Heading into the holidays...

Well, the holidays are officially upon us. Oma and Opa are on their way, leaving a warm and cozy California only to be victim to Indiana's cold spell...BRRRR! Dad and I are tired of this cold and are looking forward to a nice warm week in Cancun with Gram and Grandad in January. However, there is the issue of a proper bathing suit....(Thank you Oma for coming through again with my clothing crisis.)

Dad is recovering nicely from his hernia repair on Friday. We are now two peas in a pod that are able to lift no more than 15-20# and our normal pants do not fit because our bellies are swollen (for different reasons of course.)

No new news with Barack...there have been questionable "flutters" but as this is the first child, we aren't really sure yet. I am sure he will be tap dancing like Savion Glover on my bladder soon. (I do admit that my bladder has been sore each morning...)

Page, the furry family member that resembles more a cat than a monkey in looks only, is posing below by the tree to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the Barrel for all of us:

Sweet Sixteen

Happy Sweet 16 Baby Barack! You must be really growing now because your mom's innie is now beginning to look like an outtie and you are hungry ALL the time!

This weekend marked Mom's first late night outings--Friday was ladies night out for the Wine Wednesday Holiday party and Saturday was the MLS fußball watching/Red Light Driver CD release driver. Although your mom got to drink in swanky sparkly lemonade and virgin Cosmos, you demanded to be fed at 1:00 am. And how picky you have become! Giving your Mommy cravings such as all things tomato (especially pasta with a marinara sauce), high pulp orange juice not from concentrate (so picky!), all things waffle (toaster, cones, cookies...), and milk (your mom is overjoyed that her lactose intolerance has gone away to make the dairy cravings not so uncomfortable to digest.)

Daddy has been studying hard and taking tests for the past two weeks, so soon we can all celebrate the holidays together.

You heartbeat was heard today at one of your check ups with Dr. V. Good and strong! No known feelings of your rambunctiousness yet, but I am sure your mommy will be feeling you soon.

Drum Roll...

So today we were able to peek inside once more at little Barack. Everything is looking good. Baby is progressing quite well, weighing in at about 3 ounces and a nice strong heart beat of 155 bpm.

But most importantly we were able to gain a look at the "important" parts. At first Barack was sleeping soundly, but after much poking and changing positions it was moving all around. The nice ultrasound tech informed me that this child will be felt kicking before we know it and has a ton of energy! Then it was being shy, by placing its umbilical cord between the legs.

Finally, we got this shot:

Yup, those are the nuts and berries. We are having a boy!!!!

Thank goodness for sales at Kohl's!

It's Thanksgiving week. We all had a busy day on turkey day. Started the morning at a downtown church and loaded our car with hot Thanksgiving meals, drinks, and groceries to deliver to those in need of some holiday cheer and nutritious eats. Then back home we went and helped out a neighbor whose detached garage caught fire and he ran out with nothing but the clothes on his back and his diploma. Jason found a new owner to a pair of shoes he never wears since it was freezing out.

After all that excitement, we decided to head south to spend the rest of the day with family. All was well except for the uncomfortable fact that my pants were too snug by the end of Baby's first Thanksgiving meal. Barack has been really growing this week and Mama's tummy is no longer able to be flattened with strategic tummy sucking. And after a meal...her pants are quite uncomfortable. So needless to say she was excited and overjoyed when the mailman came today with a package from Kohl's online---maternity pants! Mama is grateful for all the hand me downs, but some are stretched a little too far for the current state of affairs. So on to Kohl's for a few pairs on discount. Here's Mama sportin' her new threads and the baby bump:

Auf Wiedersehen 1st Trimester!

Week 12: The End of the First Trimester

Baby:
2.5 inches from crown to rump
3/10-1/2 oz
Barack is fully formed, from tooth buds to toenails. Not to mention it's mother's good looks and father's wittiness...

Dad:
Busy with studying and preparing to Finals--we just let him alone until those are over...

