Aunt Barbara & Lennox Visit

Dear Pickles,

This past weekend, your aunt and cousin came to visit.  Your Aunt Barbara came down to help me and daddy register for gifts for a baby shower.  (Your Aunt Barbara and Aunt Jeanine are throwing you a baby shower in April.  It's going to be so fun!)  A shower is a time for friends and family to "shower" you with gifts so that you have everything you need when you get here.  Mommy and daddy still have a lot of work to do for you in the nursery, but we promise to make it spectacular for you.

One person I can't wait for you to meet when you get here is your cousin, Lennox.  She will be turning three years old a month after you are born.  She is so funny and smart.  I think you will really like her.



While she was here, Aunt Barbara and I took Lennox to a place called Monkey Joe's.  It's an indoor park with inflatable slides and fun places to jump.  (I promise to take you there when you are old enough.)



Mommy had fun playing with Lennox.  We did make-believe cooking, we put together a Disney princess puzzle like 20 times, we shopped for baby Disney characters, we learned to slide safely down the stairs, and we snuggled while watching The Princess and the Frog.

 

Mommy and daddy really enjoyed Aunt Barbara and Lennox's company this weekend.  After they left, the house was so quiet, and we were a little bit sad.  But then we remembered that soon you will be here to fill our home with joy like the dreamy weekend we just had.

Love you to bits!

Love,

Mommy 

Fish in My Belly

Dear Pickles,

Ever since our last ultrasound, I've been starting to feel you move.  So many people have told me that it feels like having a butterfly flutter in your tummy, but I think your Aunt Barbara was right -- you feel like a fish flopping around in my tummy.

It's been such a neat experience.  Luckily for me, I notice that you move around when I'm awake and not so much when I'm asleep.  (I don't want to miss any movements.)

Is it weird that I imagine you doing this song and dance when I feel you move?




That's what I thought, too.

Love,

Mommy

Boy, Oh Boy

Dear Pickles,

Today, you had your 19-20 week appointment.  Daddy came with me to the hospital -- this was one appointment he was not going to miss.  You see, at this appointment, we were scheduled for an anatomy evaluation with the sonographer.  In addition to finding out if you were growing properly and that all of your organs and bones looked satisfactory, we would also be finding out if you were a little boy or a little girl.

Since you were about 13 weeks along, people have been taking guesses as to what you were.

"Oh, by the way you're carrying, it's definitely a boy."

"I heard if you drink a lot of orange juice, it's a girl."

"Are your legs hairer than normal?  If so, it's a boy."

"You're craving hamburgers?  I did, too, and I had a girl."

In my heart of hearts, I had a feeling you were a girl.  Your dad, on the other hand, didn't really have a guess either way -- he just wanted you to be healthy.

So, there we were in the sonographer's office, as she began her check.  As soon as she slathered on the ultrasound gel and began probing on mommy's stomach, there you appeared on the television monitor.  Up until this point, I have not been able to feel any movement, but, boy, were you jumping around like a fish!  It made mommy giggle.

19.5 Weeks Ultrasound

The sonographer started with your head and worked her way down your body. As she showed us your brain, your spine, your heart, your kidneys, and your femur, mommy and daddy held hands.  We were so worried that she'd find something abnormal, but, at the same time, we were so excited just to see you on the screen.  You have the cutest little profile!  We were in love.

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" the sonographer asked.

"YES!" I said.  "You do, too, right?" I asked your father.  He said yes, too.

"Well, there definitely aren't any boy parts down there.  It's a girl, and she's so cute!" the sonographer announced.

We were overjoyed!  Our little Pickles can now be referred to as a "she" and not a "he or she" or an "it." 

"Did you have an inkling of what you were going to have?" the sonographer asked.

"I knew all along, " I bragged proudly, half joking.

This is what love looks like.

"No one better hurt her," your daddy warned.  Then he went on to say, "I can't wait to get her a cheer leading outfit so that she can help me cheer my favorite football team!"  You already have him wrapped around your little finger, my dear.

As we walked away from our appointment, we couldn't stop smiling.  A little girl.  Little Miss Pickles Patten.  We can't wait to meet you and give you all the love we have.

Love,

Mommy

My Growing Belly

Dear Pickles,

When I found out that I was pregnant, I had a the grand idea of taking shots of my growing belly each week.  Though the idea was good in theory, it turns out that I am really bad at remembering to do it.  Despite that fact, I'd thought I'd share with you the progress you've been making so far with the photos I do have.

