Round ligament pain or Braxton Hicks

I'll be able to feel the difference between round ligament pain and Braxton Hicks contractions, right?

I walked around a lot on Monday and felt the usual tightening pull of the ligaments on my right side. But a couple of times, it seemed that my belly got tight and hard as well. A couple of times I would stop and rub/shake my belly as if to say "loosen up in there!" It was only later that I thought hmmm..... wonder if that was a Braxton Hicks.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to feel the difference but wanted to put it out to you all to get your thoughts on it.

I haven't noticed any hiccups from the baby (something to look forward to!) And I seem to be getting used to turning from side to side in bed at night. I'm not grunting or rocking the bed as much and I'm able to fall back asleep more quickly. Of course, as soon as I write this I'll have another growth surge and this will change.

I do notice that I'm breathing deeper (and more noisily!) throughout the day and particularly at night. Have you seen the movie "Ghostbusters"? There's a scene where Sigorney Weaver, who is possessed with some dog demon, is sleeping on her bed and is sort of panting and gasping. Karen says that this is what I sound like when I'm asleep at night. And then I'll take a couple of long breaths in a row and then go back to panting. And many times I'll gasp myself awake. Not a pretty picture nor sound!! I told Karen that if it keeps up, I'll get her some earplugs.

-Wendy
[27w,2d]

Visit from Karen's parents

Karen's parents are visiting us from Tennessee. They arrived on Saturday night and will be with us most of the week.

Karen's mom gave us this pretty plaque right when she got off the plane. It's from Karen's sister Amy. Thanks Amy! It's beautiful!



It feels great to be in the last week of the second trimester.

-Wendy
[27w,0d]

Ring of fire

Last night we had another Bradley Childbirth class (4 down, 4 to go). In class, we learned about the second stage of labor or the pushing stage. There was lots of discussion about how some women's parts are blissfully numb while others experience the "ring of fire" (lots of burning sensation) when the baby's head is crowning.

I've heard the phrase "ring of fire" before. But last night was one of those times when you inexplicably get the giggles over something silly.

You see, it hit me where I've heard the phrase "ring of fire" before. From the movie "Finding Nemo"! There's a scene where Nemo is being initiated into the "bonds of tankhood" so that he can be part of the club with the other fishes in the dentist's fish tank. Bloat, a pufferfish, announces with this booming voice, "You can be part of us...if you swim through....The Ring of Fire!!"

And the other fishes are doing this tribal chant. Something like "za-who-wha-hey-ya-ho-ho-ho" over and over as part of Nemo's initiation.

So in the Bradley class, every time someone would say "ring of fire", I would have to bite my tongue to keep from snickering and snorting with laughter. I just have this image of Karen and the nurses doing the tribal chant while the doctor screams, "Ring of Fire!" as my baby's head crowns.

Even as I write this, I'm giggling. Yep. I'm so weird that way. Karen is just shaking her head at me.

-Wendy
[26w, 4d}

Enabling the addict

I'm an enabler. Yes, I admit it. I realize, even as I do it, it is pure folly to encourage the addict in her habit, but I just can't help myself. My partner is a knit-o-holic. It's bad...very bad. She must have at least 2-3 projects on the needles at a time as one at a time just won't do. She must have "stash" - the knitters term for the miles and piles of extra yarn they keep in every available cubby hole in the house...just in case. And heaven forbid should she have a project in mind that she wants to start and not be able to get the pattern and yarn needed for said project within 20 seconds of having decided upon it!

So, here's where I come in. I drive my love all over town seeking the exact knitting book, pattern and yarn she wants. I wait in the car, playing Bejeweled on my cell phone (geesh, I love that little game), and hope that when she returns she has found what she wants. I then drive her cute, smiling, and utterly blissed out little self home so she can pull out her yarn winder thingie (I'm sure there's a technical name for that contraption, but heck if I know what it is!) and gets her skeins of yarns turned into nice knitting-friendly little balls.

