Wilson's Baptism.

On his first birthday, Wilson spent the morning at church cleansing his soul. How much cleansing does a one-year-old soul require? Well, not much. It was a happy affair, and we were very pleased to be joined for the occasion by three of Wilson's four sets of grandparents (notably Gigi and Grandude from Montana, shown here) and by his aunt Beth, cousin Alexis, and aunties Nellie and Katie (who drove all the way out from Pullman in a borrowed car to participate! WOW!) All together, we took up two pews.

I'm not really sure how baptisms work in other congregations (and I was just recently baptised myself, so it's all relatively new), but at Magnolia UCC the pastor drizzles water over the head. There was a lot of reading before and after that part, and some singing. Cathy (our pastor) even had the congregation, led by the choir, sing Wilson "Happy Birthday". I sobbed almost the entire time, which was painful for me, but some people told me afterward that it made the experience more meaningful for them. One woman said there wasn't a mom in the pews whose heart wasn't aching along with mine. That's cool, if my tears could enrich their Sunday experience, I'm glad for it.

We were reminded just how blessed we are by Wilson's sweet temperament during the affair. Like a very good baby, he was charming and sweet during the entire thing, even when Cathy took him from us and out into the congregation to interact with his "new family in Christ". He smiled and waved at everybody, and didn't seem to notice that Daddy and I were still stuck on the stage (poor Mommy in hiccups by then). Of course, after the baptism was over, he thought it would be fun to sing like the grown-ups, except he started singing during the sermon. So he had to leave, which was too bad because he was personally mentioned a few times in the message. (The speaking pastor, Tom, said he'd try his best not to make Wilson a "visual aid". Apparently he didn't try very hard.)

After church we visited with people and got to introduce our family around a little, which was nice. We're lucky that our church is small, so we know a lot of people, and everybody knows Wilson. We also received a gorgeous quilt as a gift from the church. We feel very loved and spoiled by those people. They are just so nice!

Combined with his birthday party in the afternoon, Sunday October 21, 2007 was a sparkling day for our family. Wilson's baptism really was the meaningful experience we hoped it would be, and we were so glad that so many of his family could be there to share in it and his birthday party.

Coming soon: Wilson's trick-or-treat!

12 Weeks.

O. My. God.

Where has the time gone? We're nearly done with the first trimester, and guess what peeps, I haven't even begun to think about thinking about what our life will become with a second little person in it. I am so behind in this thinking that I still regularly forget that I am pregnant. It's often someone asking me, "how are you feeling?" and me scrambling to recall if I was supposed to be sick or something that jogs my memory. And then I remember how none of my clothes fit anymore, and my throat is constantly on fire from the heartburn. And how I felt ill constantly for like two straight months. I must just be exhausted, because with all that's going on inside a'here, forgetting I'm pregnant should NOT happen.

Anyway, things seem to be going fine. My milk makers are nice and sore, and occasionally when I wake up in the mornings I'll feel rolling movement a la uterus. My pooch is very obvious now, although at this point I still look more fat than pregnant. I really look forward to, oh, the 20th week. Then all the proportions are what they should be.

Check out Wee Pea!

• S/he is about 2.5 inches long (plum?)
  
• Nerve cells are multiplying rapidly this week
• If I prod, s/he moves around (although I can't always feel it)
  

Babies are Gross, Part 14

Today I had to scrape mashed carrots off of my windowsill.

One

Wilson had his first birthday and party on October 21st. Here's the report:

The event took place after we returned home from his baptism (more on that later). Little Man had a house full of people here to see him and although he had recently had a bout of stomach flu--so no cake this year--he was cheerful and sociable.

His Montana grandparents came out for his party and they were joined by most of the Washington family and many of our friends. Aunt Katrina even drove all the way out from Pullman just to be with him on his big day. Wilson had a special surprise when his daycare teacher, Amy, and his daycare girlfriend, Madelyn, showed up. Ex-girlfriend Shay was very gracious and a scene was fortunately avoided.

