MERRY CHRISTMAS!

All is quiet tonight in the house. I have the night off of work (back in tomorrow, though), and Julie and I just came back from a remarkably succulent turkey dinner at Olga and Jonathon's place. We hope that everyone is well and that your holidays are full of laughter and good cheer - and by good cheer, I mean tasty beverages. We'll post again soon.

More news on the ever changing body

So my ankles are starting to swell. According to my book, this should only be happening in the 7th month. I’m not even into the 5th yet! Also, the uncomfortable factor has started. It’s pretty much all focused around my chest. Chest, not boobs: they’re fine. It’s hard to explain where the discomfort is but it’s basically the part of my chest where boob and belly meet. That fold. It is now the only place on my upper body that can fold, since the belly has arrived. Hopefully I get used to it. But I must say, it sure is making me sit up straighter. My posture is the best it’s ever been!

I’m still getting used to the fact that we can now say “he” when we speak about the baby. It’s weird to be able to personify it. I didn’t have any idea what’s so ever, so there was no surprise, but it’s really nice to know. Marty was so convinced we were having a girl that I think it took him a while for it to sink in as well. Now it’s all about names. There is one in particular that I really like, but Marty is still determined to see if there is anything else out there. But until he comes up with more serious options than Walken, B.B. and Scooter, it looks like my pick is going to win. I do have one criteria: it has to sound good in both English and French. It’s non-negotiable. As much as I like the name Ethan, it’s impossible to say in French!

Junior (I figure that’s better to use on the blog than “he” all the time) is moving around pretty steadily now. I can’t always feel it on the outside, but he is definitely enjoying the room he has in there. Marty briefly touched on his first experience of feeling the baby move. He totally freaked!! It took him almost a week to want to try again. It’s a bit more subtle then it was that first time. I think Junior really wanted to make sure Marty knew he was there. I do have to admit that it’s very alien like to think there is a tiny human growing in my stomach! Not to mention that in four months I'll be a mother... Pardon me while my brain explodes trying to wrap it around that concept.

Oh, one final word on poop… prunes. As gross as they are, five before going to bed each night seems to be doing the trick. At least for now.

Big Announcement!

It has come to my attention from my parents that the Detto lineage has proven to be full of men. All of my direct aunts and uncles have given birth to boys. On Julie's side, all of the women have produced girls. The girl-boy odds seem to be even in our case. Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, we had another ultrasound yesterday and now know the outcome:





Not that you can tell from the images, but we are definitely getting ready to have a little boy. I say "definitely" based on the 5 second flash he gave us. (Apparently, he will need a little lesson on discretion that I have already begun to prepare.) All is good with him in the womb. In the first image, his face is to the front...he's quite a looker! We got a really good look at him from all angles, as he was really bouncing around. I wasn't prepared, though, to discover how active he actually is until I placed my hand on Julie's belly last night and got a substantive kick. I'm still schocked by the force at which it literally knocked my hand off of Julie. Somewhat icked, but mostly excited, I'm anxiously awaiting the next opportunty. If he keeps this up, he'll be ready to run right outta there during the delivery.

Belly Watch, Episode 2 - 20 Weeks

In this latest installment, we can clearly see some progress in the size of Julie's belly. Of course, being Marty, I remind her of this far beyond the reasonable limit, jeopardizing my life in the process. As Julie becomes more radiant by the day, I too, have packed on a few pounds. Despite the numerous warnings of my "As the Father-to-be, you are still a part of the pregnancy" literature, I have succumbed to my sweet tooth without a fight. I constantly plead with Julie to stop baking those brownies with the chewy centre, but to no avail.
As I'm not feeling creative today, I will just point out that we should know the gender after tomorrow's unltrasound. I am extremely anxious to find out, as I need as much time as possible to prepare for one of the following speeches:
a) The "I'm her father and you are nobody" intimidation speech at meeting the first boyfriend; or
b) the "I'm his father, and he IS the next Mario Lemieux" rant. DISCLAIMER: If graced with a girl, I still intend on "guiding" her into a career as a future hall-of-famer. It's not societal expectation thing with me...honestly.