Let's look at how this addiction and my enabling of it has played out over the past few days.

Tuesday:
About 3pm Wendy coyly kisses my neck and says "I think I'll go over to the Knitting Bee. Wanna drive me?". This is followed by further nuzzling and purring noises. "Of course!", I respond with enthusiasm. And off we go.

We arrive and Wendy hops out to go fondle the goods and make her purchase(s) and I fire up Bejeweled. My game is barely underway (only about 5 minutes have passed) when I'm startled by the car door opening and Wendy climbing back in. One look at her and I snap shut my cell phone and ask "didn't you find what you wanted?". She looked as if both our cats had died and the world was on the verge of destruction (really, I'm not kidding). "I'll just go over to the Naked Sheep tomorrow. I know she'll have what I want there. It's probably too late to go there now since the traffic will be so bad trying to get across town.", she says with a very heavy sigh.

My first thought was "cool...now we can go get an early dinner"...but somehow I knew that wasn't the best choice of response. I gently said, "I'm happy to take you over there. As long as we're together, traffic will be fine. How else are we going to spend the late afternoon?". She put up a perfunctory refusal but eventually I wore her down (notice how I take responsibility for this!) and off we went - across town, thru rush hour traffic - to her beloved Naked Sheep Knit Shop.

We arrived, she went in and I went back to my Bejeweled game and after a decently respectable passing of time, she emerged. This was a different Wendy! She was all smiles and clutching her purchases, which she informed me were *exactly* what she'd been looking for. And, glory of glories, she got herself a new canvas Naked Sheep tote bag (it was on sale after all). She proudly showed me what she had bought, stroking the yarn and holding up the new tote for me to oooo and ahhh over (which I did). Then, with a blissful sigh, she says "I sooooo needed that fix!". She was perfectly content on the drive home and commented on how it was so wonderful that I indulged her habit.

I just smiled...after all....I'm an enabler.

Wednesday:
It's after 6pm. We've eaten dinner and are sitting in our office blog surfing and checking email when she squeals with delight. She just found a new knitter-blogger site that has this "darlin' little baby sweater" pattern that she's just got to make! A quick check of the Powell's website and the book containing the pattern is located at the Powell's location on Hawthorne. "Wanna go for a ride?", she purrs at me. Even though I know I'm about to be driving the get-away vehicle for the 2nd time in as many days, I take the bait, "Sure...where do you wanna go?". The plan was to go to Powell's and get the book and then swing into the Yarn Garden (which just happens to also be on Hawthorne) to hunt the yarn she'll need. Off we go! Book is procured, and Yarn Garden is searched. Unfortunately the exact yarn she wanted wasn't there but the book she bought had several additional cool patterns in it, so she was able to say "well...I'll just order the exact yarn I want online...that way I'll be sure to get just the perfect thing".

I just smiled (and drove us home)...after all....I'm an enabler.

For those of you who don't live with a knitter, you don't know what you're missing. But, let me warn you - should the one you love take up the art of knitting, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll be an enabler too.

- Karen
[26w,3d]

Nursery pictures

Our changing table/dresser was delivered yesterday. It was fun to put our burp cloths and blankets and baby socks in their rightful drawers. I also spiffed up the toy chest and closet.

All of you nursery voyeurs... enjoy!!








-Wendy
[26w, 2d]
[32 Babies R Us visits]

Who is the warm one?

During a plethora of Sunday night television shows, including Rome, The L Word, Desperate Housewives, and Battlestar Galactica, I was able to finish knitting these fingerless gloves for Karen.

This pregnancy has really affected my body temperature. Karen used to be the "warm one" and I was the "cool one" but our roles have reversed. These days, I'll run around the house with just a t-shirt on and the heat cranked down, while Karen is stuck wearing both a turtleneck and sweatshirt just to stay warm. Many times, I'll reach down to hold her hand and find that her fingers are chilly. So I whipped up these handwarmers for her. Aren't they lovely? Pattern and yarn information can be found here.

