24 weeks

Here is a picture of the belly at 24 weeks. It is sticking out a little farther than a couple of weeks ago.
We have some good news. A couple of weeks ago a scan of Monkey's brain showed a Choroid Plexus Cyst. As far as complications go it is a fairly common one, however it can be an indicator of a chromosomal abnormality. Needless to say I was a wreck thinking the worst as only an irrational person like myself can think. The good news is that on Thursday I got a call from the doctor. After she had viewed the newest ultra sound, it had been determined that the cyst had resolved itself. It was GONE!!!! Thank God! One stress gone. Everything else looks great and right on target. I have been feeling increased movement, but Conrad is still not able to feel anything. Hopefully soon!

Here is the latest ultra sound of Monkey. I love looking at these pictures knowing that the cyst is gone. It makes me smile :)
Look at that big old noggin! Conrad says it is a sign of intelligence. However, that is what all people with big heads say;)
Not much else going on over here. We are getting ready for my parents to come to Baltimore. I am so excited to see them. We actually get to have all of us together for Mako's birthday for the first time since he graduated high school. Since we weren't all together this summer, this will be the first time since Christmas. So needles to say, I can't WAIT!!!!

Hope everyone has a great week.

USA 6, Cuba 1

Clearly ready for fatherhood...

I went to the USA vs. Cuba World Cup qualifier last saturday at RFK. Started tailgating at around 3:30 for a 7:00 game. As we were playing Cuba, the guys I went with decided mojitos and cigars would be appropriate for the occation, and who was I to argue?

Can't wait to share this kind of experience with my child (minus the mojitos and cigars of course...).

22 Weeks and Counting!

Well, here is my belly at week 22. I think I feel the difference more than I see the difference. It is definitely something I can't hide anymore and tends to grow throughout the day (much more substantial in the evening than in the morning). The wonderful new development is that I can now feel movements, more so than just the sensation of a popping bubble. The gymnastics tournament in my belly every evening after dinner is actually quite a strange sensation. Not at all how I imagined it would feel. I am one who thrives off of the reassurance this newer development offers.

I have let the kids at school know about Monkey and they are pretty excited about becoming "Godparents." In their community if you are not a blood relative you tend to be a Godparent. Thus, when they claim a familial relation to every other student in the school they can rationalize it. One of the most common explanations for why they just smacked someone else on the head is that, "It's ok, that's my cousin." Needless to say these children are a unique breed. Lovable on their own, but the group dynamic is not the greatest. It makes me smile however, when I am at school scolding the kids for being too loud and Monkey is getting very upset from the noise and kicking or punching me. I can really lay on the guilt and get a 50/50 shot at it making a difference.

Conrad and I finally ventured to the wondrously overwhelming establishment that is Babies я Us. Holy Crap!!! My first emotion upon walking through those sliding glass doors was, "Ok, I don't want to do this anymore! How can one little baby require all of this?" We proceeded to the registration counter to get started. We got all set up with our scanner gun and we were ready, to stand in one place looking at row upon row of different pacifiers, bottles, medicines, soaps, etc. not knowing what the hell to do or which one to pick. Finally we picked none of them got frustrated and moved on to the next isle. The big things like stroller, crib, dresser were easy. Which one do we like best? The other stuff was nearly impossible to differentiate between. Conrad kept it light, while I was ready to curl up into a ball and disappear, so God bless him for that. See we make a good team right? I overreact and he doesn't react at all.

We were perusing the bathtub isle, which by the way is rather extensive as well and could be a tore on it's own, and we came upon the Deluxe Baby Spa. This thing is insane! It has jetted whirlpool effects that we don't have in our regular tub, and a shower detachable handle to rinse baby off. It was crazy expensive especially taking into consideration we registered for a piece of foam that will (ideally) keep Monkey afloat and only costs $7. At this point in our adventure Conrad had the brilliant and oh, so loud idea that the baby spa was remarkably similar in size and function to the foot spa we already owned. At this point in the exclamation a woman next to us turned to Conrad and gave him the most withering, disgusted look I have ever seen. She thought he was serious which I found rather amusing, to her even further disgust. Once I got myself pulled back together and had made the much needed trip to the restroom ( due to excess laughing) we proceeded on to the next isle which had the foam things that positions the baby in the crib. We had already decided to forgo a bassinet due to no storage availability after it's usefulness was through. Conrad then piped up with his second gem (even brighter and louder than the first one), that it was a shame we had previously disposed of the box from Costco that could easily take the place of the foam positioner. As it happens the disgusted woman from before was witness to this second brilliant display of cost-saving ingenuity from my husband and my hysterical laughter. I had previously thought it impossible, but she managed to get even more disgusted with us and stormed off muttering something unintelligible under her breath, which prompted the second and equally as necessary restroom break on my part. After this we hurried through the rest of the store scanning anything and seemingly everything so we could get the heck out of there and go home. I was exhausted and impatient at this point and Conrad was no longer focusing on the task at hand, but checking out the latest sports scores and highlights that he had missed in the 4 hours since entering this magical land of extravagance. I took the longest nap to date in my pregnancy upon arriving at home. It was wonderful and a great conclusion to an unnecessarily stressful adventure. (the stress was unnecessary not the adventure)!

Reflections on Fatherhood: Culture

Being someone who has devoted the last ten years of his life to the pursuit of the performing arts, it is important to me that Overlord has an appreciation for the arts and is a cultured overlord.

Now, I realize that the term "cultured" can be rather vague, so I'll break it down this way: To be a cultured individual, one must have a basic understanding of certain subject areas within his/her society, and at least an appreciation for differences between those subject areas among different societies. These subject areas generally include but are not limited to: music, theater (both live and recorded), sports (yes, sports are a part of culture...), art, literature, history, science, language, and basically anything else that can be included in a liberal arts degree or found on a Trivial Pursuit board...

So how does one accomplish this? I believe one starts with children's versions of some of these art forms. As much as I have complained about playing more parts in children's theater productions than any normal person should ever have to, I believe that it instills in children an appreciation for live theater that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. So we have children's theater, children's museums, science museums, books, and lots of travel. As (s)he gets older, we can begin mixing in easier-to-understand non children-specific works, i.e. Two Gentlemen of Verona as opposed to Titus Andronicus, Salvador Dali (surrealist, but kids love it) as opposed to Jackson Pollock, The Marriage of Figaro as opposed to Wozzeck, etc...

Hopefully this will eventually lead to a well-rounded overlord who has developed his/her own complex tastes. Now of course we will inevitably run into the snobby taking of one idea and going WAY too far with it: Picture a 20 year old overlord dressed in black from head to toe at a coffee shop in Chelsea saying things like "I don't understand how anyone can even watch American movies, they've been nothing but drivel for the masses since Citizen Kane..."

We could also end up with an overlord wearing a beret and speaking on street corners through a megaphone about the need for the proletariat to rise up while asking to be referred to as "Che."

Just about everyone goes through a phase like this, and there's really nothing wrong with it. I'd much rather have my child sound like an idiot for being a little too passionate about something than sounding like an idiot because (s)he simply doesn't know anything.

Next up in the Reflections on Fatherhood series: Censorship. How far should I go (if at all) in sheltering my child from the bad things in this world like violence, R-rated movies, or High School Musical?