, and it seems to be sure enough, I can tell you, internet, that this is what I've always wanted. Now obviously this is not the kind of thing you say above a hushed whisper before the fact, because of the infinite points in the process over which you have no control, and the utter futility and frustration of desiring a random outcome.

Futility and randomosity aside, I got what I wanted! A girl and a boy, in that order. I have no rational explanation for this, but it's going to be just perfect. It always is in my head.

Claire Helen did very well during the ultrasound, and even found the screen fascinating. I feel sure she would have behaved differently had she knows she was looking at her nemesis, the Dread Usurper. Figgy is tucked down very low (kicking my cervix. Yowch, in case you were wondering what that means), so she found it quite amusing when the techs had me get up and bounce around to jiggle him a bit, so we could see the heart better. It is quite early to feel him moving very much, and so the techs were a bit surprised when I would tell them he'd moved a bit, "oh up there on the top." But Figgy and I, we are co-conspirators in all this. He would never make a move without telling me.

And now I'll tell you something about Claire Helen. Most babies, when they drop something, say "uh-oh." It's a seminal early baby word. My child, when she drops something (and sometimes when she doesn't) says "Oh no!" I find this several orders of magnitude above charming.

With the aid of Hippo the Walker Toy, we went on our first ever family walk the other day. Posted by Hello

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Claire Helen and the Giant Foxglove Posted by Hello

Claire Helen conquering the dog's territory Posted by Hello

Monday, June 20, 2005


Papa thinks these are cows. Posted by Hello

Papa has obviously lost his marbles. I have seen cows, in various Sandra Boyton tomes, and cows are small, cartoonish animals who smile all the time. Posted by Hello

Walking with mama. Who is pregnant, not just "of a certain size." Stop looking at my belly like that. Posted by Hello

Mat meets baby Mara. Posted by Hello

Look mom! I almost blend entirely into Uncle Jedd. Posted by Hello

Dad is pretty excited about being at a wedding. Claire Helen is concerned. Posted by Hello

Best series on the whole trip, if I do say so myself. Posted by Hello

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Cows = terrifying baby eating beasts. Posted by Hello