I have to add that last night was a bit of a hard night. I awoke at 1:30am feeling extremely nauseous and very sweaty. It didn't pass for at least an hour and then started up again at around 5:00am. And then this morning, after my Jazzercise class, the nausea hit me again. It felt very similar to the constant pukey feeling during the first trimester so I'm thinking that my hormones just kicked in to high gear or something. Or my body didn't like that mexican food for dinner. Or perhaps I was fighting a bug. But last night in my panicked, "I'm going to throw up" mode, I was convinced that it was food poisoning. Good grief, wouldn't that be awful! And then I started worrying about failing my upcoming glucose test. How about you? Did any of you experience these type of symptoms in your second or third trimesters?

-Wendy
[26w,0d]

99 Days!

Tomorrow I'll be at 26 weeks and we will have 99 days of pregnancy remaining! Hurray! It's great to be in the double digits.


To celebrate I bought these two cute dolls. The one on the left is a ballerina fairy and the one on the right is a pink-haired mermaid. They have the sweetest embroidered faces. I've had my eyes on them for months. Kylie won't be able to play with them until she is at least three but I just really wanted a couple of dolls in her room. Of course, my next toy purchase will be a plastic tool box complete with tools. I'm an equal-opportunity, gender non-specific toy giver!



-Wendy
[25w,6d]
[31 Babies R Us visits]

A bit of pampering

I treated myself to a bit of pampering yesterday and had a manicure/pedicure. Oh my! I went to the Coldwater Creek Spa and was it ever decadent! The manicure was good but the pedicure was an absolute sensation. They put a hot wrap around my neck, a cooling compress over my eyes, put a wonderful smooshie pillow behind my back, covered me with a warm blanket and laid me back in a zero gravity chair....heaven! I vaguely remember the time passing and 45 minutes later, my "nail therapist" had to nudge me to tell me it was over.

I picked out a fairly opaque color, called Negligee (don't you love that?!?), for my fingernails and a hot red for my toes called Hollywood. Cute, huh?



Cute, huh? :) I can't wait for Kylie, Wendy and I to all go have a girl's day out someday in the future and all get our nails done together!

- Karen
[25w,4d]
[29 Babies R Us visits]

I'm Jazzin' again!

Today was my first time back to Jazzercise after my UI (this is how I will refer to my heart attack from now on....UI or "unfortunate incident"). It's been almost a month and I have to admit that I was missing my regular Jazzercise workouts badly. I saw my primary care physician on Friday (Jan. 12) and she said she wasn't ready to say I could start back and that she wanted me to wait and see my cardiologist (next week on the 23rd) before giving it a go. However, in my infinite wisdom, I decided that she was just being overly cautious and that surely if my UI didn't kill me, a little low-impact Jazzercise shouldn't hurt!

So, I gave it a go...and am so happy I did! It felt great! I've been pretty much inactive these 3 weeks since the UI so I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I stayed with low-impact moves and was able to work up a good sweat without getting out of breath or feeling any ill effects...yea!

I think I've been the victim of a bad case of conflicting wants. I wanted to go to Jazzercise AND I wanted to lay off and let my heart heal/recover. So, what do you do when you have two things you want but they conflict? Well, you choose. And for the last 3+ weeks, I've chosen to lay off. But, the thing about conflicting wants is that they have a lot of conditions attached to them many times that help make the choice between two things easier. My desire to go back to Jazzercise had a couple of conditions: I don't die while doing it (the primary condition!) and I don't hurt myself or cause damage while doing it. It's amazing how much I have feared another UI or doing anything that might damage my heart further or hinder my recovery in any way. And the fear has been almost paralyzing. I don't think I really allowed myself to really grab onto the fear and let it show visibly, but my actions (or inactions) have demonstrated it was there. But, the fears and the conditions finally became secondary and I decided to just go for it...and made a choice to go.

So, this is a big day! I'm Jazzin' again and felt really, really good! Wendy and I had a blast whooping and yee-hawing our way through the workout and our instructor even played a few of my favorite songs to welcome me back. Of course, I think she also made sure the defib unit was ready just in case. ;)

I hope everyone's day, like mine, held a little victory for you somewhere along the line no matter how small.

- Karen

[25w,3d]

When did that happen?

Lately I've found myself supporting my weight often. When I put on undies, pants, socks or shoes, I'll rest one hand on my dresser for extra support. When did this start happening? I used to be able to bring my foot up to my belly button, while balancing easily on the other leg to put on a sock. It was a dancer-like skill that came to me as easily as brushing my hair. Now all of a sudden, I'm clutching on to furniture to do the simplest of moves. Hmmmm.....

I've also become addicted to rubbing my belly in circles. I rub it all the time! Who knew that rubbing my belly could be so dang soothing? Or so publicly acceptable? I have to tell you that I'm already dreading the loss of this wonderful sensation once the baby is born. Maybe I'll start a national campaign with a slogan like, "Women! Pat your bellies! It feels friggin' awesome!" or something like that. I mean if men can publicly "adjust themselves" we should be able to give our lovely bellies a little circular pat. Who knows? It might start a wave of renewed self-esteem in women. We would no longer eschew our bellies with sighs of remorse but rather give them loving little pats. (Go ahead and pat your belly for a minute right now. It will make you smile.)

Lastly, my forgetful placenta-brain has reached a new level. Early in the pregnancy, I could remember at any moment the items on my to-do list...I just had no real desire to do them. Now, I can't even remember what's on the list. This results in me walking around in a daze and occasionally telling Karen, "I think I've forgotten something. I just have no idea what it is".

I can hear you saying, "Write down your to-do list so that you don't forget". Nope. Don't want to do that either. I'll have the thought, "You should write that down" but it's quickly followed by an "Who cares?' attitude or my new favorite phrase, "I don't give a fig". It's really quite liberating for this former over-organizing queen! Don't know when this happened, but I'm enjoying it.

-Wendy
[25w,2d]

Snow

No haircut for me today because we have snow!

I hadn't watched the news or the weather channel yesterday so this was a nice surprise this morning.

Part of me wants to get out and take beautiful snow pictures with my camera. But as I'm sitting here, I'm watching people trying to walk and run and falling on their bums. So I think I'll stay snug as a bug in my house and be content to take a few pictures from the patio.

-Wendy
[25w,1d]

Random musings

On New Years Day, a friend asked me if I was going to make any resolutions for 2007. Before I could answer, she laughed and said, "You could resolve to get less sleep. That's a resolution you know you'll achieve". She nailed that prediction. I just didn't realize my sleeplessness would kick in quite this soon.

In college, I created the mantra "Sleep hard, sleep fast". This meant that I needed to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and to make my sleep as restorative as it could be in the short time that I could give it.

Nowadays, I'll fall asleep around 10 or 11pm and sleep HARD. But then I wake up at 2:00 and then at 3:00 and 4:00... well, you get the picture. I'll go out on a limb and say that this baby is going to want a 2:00am feeding. Because when I wake up at 2:00, I'm WIDE awake and fully alert. I swear that baby Kylie is prepping my system to attend to her needs.

Part of the wakefulness is feeling the baby kick, or the need to go to the bathroom, but it seems more than that. And the rest of the early morning's sleep is just off. This past week, I was tickled pink with 2 out of 7 nights of "good sleep". I knew that sleep could become a challenge in the third trimester. I just didn't expect it to start at 24 weeks! And if it's like this now, who knows what it will be like later!

-------

I went swimming for the first time in a long time this Sunday. I swam for around 30 minutes and it was fabulous. Floating weightless was worth the "joy" of putting on a bathing suit. And it really helped the swelling and circulation in my hands and feet. I plan to swim at least once a week from here on out.

-------

When I first found out I was pregnant, I had this scatter-brained idea of letting my super-short hair grow out. You see, any time I gain any weight (even a pound or two), I can see the gain in my face. And I've had more than a few moments of stamping my feet and crying, "That's not fair!" about this situation. So when I knew I was going to gain a bunch of weight, I thought it would be smart to let the hair grow out, thinking particularly that a longer length would help my face look more angular and less round/fat.

BAD IDEA!! The self-esteem dip of letting your hair grow out along with letting it go back to it's original color (no more blonde highlights) and the dip of an ever-growing belly is just TOO MUCH! Now I remember why I've worn my hair short for so many years. My hair looks crappy longer. It just lays there like a limp rag and no amount of fussing with it helps. So tomorrow, it gets cut. And if I look like a bowling ball face (complete with sagging jowls) with a bit of peach-fuzz on top, so be it. I hope and I pray that this is the right decision!

--------

I just finished reading "I Don't Know How She Does It' by Allison Pearson. It's a fiction book about a working mom trying to do it all. I got a bit frustrated in reading how frenetic the main character's life was but it had some very clever writing so I stuck with it. It certainly has some laugh-out-loud moments and many times I found myself nodding along with the author's assessment of how women and working mothers are treated in the workplace. A light-hearted, easy read that I'm happy to recommend.

-Wendy
[25 weeks, 0 days]

Books and Birthstones

I'm so organized it's scary. Really. For the heck of it, I started a list of the books we have for Kylie. If you are really bored, you can check it out here.

I also added an Amazon.com wish list on this blog's sidebar. There's not much on it right now but I'm sure I'll be filling it up with new book titles in no time. (Psssssss..... Mom...Dad....feel free to check the wish list often!)

I just learned that Kylie will either have a diamond birthstone (for April) or an emerald birthstone (for May). Lucky little girl! I had yucky topaz for my November birthday. I never really wanted anything with my topaz birthstone in it.

-Wendy
[24w,5d]

First Bradley Class

I want to give a shout out to RSG and HG for lunch yesterday. Seeing you both was lovely and comforting and energizing all rolled into a ball of fun. Thanks!

Last night was our first Bradley class. There are four other couples taking the class with us. And all of them were so cool about the lesbians in the room with them. The Bradley teacher, Kara, did a fantastic job of using the term coach or partner instead of husband. I really felt relaxed and at ease throughout the evening.

Rather than give you a detailed account of the class, I'll leave with some highlights of what I liked best.

It was great to be in the presence of other pregnant women. Just seeing their bellies made me happy.

However these are tiny women. Just looking at them inspired me to slow down my Hostess cupcake consumption.

We practiced our pregnancy exercises together. And let me tell you, when the other women got into squat position, they looked fantastic. Just sitting there, looking totally at ease with their backs straight and their asses practically touching the floor. When I got into the squat position (it was my first time by the way), my face turned red, I made strange grunts, and I was nowhere near the ideal position. That's okay though--it was just the motivation I needed to start doing these exercises all the time. I'm such a competitive little sprite that next week, I'm determined my ass will be just as low as theirs and the look on my face just as placid!

I'm inspired to do the 15 squats and butterflies, 30 pelvic rocks and 100 kegels a day that's been recommended.

This week we've been asked to track all of our eating. Already it's been enlightening and I know that I'm not getting nearly enough protein.

Two former students returned to class with their 3 week old baby and told us their birth story. In listening to them, I thought for the first time that I might be able to have a natural childbirth. I loved their story!

At the end of class we had a 10 minute massage from our partner along with a guided meditation/relaxation from the instructor. It was so soothing. I've decided to look for other bits of material that Karen can read to me during the first stages of delivery and to create an Itunes playlist of relaxing music.

All in all, it was a very good first class.

-Wendy
[24w, 4d]

Laughter is the best medicine

Wendy looked over at me a bit ago, pointed to her chest and announced "I've got a uni-boob"! Now, that's funny! I mean, her chest has been growing in leaps and bounds as her pregnancy has progressed but "uni-boob"! What? Through my sputtering laughter, I had to ask her what she meant. Her reply was to lift her chest in her hands and say "Well, they used to be so perky and lifted and now, well... there's just this one continuous bump". You see, we're on the second attempt to find a comfortable bra that fits my dear one and the latest find is a bra by Medela (the Pump-in-Style breast pump people) that, while quite comfy for her, does kind of mash her girls just a bit into what I suppose you could call a uni-boob.

In the end, it may not seem that funny to you, but for what ever reason, it struck me as utterly hilarious....and I needed a good laugh! My girl can crack me up when I least expect it and I love it when she gets me good and tickled. I think these past couple of weeks since "the incident" have been a bit tense for me and each note of laughter that can be injected into the day is like a sweet, cool breeze on a hot day. For a few brief moments, I'm not worried about what happened or what might happen tomorrow or the next day...I'm just blissfully laughing in the moment.

Yes, laughter is truly the best medicine there is!

- Karen
[24w,2d]

Getting over a bad day

I had a bad day yesterday. I could write about the details of the bad day but suffice to say that I had a disappointing doctor's appointment. Everything is fine with me and the baby though... no worries there. It's just that the visit was a bit of a let-down.

So rather than write about the bad day and get myself (and maybe you) all riled up, I shall write about gratitude instead.

I'm grateful I have a partner who really knows how to be with me when I'm in a snit. She knows how to let me fuss and yell and get a lot of the anger out. She's a great listener and wonderfully does not try to prematurely calm me down. When the storm begins to abate, she knows just when to begin to soothe, hug, rock, kiss and offer loving words of wisdom. It's so cool to be with someone who really GETS you and understands you and knows how to be with you. Thank God for Karen.

I'm grateful for good restaurants. I used to manage a restaurant and firmly believe in the line "If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest." (This is a line from the song "Be Our Guest" from the movie soundtrack Beauty and the Beast.) Last night I had a fine, delicious meal served by an unobtrussive yet responsive waiter. By the time we left the restaurant, my shoulders had dropped from being bunched up around my ears and my brow had smoothed out.

I'm grateful for shops that have wonderful sales and for the ability in our budget to indulge in some occasional retail therapy. Last night I bought an adorable Disney onesie and a Winnie-the-Pooh sleeper outfit at 70% off at the Disney store at the mall.

I'm ever so grateful I know how to knit. Knitting is my best meditation and can make me feel ever-so-much better. Yarn is always there for me and it is a loving friend.

I'm grateful for an extremely comfortable bed with the perfect combination of pregnancy pillows. At the end of a hard day, slipping into a scrumptious bed is quite the thing.

So last night as I was saying my prayers, I got to honestly pray, "Thank you God for this hard day. And thank you for Karen, Kylie, my family and friends, the waiter, the food, the sales lady, the yarn and the comfortable blessings of a great house with a great bed that got me through it." Amen.

-Wendy
[24w,1d]

Sunday morning muss

Just letting it all hang out with my cat friends early Sunday morning. Phoebe's the grey cat beside me (she disdains the camera) and Chloe is the white cat in the left corner (she is a photo monger).

This picture shows my ever-flattening belly button and my linea nigra (lovely belly line).

Tomorrow is our doctor's appointment. Wish us luck!

-Wendy
[23w, 6d]

Baby Kicks

Baby Kylie was really active yesterday. Her movements are beginning to feel less like flops and more like nudges and kicks. At one point yesterday, I felt her nudges way up high in my abdomen. I looked down and could actually see my shirt move each time she kicked. I said to my belly, "What are you doing way up here? You usually do this much lower."

It may have had something to do with the fact that I was stuck waiting at the Social Security Office (to get my new name social security card ordered) for almost two hours with three screaming babies in close proximity. And no, these babies weren't fussy... they were screaming. And honestly, I don't blame them. The atmosphere in that office was incredibly tense and exasperating.

But it felt like Kylie was nudging me as if to say, "I hear crying babies! Do something Mom!"

