Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Well, actually, he's here already. Eric had a list of sixteen things he wanted to ask Santa for. Santa explained that even good boys don't get everything on their lists. Of course, I've been telling Eric that since he started working on his list.

Alton's First Recall

Aw. How cute. His car seat's been recalled because the seat cushion is backed with a weak fabric. This weak fabric could pull away from the seams, exposing the stuffing. A child could then take that stuffing, put it in his mouth, and choke on it.

Seems a bit unlikely to me, but we get a new seat cushion out of the deal.

The seat does still work as a child restraint.

Alton Speaks French.

Seriously. We were just sitting here, and I said, "Hey, Alton, what's your favorite French accent mark?"

"aigu."

I said, "Oh really? What about Japanese poetry?"

"Haiku."

"Hm. What's your favorite color?"

"ah. . .blue."

"What's the worst film Leslie Nielsen ever made?"

"Magoo."

I tried to get these answers on cam, but he would only talk "off the record."

War of the Wasp

Wednesday night, Eric was on the couch. He was sitting quietly, reading for his school assignment. . .the peace was suddenly shattered by his shrieks. Wasp!! Wasp!!!

A wasp landed at his waist, walked under his shirt. Apparently, wasp feet tickle. When you start identifying their species, tho, wasps take offense and start stinging. That one wasp stung him four times on his back before Dan was able to get Eric's shirt off. I couldn't help until the wasp was >ahem< "removed." I'm pretty much scared of wasps.

Holy cow. Wasps leave big holes. So I check the internet, primarily to find out how many wasp stings is too many. (Ten. ten-to-twenty, seek medical care) I give him kid's motrin and a half shot of benadryl, and get him a nice big ice pack for more immediate relief. He's still not feeling quite better, so I call in the consolation experts--Cartoon Network! Dan points out that you're not supposed to use ice for more than twenty minutes. I ask him if he thinks Eric will sit still for twenty minutes. Really. It's okay.

Once he's adequately comforted, I leave him here with Dan to go buy a bomb. We suspect they have a nest in our chimney. Their nest is a wasteland now. We bombed them last night in their waspy sleep. I feel vindicated.

Smile Baby!

He likes to be tickled. . .

Alton's Video Debut

Yeah. I'm on a roll now.

Eric's Video Debut!

Wow. I'm finally catching up with the rest of the internet.

More Pictures

This was taken last night, as Eric and I worked on our jack-o-lantern.

And, here, Alton is sleepy. Also cute.

So It's Halloween

We went to the Ren Faire a couple of weeks ago. Eric had a great time. Alton slept through it, but babies don't have to pay admission, so it's all good. Dan toted him around in his Snugli and we all had a great time.

Tomorrow Alton reaches two months. Yay two months! He's thriving. He's smiling now and then, sometimes crookedly. He's a big little boy, into his 3-6 month things already. We could probably get him in the 0-3s still, but he looks more comfortable with a little extra room.

We decided not to put him in a costume and make him play Halloween tonight. He's too little to enjoy it, but big enough to hate it. Maybe next year.

Eric's going to be Optimus Prime. He's super excited. I hope he manages to make it through school today without the top of his head blowing off from excitement. I'll hope something similar tomorrow, but the likely cause will be sugar.

Now that I know how easy it is to post pictures, you can expect to see more. . .once I upload from the camera.

News From The Doctor's

Everything's great. Alton's gained four ounces since discharged from the hospital, and going strong. He had dropped 9% of his birth weight in the first 36 hours, so there was some concern that he wasn't getting enough nutrition. The pediatrician who saw Alton in the hospital wanted us to follow up quickly with our regular practice, so we can accurately track his weight gains. Alton's dr is pleased with four ounces in two days, and has given us permission to stop supplementing with formula. He also gave us permission to continue if we choose.

We took Alton for a spin around the neighborhood last night--Eric pushed the stroller. We stopped for a botany lesson ("See the flowers, Alton? See them?") and pedestrian safety rules ("Always check for cars"). We live on a double cul-de-sac, and we did one lap. That was enough for me; I'm supposed to be taking it easy, after all.

So. . .yep. Everything's going great.

We are online!

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=1B8C0T3Y4R

password = polliwog

We're doing well. . .he's got his first dr's visit today at 11:15.

Congratulations!

It's a boy.

Alton James was born yesterday at 9:32 am, after a short (seriously short) labor. He's awesome. He weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces at birth and measured 21.25 inches long.