7 Weeks - You are the size of a blueberry.

(Mommy forgot to take a picture, so daddy was my stand in.)

8 Weeks - You are the size of a kidney bean.

9 Weeks - You are the size of a grape.

10 Weeks - You are the size of a kumquat.

11 Weeks - You are the size of a fig.

19 Weeks - You are the size of a mango.

So why all the constant comparison to food?  Well, that's what all the books we've been reading have been telling us.  And it's been kind of neat seeing the foods in the grocery store and "seeing" how big you are.  It's still been hard for me to imagine that the sizing is accurate because my belly looks WAY bigger than the food for that particular week.

I know daddy is really excited to see you.  At night, he likes to stroke my belly and talk to you.  Sometimes he even flashes a flashlight on you, hoping to get a response.  (He's been waiting for you to move around in there.)  Because we haven't felt you move at all, we imagine you reclined on a Lazyboy watching television and rolling your eyes when you hear us on the outside.  When we imagine this, we both agree that you are your father's kid.  But we know you will move around on your own time, and, when you do, it will be such a special gift for your father and I to experience.

Continue to grow and be healthy, my little mango.  We love you lots.

Love,

Mommy

Unexpected Midwife

Dear Pickles,

For the past couple of nights while daddy has been away, mommy has been hanging out with her good friends, Alf and Beth.  (When you come into the world, you'll know them as Uncle Alf and Auntie Beth.)  For both nights, we made plans to watch Red at the dollar theater, but fate would not have it be so.  On the first night, we ran out of time, and on the second night, the parking lot was beyond packed.

Instead, we have resorted to Plan B on both nights and watched a Red Box dvd rental.  Yesterday we watched Wallstreet: Money Never Sleeps, and tonight we watched Cyrus.  While the three of us sat on the couch to watch the rented flicks, Alf and Beth's cat, Simone, chose to jump in my lap.  On both nights, she stood on my lap, facing me, and began massaging my stomach.  This made us giggle because we joked that Simone practiced midwifery on the side and was giving me prenatal shiatsu.  She even reached out her paw once and inappropriately touched my chest to which I responded, "She must be a lactation consultant, too."

Simone, the wonder cat

You're going to learn that we're a nutty bunch, Pickles.  Your life is going to filled with weird and entertaining observations from your mommy, your daddy, and our friends...  Hope you have a good sense of humor, my love.

Love,

Mommy

Almost Forgot to Tell You!

Dear Pickles,

When mommy and daddy imagine what you'll be like when you grow up, we always imagine that you talk like Edward G. Robinson.  Here's a sample of who Edward G. Robinson is (he's Rico in this movie clip):




"Look ma, here's how it's gonna be, see...We're gonna have mac n' cheese for dinner see... Yeah, that's right.  Mac n' cheese."

It cracks us up every time... Just don't be a gangster when you grow up, okay?

Love you!

Love,

Mommy

Daddy's First Doctor's Visit and Remembering the Big DM

Dear Pickles,

I had another regular check up scheduled on Jan. 19th.  And guess who got to come?!  Your daddy!  He was so happy to be there.  He got to hear your heart beat.  It was measured at 152 bpm.  (Such a strong heart, you have!)  We thought we might be able to find out if you are a boy or a girl, but our doctor told us that that would happen at the next appointment on Feb. 2nd.  Instead, the doctor took mommy's blood to run some labs.

The day before the appointment, your grandfather passed away.  He had been battling bladder cancer for 5 months.  Although we were hopeful that he would be around when you would be born, it just didn't workout that way.  Daddy and I were so sad.  He was such a generous, loving man.  Daddy loved him very, very much.  Your daddy posted this about your grandpa on Facebook the day that he passed away:

The best man I have ever known died today.  I wish my baby had a chance to meet him, but I can't wait to tell my little pickles all about my Dad.  And I hope I can be half the dad he was.  I love you Dad and will do my best.

Pickles, mommy and daddy will make sure that even though you didn't get to meet your grandpa, Larry Dale, you will know all about him.  There are so many stories to tell and pictures to share with you.  He was a great man, and he will be sorely missed.  Be proud that you are a part of the legacy that he is leaving behind - a family made strong by the bonds of love we have for one another.

Love,

Mommy