Does every pregnant woman do this? Take our own experiences and transfer them onto our baby?

I've found myself lately saying things like:
"The baby is hungry" (when I'm hungry and then I feel the baby kick)
"The baby likes the music" (when I have music on and then I feel the baby kick)
"The baby says hello" (when Karen is talking to my belly and the baby kicks)
And so forth

The rational part of me knows that the baby is just moving around in there as she is supposed to do for her own growth reasons and not my emotional ones. But it seems that I can't help myself from making these little observations.

I guess it's natural since she's living inside me and at this point is "a part of me" but I wonder if I'll be able to quickly break this habit once she's born and is her own individual.

Or whether it will pass as the kicks become more usual and less "fun". (I have to admit, right now they are really fun. I laugh almost every time I feel her and delightedly announce "the baby is kicking". I know this will change soon but for right now I'm really enjoying this phase.)

Oh and one last thing about kicks. I was a cheerleader in high school (go ahead and laugh) and my family and friends like to compare her kicks to cartwheels, back handsprings and flips. I enjoy it. It makes me smile and I know it's just light-hearted fun. Yet I wonder, if in some way, we are already deciding whether she will be a little gymnast like me or a basketball player like her other mom rather than her own person who might like the tuba instead. Hmmmmm.

-Wendy
[23w, 4d]
[28 Babies R Us visits]

Picture time- 6 weeks vs. 23 weeks

Today's picture brought to you courtesy of Hostess Cupcakes! The quicker, fatter, upper!



PS - I got my first stretch marks this week.

-Wendy
[23w, 2d]

Baby dreams

My baby book tells me babies start having rapid eye movements this week. Rapid eye movements suggest that the baby is sleeping. The book states that the baby simply dreams of things in her life such as stretching or playing with the cord.

But it wasn't stated as absolute fact. After all, how could they know for sure exactly what she's dreaming? And I've had lots of fun imagining what else she could be dreaming of.

In addition to having a body connection, the baby and I could have a mind connection. If so, Kylie could be sharing my dreams. Have you had the experience of living with someone, comparing dreams in the morning and found that your dreams shared certain elements? For example, just last week, Karen told me she had a dream wherein she was designing roller coasters. That same night, I had a dream that I was at an amusement park. And neither of us remembers seeing or hearing anything about parks or coasters in the days before. I've had this happen several times where someone else's dreams "bleed over" into mine or vice versa. So perhaps I'm entertaining Kylie with some of my dream images.

Or

If you believe in reincarnation, perhaps the baby is dreaming of her previous life? Maybe she's remembering what she loved about her last life like playing in the grass, or riding a bicycle, or eating ice cream, or kissing her first love. And maybe with these memories that haven't yet washed away, she's also anticipating her life-to-come.

Or

If you believe in heaven, perhaps the baby dreams of that landscape which has beauties beyond our imagination. Maybe she remembers angels singing. Or of being in the presence of family members who wish her well on her journey and are excited to welcome her back once she returns to heaven.


Or maybe she's just dreaming of playing with her cord. Who knows? All I know is that in this world of "scientific and medical pregnancies", it's nice to enjoy a bit of mystical contemplation of the life inside me.

-Wendy
[23w, 1d]

Finished crib blanket

I managed to finish knitting this cabled crib blanket before the end of 2006. I started this blanket on 9/20 when I was eight weeks pregnant and starting to feel really nauseous. The knitting helped me get through that first trimester- stitch at a time and day at a time. It was fun to watch it grow along with my expanding belly. I am very pleased to have it completed. All that white yarn (while lovely and soft) was starting to get boring.


Kylie's Cabled Crib Blanket
Yarn: Blue Sky Organic Cotton
Needles: US 9 circular
Pattern: "Quick Knitted Afgans" book by Stauffer. The original pattern called for a 64" x 50" blanket. I opted to make it 30" x 50".
Finished 12/29/06


Happy New Year Everyone!
-Wendy
[23w, 0d]
[27 Babies R Us visits]