For those who want the gruesome details, read on. For those who'd just as soon pretend babies are born bathed in rosewater and starshine, feel free to skip the following.

Friday night, I slept on the downstairs couch. I just didn't feel up to going up all those stairs at bedtime. Eric woke me up just before six, though, so I went upstairs then. I laid down next to Dan, and then felt sort of a pop in my lower abdomen. Uh oh. "Dan, I think my water just broke. Go get me a towel."

We then spent twenty minutes talking about what we should do. Finally, we reached the point of "CALL THE DOCTOR." I don't know why this was a hard decision to make. . . just that it was. We also called my mom to come get Eric. The dr said to go to the hospital, so I took a shower while I had the chance. Fed the cat, fed the fish, fed the seven year old, fed the husband. . .

You may have noticed. . .no mention of contractions. That's accurate. They didn't start till seven, and didn't get *really* bad till we were at the hospital.

Labor took hardly anytime at all. I did get an epidural, but I don't think it was optimized before time to push. I had to push through two, maybe three contractions, and he was born. EVERYone was surprised at the speed.

I won't kid you--it hurt, a lot. But it only hurt "a lot" for a little while.

We're all doing great. Eric's excited to be a big brother, and it's wonderful to see.

The hospital pictures won't be up for awhile. They CALL it "webnursery" but that's not exactly what it is. I'll keep you posted tho!

Almost Done

Or almost started--it depends on your perspective, I suppose.

We had a dr's appointment today. The dr ordered an ultrasound, to see just how big Polliwog's gotten. He's estimated to be 7lbs, 13oz as of 3:30 pm today. For a GDM mother, that's pretty good. That makes his estimated anticipated size for delivery right close to 8lbs 4oz. . .which is how much Eric weighed at birth. 9 lbs is considered "large," so it looks like we're on track.

Delivery has been scheduled for Tuesday morning at 7am. Well, inducing labor has been scheduled, anyway. Actual delivery time may vary.

There's some mild concern about preeclampsia (used to be called "toxemia") because of protein in my urine. My feet are swelling, and have been for probably a month. This is also a symptom. My blood pressure readings are within normal limits for most people, but higher than they have been for me. Based on all this, I had to give blood (two tubes worth) and they'll run some test. I don't remember what it's called. I'm not worried. They like to run unnecessary tests. It keeps their skills sharp.

The dr also said I'm two centimeters dilated. Dan's eyes widened dramatically. "What does that mean?" he asked. "Nothing," the dr replied, "just that things are progressing." Well, that's good to know. . .but we sort of knew it already.

The hospital we'll be at has a webnursery. We're going to sign up for it, and it's password protected. Don't tell anyone, but the password is "polliwog." Should be easy enough to remember. (And, really, I'm kidding about the secrecy. Tell everyone you want to; it's just baby pictures.) The hospital's name is CMC-University. I tried three times to imbed links so you just had to click on a different coloured word and be taken there, but I couldn't make it go. So here's the long, literal, ugly link.

http://carolinashealthcare.org/facilities/hospitals/university/WebBabyNursery.cfm

and remember! the secret word is polliwog!

Almost done.

So-o-o. . .

We're in the home stretch. Yesterday's ob visit went--unsurprisingly enough--well. Everything's on track and. . .well, you know. Just read the last update and apply it again.

NEXT visit, 8-28, I'll be having a sonogram. The dr wants to take a peep and see just how big of a boy we're dealing with here. I'd like to know that, too, and of course any chance for more baby pictures is worthwhile.

We can also expect labor to be induced on September 4th, if everything looks great on the sonogram next week. There's really not much chance of delivery being delayed, but they could decide to speed it up a bit more. I *really* like having a plan, even one this tentative. I wrote it in my planner, so it's official.

Today at the Doctor's Office

Well, no real news, actually. Everything's perfectly fine, right on target and as expected.

Thought y'all might like to know, tho.

The dr did say that he would bet against the baby coming this week, but then, so would I.

Update 8-12-07

Everything's fine; progressing pretty much as expected.

We went to the dr last Tuesday, and everything's looking good. According to the dr, Polliwog is head-down now. . .not that that means birth is immient, but it's certainly what were moving towards.

I've felt a fair bit of contractions (Braxton-Hicks) this past week or so. We asked the dr what were our guidelines for "call the doctor/run to the hospital." We're not even close to that sort of regular, rhythmic sort of thing. It's more like random musle flexing.

