At Least It's Not a Kick Me Sign...

I've reached that pregnancy milestone that all women must reach: the big, glaring public property sign that gets posted on you sometime, oh, overnight. I think I was prepared for the random mitts on my belly (and don't mind one bit). I actively encourage advice and life lessons from people who wish to share. I was less prepared, however, for the incredibly graphic anatomical details that strangers (and I mean never laid eyes on you in my life strangers) have begun to suddenly share about their own pregnancies, labors, and postpartum experiences. Now, in my line of work, you hear and see some pretty crazy, at times yucky, things. That, however, is in a professional capacity. I think I could be a stop sign and people would share some of their intimate details.

I don't mean this as a rant, I actually think it's ultimately an honor to share in people's lives. At the same time, I'd be okay with some details being left to the imagination. That being said, I love people I KNOW sharing their stories - so please don't ever hesitate to pull up a chair and tell me about the good, bad, and ugly of your own experiences. I think I was born for story hour.

Finally, good luck to all of you starting school and especially embarking on big, new journies (like college). Happy Labor Day!

25 Weeks and Counting

We're nearly at 25 weeks and things seem to be going smoothly at this point. We're in the thick of gear buying, book reading, and planning for what happens when the pirate makes its grand entrance into the oxygen breathing world. I've hopefully surpassed John's belly at this point so we won't even give you a comparison (just in case...) but except for when it's blistering hot out, I'm pretty comfortable these days.

In the spirit of baby gear buying, my obsession with all things footwear (except for my friend Davis's big, ugly hockey puck sneakers), and Harry the cat's favorite pastime, I had to share with everyone a picture of one of my favorite purchases. Maybe they're impractical, but the pirate is pretty excited to slip its piggies into these puppies.

Doyle v. Baby: Round 1

I think I'm going to test out this theory. I've started to feel the baby kick fairly regularly at night. At the ultrasound, the technician showed us how the little pirate was using my uterus as a trampoline and I'm pretty sure that Pirate Pat continues to think it's great fun. Apparently, he/she isn't aware of the increase in homeowners insurance when one owns a trampoline. Seriously, this baby loves to show off all of his/her fancy moves. I'm not sure if we have a future dancer, human pretzel, or member of Cirque du Soleil but I'm interested to see what happens when he/she runs out of room in there. John's actually pretty flexible (as those who have seen him snoozing in the most uncomfortable looking positions can attest) so I'm guessing he/she is limbering up like Dad. In the meantime, I'll see if I get a sense of what happens when I reach for the remote...