Wilson enjoyed his dinosaur party and had a bunch of fun playing with all of his cousins and other friends that came to see him. The house was pretty crowded but everyone found a spot and a good time was had by all.

Here are some pictures of the big day.

11 weeks.

Sunday was the first day of week 11. (We're getting caught up in weeks now, sorry about having 10 and 11 so close together, it'll be smoother in the future.) Mommy is feeling virtually nausea-free, which is lovely! We visited with a very pregnant friend of ours who is due to pop anytime, and it made us really excited for the coming months. Having already been pregnant before, this time we're all about getting to the baby part of things. :D

Some details for Week 11:

• By the end of this week, Wee Pea will be the size of a fig
• Fingers and toes have lost their webbing
• Baby's kicking and somersaulting, but Mommy doesn't feel it yet
  
• Baby's sense of smell begins to develop

Poll: do you like the pictures of fetuses in utero, or do they creep you out? Let us know.

10 Weeks.

So we began week 10 on Sunday October 29th. Here's a picture of what a 10-week old fetus looks like. The nausea is slowly slowing, which is a welcome relief, although I didn't have it nearly as rough as many pregnant women do, so I really shouldn't complain. (Oh, but it's fun!)

According to the literature, Wee Pea has grown his/her finger- and toenails and his/her eye color is being determined this week. All of its major body organs are present, now they just have to grow and develop. Apparently Wee Pea is able to "breathe" the amniotic fluid now, his or her eyelids are fusing closed for the next several weeks, and the ears are completely developed! Yay!

So he or she is about the size of a cherry. Is that bigger than a grape? Guess it depends on the cherry. Anyway, things seem to be going well, which we're thankful for, especially after my stairway tumble. It could have been so much worse; it sure makes you grateful (and a little more careful!!)

Don't Pregnant While Multitasking.

Ever seen a pregnant woman fall down a flight of stairs?

Me either, but I'm pretty sure that someone else has, and if it looked at all like it felt, that person got the laugh of a lifetime. (I should preface by saying that I am okay, baby's okay.)

Here's how it happened. I was leaving my Statistics class (which I'm passing, hooray for me!) by way of one of NSCC's big sweeping concrete staircases. I was on the cel phone with Josh asking how trick-or-treating and the cow costume played out, and just as I hung up I began soaring through space.

The hem of my skirt soared up past my right eye. My cel phone, blinking pinkness, whizzed past too. The green of my purse and the blue strap of my schoolbag flashed and bobbed and may have smacked me in the face. I eventually landed, on the edge of my left foot, and promptly on my ass. My cel phone, which I had apparently thrown straight into the air, came down and bounced neatly off the top of my head. The world stood still that one silent moment as I sat on my ass on my foot on the cold concrete staircase wondering "what in the name of God's Holy Trousers...?"

The bad news was my foot and ankle took all the impact. I missed a stair, which is why I fell. The good news was I had chosen to wear my practical Keen sandals, which are stout and formed of durable plastic and nylon. I would have done myself some pretty serious damage had I still been wearing my 2.5" wedges.

I managed to pull my skirt off my face and stagger upright. I didn't start crying until I called Josh to rescue me. I blubbered something about "stairs...ankle...flying". He graciously packed our exhausted cow-son into the car, deputized Uncle Mike for the mission and saved clumsy mommy from the big mean staircase. Because Josh is a saint, he didn't even laugh at me.

I'm pretty sure it's just a sprain. I can't walk except with the help of a cane (it's awesome, it has four feet!) and I can't drive at all, but I'm pretty sure nothing's broken.

The moral of the story, kids, is not to play with your cel phone while walking down stairs. At least not concrete ones. Better yet, don't do anything distracting while doing anything else. You never know when it will send you ass-over-teakettle, especially when you're suffering from Baby Brain.