Update

We had another prenatal appointment this week. Every thing seems to be tickety-boo. The heart beat was nice and strong, my blood pressure was bang on and nothing came up on the pee test. But there was one kicker. I've gained 10 pounds since my last visit. That was four weeks ago. That's over two pounds a week! At this rate I'll barely get out the door in a couple of months. I've been really good, eating at least four pieces of fruit a day, not eating the stereotypical chocolate-bar-a-day. I do love my bread though. It's jut so yummy and usually helps with the ickyness I am still feeling on an almost daily basis. But I have a theory. Poop. You heard me, poop. For those of you who don't know, pregnancy pretty much slows your colon to a grinding halt. And for those who know me, my colon wasn't exactly Speedy Gonzales to start off with. So, I figure a few of these pounds have got to be poop. It's my excuse and I am sticking with it!

Tonight is Marty's last night at the house of terror. He is absolutely giddy. He has five full days off without any chance of getting called in before he starts his new shift at the house in Almonte. It's a little farther out, but he has worked there before and really likes the way it is run and the kids seem to be pretty good. Well, he hasn't had his life threatened there, so I'm all for that! The other place was just terrible. He was so stressed about going to work that he stopped eating and got very little sleep, and when he did, he dreamed about work. So now he will be working the over night shift, four days on, four days off. We will actually get to spend some time together! Very exciting. Maybe I will eat less bagels for dinner and actually start to cook some real food! I hate cooking for myself.

We have met with a doula. A woman called Leslie who is actually a registered nurse. She seems really nice and very calm. I think we will probably sign up with her. I've just received the name of another doula that I am going to see if we can meet just to compare. It wouldn't hurt to see how we like her.

So there you have it. Stay tuned as this weekend we will post a belly picture update. We just received our new digital camera. Marty did a bunch of research, and found the perfect one for us, until we found out the price! But, he got on eBay and starting bidding. After a pretty intense afternoon of bidding , he won! My little techno-geek was so happy! And it arrived today. I am being very good and will wait for tomorrow and let Marty open the box, even though it's killing me!

Thanks...

We have had a generous amount of assistance so far from friends and family, so a big thanks goes out to Dave and Andra for the change table (among a PT Cruiser load full of other useful things), Karen, Julie I., Danielle, and Trish for maternity clothing, Meredith and Jen for baby clothes and other stuff, and to Denise and John for providing our future Toronto Maple Leaf fan with his/her first sleeper:


(I realized that the gift was intended for the baby after attempting to try it on. Apparently, I've put on a few pounds.)

And a shout out to our families, who obviously are as eager as we are to add the extra chair to the dinner table.

If anyone has been left out, please excuse my neglect as I am flying by the seat of my pants here. Now, I must begin the unenviable task of shopping for a new digital camera and trying to justify the hefty price tag to Julie after the purchase.

I've lost my belly button!!

Ack!! I no longer have a belly button. The one thing that all humans have, that one link that proves you're human and not a clone, the belly button. Well mine is gone. It's stretched out flat, well almost flat. In a matter of days it will have completely disappeared. I don't think that I will pop to an outty, like a Butterball turkey. I had a herniated belly button as a baby and it's pretty tight. Nothing really to pop out. But what am I saying, everything else has surprised me so far, so I will probably do the turkey thing.

Oh, by the way, I found out the answer to my question about the weird line on my belly. It seems that all women have this line, called the linea alba (white line). It's there, you just can't see it because it's the same colour as the rest of your skin. With pregnant woman, this line turns dark, linea negra (black line) due to all of the lovely pregnancy hormones coursing through their bodies. So there you have it. A little trivia knowledge for you. It still doesn't answer the question of why we have this line in the first place, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

Pop!

So I went to bed Monday night with a little bump and woke up Tuesday morning looking like I swallowed a cantaloupe! I swear I heard the pop in the middle of the night. You hear about women "popping" but I really didn't realize how literal that was. I told Marty that the babies ears are now formed. I think he talks more to the belly than to me now! It's so amazing to see how happy he is and how much he lights up when he sees my growing belly. No offense to all the other dads out there, but Marty is going to be the best dad ever.

It doesn't look very hopeful for getting a mid-wife, so we are now trying to get a doula. That doesn't seem to be very easy either. It seems that April is very busy month, birthing wise. So we are still calling around and trying to find someone that will available and also match us. I really don't think that I want a drill sergeant in the delivery room with me.

Not too many more musings today. Just thought I would touch base. My back is still really bothering me but I am hoping that the yoga will help. I did some yard work yesterday so today it is stiff. I finally had the chance to clean up the yard, tidy the garden and get everything packed away into the shed. It's been raining almost every weekend, which makes yard work very difficult (or actually getting me out to do the yard work in the rain is very difficult).

More later...

Question

Here is a question for everyone out there... well, I guess mostly the women. What is that line of darker skin that divides your expanding belly in two hemispheres from your bellybutton down, that is starting to appear on my belly? Is this some throw back from our Neanderthal days? Does anyone have any clue as to why we get this? I think this is a question for Quirks and Quarks. I should write in.

I had my first very clear baby dream last night. It was a little girl and I couldn't remember any of the labour. And when it was time to breast feed, she turned into some weird grey bowling pin shaped thing, which didn't bother me in the least in the dream. Hmm... and to think that the dreams will only get weirder from here on in.

Marty and I had a great little get away weekend in Montreal. Since we don't get to see each other much with his work hours, it was wonderful to get to spend some quality time and reconnect. Hopefully his work schedule will settle down to something a little more predictable and we will be able to have some quality time together.

The Bump has arrived

As the picture below clearly shows, the Baby Bump has arrived. I have now entered that trendy stage that all the Hollywood starlets are so famous for (well at least according to People Magazine!). I have also fully succumbed to maternity clothing, tops and all. So now every time I speak with someone they look at my belly instead of my eyes and every conversation starts with " So how are you feeling?" I know everyone means well and my friends and colleagues are genuinely thrilled for me, but I imagine that this is going to get old pretty fast. We still have another 5 months to go people! Pace yourselves!

I have officially entered the second trimester, the wonderful time of the pregnancy when I will feel wonderful, full of energy and will glow... or so the books tell you. Well, I'm still waiting for it. As I type this I sip my ginger tea slowly to try and bade the nausea, try desperately not to scratch my stomach raw because it's so incredibly itchy and stay awake long enough to watch a new episode of House. But who knows, maybe I'm glowing all the while! Actually, I have been feeling much better, the nausea is not as frequent and I do have great energy during the day. Mornings are my best time when I have the most energy, which kills Marty on the weekend when he needs a few hours to get up to full steam and I am dancing around him impatient to get moving. By the time he's ready to go, I'm ready for a nap. I'm sure we will synch up eventually.

That's the news for now. Keep on visiting, you never know when I will be inspired!

Belly Watch, Episode 1 - 16 Weeks

Our first in an ongoing series. Who's getting excited?

The sounds of life, with an apology on the side...

OK – so the blog has been hijacked. Normally, I would spend an inordinate amount of time ranting about Julie’s entries regarding wireless bras and fat pants. All men have now vacated the site, deleted the bookmark, and most likely have had any reference to me permanently wiped from their memory. None of this matters, however, now that we have heard the heartbeat.

That’s right! It was somewhat surreal sitting there listening to the gurgled pace, and any disbelief as to the reality of the situation has now gone completely MIA. By the end of the month, we will have hit the halfway mark! In all my elation, it took me a moment to realise that the doctor had asked Julie to lie on the table. Upon hearing the word “PAP-…”, I suddenly recalled the article in Home & Garden that I left unfinished in the waiting room, and left to research potential pergola designs for our yard.

A superficial struggle has begun over potential names. I say superficial because Julie is steadfast in her choices, and do I really have any chance in changing her mind? As much as I like them, I’m not ready to close any doors quite yet. Besides, how can she not think that Christopher Walken Detto is an outstanding name (boy or girl – it’s all the same)?

All the best to the women still reading the blog, and to the men, I’m terribly sorry…I let you down…

Bras

You would think that with breast cancer being a huge issue these days and awareness campaigns running full throttle, that you would be able to find a bra with no underwire. The Canadian Breast Cancer Fund recommends that women not wear underwire bras, but every shop that sells bras only has underwire nowadays. I have some wonderful no underwire t-shirt bras, nice molded cup, good support, super comfortable, but they no longer make them. Why? Is society now moving backwards in bra fashion even when 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer?

Why this rant today? Well as my boobs inflate daily, my cups runneth over and I am in need of bras. Comfortable bras that I won't feel the need to undo under my sweaters and walk around work with no support (I was desperately uncomfortable!). Yesterday was my second attempt to find bras with no underwire, that were comfortable, didn't have the seem that runs across your nipple (anyone know what that's for?) and provided some semblance of support. After an hour and a half of tying on bras (and there is no exaggeration here) I finally came across one bra that fit, was comfortable and had no seem. Unfortunately it's not a molded cup, but beggars can't be choosers. So I bought three. And even better, there was a one day sale on undergarments at Sears yesterday. Bonus!

Mourning

I would like everyone to take a moment of silence please. I have reached the point of no return. Today, I am wearing... gulp... maternity pants! I am mourning the loss of fashionable pants, and trying to accept the fact that for the next 6 months, I will be wearing fat-nable pants. But I do have to admit, this things are super comfortable!

Julie's Musings

I have a feeling that every time Marty posts something, I will have to come back with some sort of rebuttal. But considering that my brain is slowly turning to mush, they probably won’t be as witty and provocative and they seem to be in my head. By the way, all that talk about “pregnancy brain” is totally true! What’s up with that? Marty is really enjoying the fact that I repeat the same question four times in an hour, can’t seem to concentrate or form complete sentences, and now I have begun to drop things. Can’t wait until I have a belly that protrudes past my line of sight and I start to bump into things.

We are going to start a photo documentary of the belly for those that are not around so that you can see the progression of the beast. We’ll post a photo every month of my silhouette, and you can all get a big kick out of the fact that my t-shirt will seem to get smaller and smaller as the months go by. I have to admit that I am having major clothing woes. I think this will be the last week that I can get away with putting an elastic around my buttons to keep my pants up as every time I bend over, the zipper goes down. I thought that you could where your normal clothes for at least 4 months with your first pregnancy! Oh all the myths that are being dispelled to be these past few weeks. Can’t wait to see what else is to come!

Time for an update

Now that the cat is outta the bag, I can elaborate on the details. The delivery date for the baby is at the end of April, which works out perfectly in that when Julie is ready to go back to work in the spring of 2008, I will be finishing Teacher's College and available for the summer. I have no proof, but my intuition is telling me that the project manager in Julie had it planned this way from the start. If so, expect an exhibit to open in the spring detailing the inner workings of the entire pregnancy from conception to delivery with a focus on the inaptitude of the father-to-be.
While we're on the subject of conception (don't worry, Ma - it's a PG rated blog...for now), it was immediately following a meeting with our fertility specialist that Julie tested positive. We were told our chances of conceiving naturally were 0.5%, and that for a mere $10,000, we could increase our chances to about 50%, or the flip of a coin. Needless to say (I really hate that expression which in itself is needless, however, my internal editor is asleep at the switch for the moment), Julie and I were extremely frustrated and disappointed. The positive test that followed has us pumped, though, and I just want this winter to pass by as quickly as possible.
Julie has expressed an interest in posting on the blog, which I find totally bogus. The experiences of a woman during pregnancy have been well documented to a point that men are forced to live their lives anchored down by a universal guilt for being what we are - men. My intent was to share with family and friends my attempt at completing the entire maturation process from an irresponsible and selfish child to a supportive, caring, and loyal family man in a mere 9 months!

Wish me luck!!

IN THE BEGINNING...