Eric is getting more and more excited. A couple ladies at church gave us baby gifts today, and I let Eric open them. He was enthusing about dressing his little brother in the new socks (they look like rockets) and showing him off.

Tuesday evening, we'll be taking a Teddy Bear Tour of the hospital. This is intended for siblings, to let him see where it's all going to happen. Dan and I are looking forward to it, too, tho, because we don't know where it's all going to happen. . .

It's hard to believe we still have a full month to go to the due date. I feel like it is SO time for this baby to be born. . .except it's not.

I'm managing my diabetes well. Dan and I saw the endocrinologist Wednesday, and she was pleased with my management. I am, too, of course, but I'm not the doctor. Part of the credit for that sucess is Dan's. He does a really good job of computing just how much of what I can eat.

And that's all the news that is news.

Wow!

It's been two months since I last posted!! Sorry, everyone. Time just slipped away. . .

So, we have five weeks to the Official Due Date of September Tenth. I have no reason to think this date is going to be the actual date of birth, and actually several reasons to think it will not.

1. Past experience. When pregnant with Eric, labor was induced five days early.
2. Gestational Diabetes. Part of the reason for the induction was my diagnosis of GDM--which has been repeated for this pregnancy.
3. Braxton-Hicks. My uterus is practicing baby-expelling, just building up strength to get Polliwog out of there.

We have the nursery ready. Dan painted the walls green--under my supervision, of course--and I put up the alphabet. It was a Hobby Lobby find, a set of wall stickers that are childish without being just too-oo-oo-oo adorable. Eric's nursery walls were decorated with Winnie the Pooh stickers, but this time I wanted something that would last past the first year. Some of the letters don't show up so well against the green, but we'll get over that.

It's amazing how much different the room looks with Eric's stuff out of there and Polliwog's stuff in. Changing the wall color was an important step in changing the "ownership" of the room. No, the baby wouldn't know it used to be Eric's bedroom. By painting the walls, though, we've made a clean distinction in our minds. It's like a whole different space now.

This weekend, we're going to pack up the "Run To The Hospital" bag and stow it in the trunk. I've given my co-workers Dan's cell number, just in case one of them has to take me to the hospital during work hours. Our offices are about ten minutes apart, and each is ten minutes from our hospital, CHS University. Yes, Human Resources has Dan as my emergency contact, but who's to say the HR lady will be available when I need her to be? I feel better prepared if I know Dan will be called immediately. Oh, and yes, I have my cell phone with me all the time, but who's to say I will feel like calling him? I like to prepare for multiple possible outcomes.

This Wednesday, we meet with the endocrinologist, who has been involved with my care because of the diabetes. This week, we're working out a birth plan. I don't know what-all that covers. I remember being worried about hypoglycemia during labor with Eric. . .I wasn't allowed to eat anything except popsicles, and I never got a color other than orange. (I like green best) Apparently, though, there's enough sugar in popsicles that hypogylcemia wasn't a concern.

I also don't know how much of a birth one can plan. There are so many variables, and it's so easy to skew the whole thing. I'll let y'all know after I find out.

I'm starting to swell up. My feet are puffy, but not to the point I can't wear shoes. I have two pairs of Crocs--the Mary Jane style--that are very comfortable. I've started limiting my activity. It's hard for me to not be able to do what I need to do. This weekend is tax-free weekend here in NC, and it's a great chance for back-to-school shopping. I just can't do it.

I have some pretty intense hip pain in the mornings, but it usually fades in a couple of hours. The doctor said it's because Polliwog is (basically) sitting on a nerve. Well, great. Tell him to move.

I'm managing my diabetes well. The dr. wanted to put me on insulin injections, but that's just not something I would do. I might mean to do it, realise the necessity of it, plan to do it, try to do it. . .but I wouldn't actually pick up the syringe and jab it into my body. So, I'm on glyburide. This is an oral medication that works by telling my pancreas to make more insulin. It's not as precise as insulin would be. I have to pay close attention to what I eat, but I don't have to jab needles into my flesh. It's a fair compromise. The endocrinologist is happy with the results I've been getting, too.

And that is all the news that is news.

No news is good news

Seriously. I haven't written anything because, well, there's nothing much to say.

I had another one-hour glucose test last week, and failed that one with a score of 149. I have the three-hour test scheduled for Thursday of this week. The doctor told me last week that there's only a 60% chance of gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies. I've been operating under the assumption it was far more likely, something in the 85 or 90 percentile.

Nothing like a little statistic to change my perspective!

My next appointment is 6-25, and after that one, I start going in every two weeks. I do get tired of going to the doctor, but it makes a nice change from the office.

Eric's done with first grade, headed to second. This next week, he has Cub Scout day camp, which is going to be a huge amount of fun. I'm volunteering there Tuesday. I listed my pregnancy on my medical form, so the camp director knows. I don't have an assignment yet, tho. I just show up Tuesday morning, and they will give me a job then. I hope it's something fun like crafts. The coordinator for my pack mentioned lemonade duty, where I would just mix lemonade all day long. While I recognize the value of keeping 215 boys hydrated, it's not the kind of gig I would enjoy. I would MUCH rather play with papier mache and paints.

My right hip's been bothering me--not with exertion, but with position changes, like going from sitting to standing. I asked the doctor about it, and he started nodding before I even got done explaining my symptoms. Aparently, it's common in second pregnancies for the baby to lay on nerves, including whichever one it is that makes my hip hurt. Well, good. I was worried I was headed in for a bionic hip after delivery.

The doctor said my weight gain was "spot on," which surprised me, because he's not British. My iron was a little low--I got a score of 10 and it should have been 12. So I'm on slow FE now, and I assume it's helping. I'm also adding exercise bars to my diet. They taste like candy, but have actual nutritional value. My blood pressure's been good.

So there you have it. No news is good news.

And here's an update

Everything's going great.

We had a second ultrasound this Thursday. At the first one, the doctor was unable to get one side of the heartflow, because Polliwog wouldn't turn over. So, he had us come back for another one. This time, we took Eric. It meant getting him out of school an hour early, but it was worth it.

We explained the TV screen on the wall. We talked about how bats and dolphins use soundwaves to find stuff. We talked about the slimy gunk the tech put on my belly to make the receiver glide. We talked about Solomon, who had a sonogram for some stomach trouble. Solomon had to have his tummy shaved. The tech was a little bemused by this conversation until I let her know Solomon was a dog. Then it made a little more sense to her.

And when he saw the first picture on the TV, he was amazed.

Ultrasound technology is so impressive. I completely understand why people go to the mall and get more pictures made. We saw Polliwog move his hand--grasp and release, grasp and release. We saw his leg bones--femur measurement is one of the required things to get, but we also saw tibia and fibula, clear as an xray. She even showed us the lenses in his eyes. Granted, those pictures are a little creepier, since it's a pinpoint of white in a skull's black eyesocket. It's still fascinating, though.

The tech estimated him at right about a pound, and based on the measurements she took, gave us a due date of September 12. Odds are good I won't have to go all the way to the official due date. Even though I passed my early screen for diabetes, I have another one looming ahead, one that I'm even more likely to fail. I was induced four days early with Eric. I had had contractions over the weekend, a lower fluid level was detected on Friday, and I was GDM. That combination led my doctor to her decision to induce. My granny reminds me, though, that every pregnancy is different.

Well

I got the official results of my three hour glucose screening. . .and it was normal. I said "Are you sure?" and the nurse said, "Yes ma'am." I said "Oooooo-kay. If you say so. . ."

I doubt that's the usual response to normal test results, but it was mine.

This doesn't mean we're done testing. We'll repeat the testing sometime in May, I believe.

I have a regular OB appointment this Monday. Don't expect any news--it'll be pretty routine.

:)

Yay Diabetes

Well, that title may be premature, but I'm guessing it's accurate. Today was my three hour screen. I didn't get to eat breakfast, I didn't get to drink coffee. I got to drink orange soda with an extra cup of sugar stirred in. I got to let the labtech stab me with needles four separate times. Once is fasting, before the sugarsoda, then 1, 2 and 3 hours after finishing the bottle. I finished it in less than a minute. She was. . .well, surprised. I don't think she was impressed, but definitely surprised. I wasn't. I was thirsty.

Based on the way I felt, I'm reasonably confident my results will be abnormal, and I'll get a call tomorrow with my official diagnosis.

Like I didn't know already.

Sono Update

Let me begin by apologizing for not posting the sonogram news on Thursday. It's been a busy Easter weekend. . .

So the big news that everyone's just so curious about--it's a boy. We weren't able to scan the pictures, so there are no grainy gray rectangles for me to post, and for you to guess what that is. The other important result from this appointment? Everything looks fine, there's only one Polliwog, and he's approximately 8oz. This was at a high-rish OB practice, so I feel completely reassured regarding Polliwog's health. They know what they're looking at in there.

Eric was impressed with the "baby pictures." It really seemed to help him understand that this is an event in progress. He's also excited that the baby is a boy, because now he doesn't have to throw away any of his toys--he can pass them on to his brother when they're outgrown.

Tuesday is the 3 hour glucose screening. I'll probably know those results Wednesday (well, I probably know them right now, but I'll have the numbers on Wednesday)

So stay tuned...more to come.

Update Number Next. . .

I had a doctor's appointment this past Monday. Pretty standard stuff, except for the glucose screening. For those of you fortunate enough to have not had the experience, I'll excplain.

The nurse hands you a beverage. "Mm," you think, "orange soda." Then you sip, and discovered it's like orange soda with extra sugar stirred in, and the bubbles taken out. Not a taste treat. An hour after you finish, someone will take a blood sample to see if your body correctly processed the extra sugars, or no.

I'm a no. My glucose level after an hour was 151. Not dangerously high, to be sure, but the normal range is 77-120. (I know--I asked.)

This did not surprise me AT ALL. I've been telling the doctors since I started this pregnant journey that I expect to be gestationally diabetic. They have tried to persuade me that I could be wrong, that it happens all-l-l the time for one pregnancy to be GDM and subsequent, not. I started telling them three months ago that that's fine, but I'm going to follow a diabetic eating plan just the same. "Well, if you want to, ok, but it's really not necessary. . ."

Since I failed the one-hour screen, I am now scheduled for a three-hour screen. On this day, I will drink even more sugary orange "soda" and have blood drawn after one, two, and three hours. When I fail two of the three, I will be officially GDM.

I learned in my last pregnancy that, if my sugar is high, drinking lots of water and exercising will help to lower it. I am almost tempted to "cheat" the test and intentionally lower my glucose. However, as in everything else, cheaters only cheat themselves. It's still a tempting thought, but not a practical one.

GDM does not automatically mean a complicated pregnancy or delivery. It means I will need to pay strict attention to what I eat and when, as well as routinely checking my glucose levels on a home monitor. There is the potentional for complications, the most well-known and widely feared being a reall-ll-lly large baby. My firstborn was 8lb 4oz, which is perfectly normal and standard. I have talked with other GDM mothers who birthed 10lb bundles of joy. This is a consequence of high maternal glucose levels. By keeping my blood sugars within operating parameters, I expect to manage just fine.

Once I have an official GDM diagnosis, I plan to meet with a dietician to go over an individualized food plan. It seems wiser than operating on a seven year old plan based on what I remember from the last time. I'm confident I can handle this as well--or maybe even better--than I did before.

In other news. . .we have an ultrasound scheduled for this coming Thursday morning. I don't necessarily expect them to see the gender. It's only week 18, after all. But, as an "Advanced Maternal Age" patient, there will be more medically-necessary ultrasounds. GDM will also increase the medical necessity of more frequent sonograms. So if we don't know Polliwog's gender Thursday, there will be probably be other chances to find out.

We went camping with the Cub Scouts last weekend. It was a good way to see just how much camping I can handle. The campsite is 15 minutes from the house, and I planned an exit strategy: if I couldn't handle it, I'd go home and sleep in my bed. But it was fine. The tents were Boy Scout issue, with cots inside. Compared to the trip we took in November, this was the Hilton.

Today, we're going to Carowinds. I had a heart-to-heart with my doctor, to make sure I understood what I am permitted to ride. . .and what I am not. Not only are roller coasters out, but so are things that shake. Dr. D. said the "no pregnant women" signs are accurate, and need to be followed. (I could have just obeyed the signs, I suppose, but I like to understand why the rules are what they are. That way, I don't persuade myself that one little roller coaster can't hurt. . .) Thankfully, Eric's tall enough to ride alone, so it should be all right.

And. . .that's all I got for now.
I'll try to post Thursday night, but it's hard to always find time.