Mom:
Feeling like a new woman
Celebrated last night with dance class to inspire Barack's good dance moves via osmosis (but I bet it was a good naptime.)
Nausea: gone!
Pants: getting snug and many cannot zip, especially my cute winter pants :(
And BEST of all.....I can drink milk again!!!!! My crazy year of lactose intolerance has disappeared and I am so grateful. On to the holidays! Now with an normally expanding waistline and the excuse of "eating for two!"

Fare thee well first trimester! We will not miss you....

Wiggle Worm

So today, we got another peek inside and saw our little one definitely has traits of both of us.

1) Very friendly by waving when the ultrasound wand first came into its space.

2) Wiggling all around to show us its latest dance moves....which some looked like its Dad's dance moves when Phish comes on. But there was stretching, kicking, jumping off the side of my uterus, and rolling.

3) Nice strong heartbeat measuring in at 164 bpm.

4) Getting in some early tummy time (see below)

5) Taking little naps like mom LOVES as a pastime.


Truly an amazing day for us to see all the little parts--arms, legs, tummy, head, face--doing well and very active.In case you are looking at the photo-op and are wondering "What am I looking at?"...Barack is laying on its tummy with the head to the left and the bum to the right. Little legs and knees can be seen. Arms are folded up. This was during one of the quick nap times...

New Gear

So Baby Barack got its first outfit from Grandparents Flora today. Very appropriate for next season of course, but to celebrate today's victory against the Steelers, we are posting it for you to see.

You can be anything you want Baby Flora...

Yesterday, despite the morning sickness I would experience today, I was glued to the television and Internets with hopeful breath that anything is possible in America. Now I know that my child, although s/he will be measured by American standards as an African American as have I and our next president are (even though you "have a beer with me" and come to find we embrace the beauties of both out races...), our child will not be measured by the curl in its hair or the color of their skin, but by the merit of its character. My dreams for my child are now endless and if s/he wants to be President of the best country in the world, it can!

We hope to instill the power of choice, the passion for voting, the voice of well-informed opinion, and the instinct of good. We hope that our child will not be complacent and will stand up for what they believe in and if it means walking door to door for that thing, so be it.

If any of you were following my Facebook page last night, you all read my promise that if Sen. Obama took Indiana that we would name our future child Barack. OK, so we don't know the sex yet, but I am a woman of my word and Jason agrees that since we have hit fetus status, Baby Flora will now be known as Baby Barack during it's "inside months."

Here's to a renewed faith in America!

Double Digits

Baby Flora has officially made it to the supreme status of "fetus," as we enter week 10 of pregnancy. Although we have no bump to show for it, Baby is as large as a medium shrimp and weighs a little less than 2/10ths of an ounce. All the good parts are in place and now we grow, grow, grow...

In better news, I think I have finally gotten over the waves of nausea and am plagued only by extreme tiredness. This baby-making business is hard work so my bedtime is usually before 9:00 pm most nights. Not sure how long I will make it election night...

We are pleased to know that in March, Baby will be attending it's first Phish concerts. I just hope that my ribs and bladder are spared from dancing baby.

This peanut loves all things orange and tomato

So the process of being pregnant has been an interesting one. In a moment, you feel ill and want to lay down, the next you want to gorge yourself on certain food items that will only ease your discomfort. This week, Baby Flora has had a hankering for all things Italian and continues to love Orange Juice. Even funner, it's taking after Dad and only wants the best OJ on the market: Natalie's http://www.orchidislandjuice.com/. Interestingly enough, Baby does not enjoy donuts, oatmeal, or chocolate. I am a little shocked on the chocolate thing....

Well tomorrow we will try to get tickets to Baby's first Phish show. They are doing a reunion concert in March and tickets are hard to come by. If we get luck, Baby will get to dance in the groove for the first time and meet one of its future aunties.....

A New Monkey in the Barrel

We are proud to announce a new addition to our barrel. Baby Flora will be making its debut sometime in the end of May 2009. Stayed tuned to this channel for all updates on the fun we have in our barrel!


Here's a glance of our little monkey today: