We ♥ Baby!

Dan and I both felt strongly that we wanted to find out the sex of our baby-to-be. And the ultrasound tech said she was about 90% sure that it was a girl. We could make out pretty clear labia at several points during the ultrasound (not pictured below). And although they can’t make any guarantees about the sex, Dan and I feel like this is probably right on. The first pronoun Dan spontaneously used (rather than saying ‘it’) was ’she.’ And although I wavered back and forth, I really trust his intuition. Turns out he was right!

The pictures so do not do this experience justice. It was so incredible to see our baby (an actual human!) squirm around throughout the course of the ultrasound. She moved her hands up by her head, flexed her legs and curled into a ball. It even looked like she put her thumb in her mouth and swallowed at one point. It was quite the surreal experience. The ultrasound tech took a bunch of measurements and then the OB looked the results over. Our sweet baby is growing right on schedule.

Now we’re charged with the task of choosing a name for our sweet little girl. Does she look like an Emily? An Emma? No? Good, we don’t think so either. We won’t be choosing a name from the top 10 of 2007 list. We do have a top-runner at this point, but Dan wants each of us to make a list of our favorite first and middle names, with any preferred combinations. Then, I’m told we’re going to cross reference the lists and we each have veto power over anything on each other’s lists. (That’s my methodical Dan for you.) We’ll see what we can do with the rest! Oh how exciting this is!

And I mean that in all seriousness. I’ve been feeling great. I’ve been essentially feeling like my old, pre-pregnant self, just with a foggier head, bigger appetite, less coordination and more gas. Which, since I feel so good otherwise, is totally manageable, and (dare I say it?) kinda FUN! I’ve been regularly feeling the baby move, which has been such a thrill. It’s such a great confirmation that a real, live human being is growing in there! Plus, I’ve been enjoying looking pregnant, not like I just ate a bit too much Mexican food. Finding maternity clothes without spending a fortune hasn’t been the easiest job in the world, especially since I’m not a huge fan of shopping. But I believe I’ve managed to put together enough outfits to at least avoid repeats in a work week. Another fun development is that I have officially succumbed to the waddle. I resisted it for a while. I found myself holding my tummy in for no apparent reason. I figured out that I was in the cross over stage between normal walk and pregnant walk. Now, my belly is just big enough that I have to swing my hips to walk comfortably. And boy do I swing them! I jut that belly forward and waddle just as proud as can be! Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I came across an article about the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi in Spain. This feast to celebrate the Eucharist is marked by processions hrough the towns and the staging of mystery plays. However the strangest of these rites has to be the act of El Salto de Colacho or The Devil’s Jump. From Wikipedia:

Men dressed as the Devil (know as the Colacho) jump over babies born during the previous twelve months of the year who lie on mattresses in the street. The festival has been rated as one of the most dangerous in the world. The origins of the tradition are unknown but it is said to cleanse the babies of original sin, ensure them safe passage through life and guard against illness and evil spirits.

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This is a pretty great story that could have had a tragic ending.

“When I saw the door was open I just went cold. I thought that was it. I thought she had gone under the water.”

Little Elizabeth Jelley, who is now two, spent a few minutes in the water clinging to the edge of the pool after falling in during play time. Her mother believes that once in, Elizabeth righted herself and swam to the pools edge using techniques she learned in a Water Baby swim class. Read the rest of this entry »