2nd Doctor's Visit

This morning Dan and I were back at the OB's office, for my second check-up. Everything's fine. My official due date is September 10, which means I'm at week-ten-almost-eleven. I gained a pound. One pound. In a month of pregnancy. I was expecting more, since my pants don't fit anymore. But, all right, one pound it is. (Don't expect me to always give weight information. . .but it's only a pound.

The doctor was able to find Polliwog and broadcast his heartbeat. It was amazing. Dan was obviously awed. I told Dan, shortly after passing the home pregnancy test, that it all seems so much more real when you hear the heartbeat. There's the abstract of "baby" but it's so much more concrete when you hear it.

My next appointment is March 26. This one, the dr. set me up for a diabetes screening. I am not looking forward to a diabetes screening, especially since my "prize" for passing it will be to do it again a month later. She recommends this primarily due to my previous experience with gestational diabetes. I started following many of the diabetic dietary rules a month ago, though I'm not as compliant as I probably will need to be in later months.

The ultrasound will be sometime in late April. It'd be nice to know Polliwog's gender. Then I'll have a gender with a pronoun to use at will. I can drop awkward constructions like "he/she" and "him/her." Of course, it's not 100% certain that we'll be able to tell, but those sono-techs know what they're seeing.

And now you know everything I do. :)

Update 2-17-07

Our next doctor's visit is Monday. This is the one where we should hear Polliwog's heartbeat. We had planned to bring Eric with us, and let him hear, too. It was a scheduled school holiday, so it wouldn't have cost him any learning time. That plan changed, though, because we had a "snow" day. We had an inch and a half of snowfall, in a county with 12 snowtrucks. Here in North Carolina, it's not practical to have any more snowtrucks on standby. 1.5" is enough to shut the county down. Not that Eric minded--he had a great time trying to sled down the hill. He has to make up that snow day on President's Day.

My clothes are starting to fit uncomfortably. Apparently, one's second pregnancy shows earlier than one's first. I went shopping last weekend for maternity clothes, and picked up a few over priced things. I have decided not to pay ridiculous retail prices for clothes to wear just till September. eBay is my new best friend. I picked up a linen outfit for $15. Retail prices would have been more like $60. And, once I return to normal clothes, I plan to sell my pregnant wardrobe back. It's good for the economy.

Physically, I feel great. I expect that to continue--or hope it will, at least.

Room Decor

Last night, I met my friend Lisa and another friend for dinner. It comes as no surprise that babies was a hot topic of conversation last night.

We were talked about how to decorate Polliwog's room. We had considered a red, black, and white color scheme, since that's what newborns can see most clearly. That would be interesting, but probably harder to change down the road. We have a lot of yellow left over from painting Eric's room, as well as royal blue, teal green, and orange. We will probably use up the leftovers somehow.

When I was pregnant with Eric, I wanted to decorate the nursery with Peter Rabbit. However, it was completely impossible to find any Peter Rabbit stuff. The search was long and fruitless. He ended up with Winnie the Pooh. . .which was cute, but not Peter Rabbit.

I learned a lesson. See what's available first, then decide from those options.

I've started looking. I'm liking little yellow duckies. Gender neutral and cute and baby-appropriate. Plus, we have yellow paint. That makes it economical, as well. Once we finish Eric's planet room, we'll move him out of the smaller bedroom and start setting that up for Polliwog.

My friend Lisa has a changing table she's done with. Her daughter turns three this month, and is moving to "big girl" furniture. She described it as "wood" and I suspect it's oak, but it doesn't really matter. It will be perfectly adequate, and provides us with a starting point in the world of baby furniture.

Update 2-10-07

Well, so now we're 10 weeks into this pregnancy. I feel great. No more nausea, not so tired. I feel great. I went shopping yesterday and bought a batch of maternity clothes. I'm not showing much, but my regular clothes are a little binding through the belly.

We told Eric the news last weekend. He was not impressed on first telling. I think that was due to miscommunication; he did not realise there's a baby growing in my belly right now. He's been expecting a sibling since September 23rd. We had a conversation with more detail later in the week, when he asked me how the baby gets out. (!)

Sticking to our philosophy of honesty-in-moderation, I told him "God made a special opening." It's factual, without the sort of details that make other parents wish I wouldn't tell my son those sorts of thing. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a request to see that opening when the baby comes out. (Ohhh boy...) I told him that might not be such a good idea, since the opening is in my private parts.

"OH, Mommy!! That's disgusting!!! I think I'm goin' to throw up!!!!"

And thus the issue is resolved. (whew)