Only 8 Weeks left!!

Only 8 weeks left (or thereabouts) and not too much to report at the moment except for the fact that the little squirt is taking up more and more room every day. In place of the intermittent kick, we get more of a sweeping, wave-like wiggle, which much to mommy's lament often ends with a foot in the ribs. It is also interesting that we are actually able to see him/her wiggling around in there - another of the many sci-fi aspects of pregnancy. It is a little more tiring for mom to walk/waddle around New York; Dad has finally cracked the baby books; and we are still kicking around (arguing about) baby names. Everything is just moving right along.




















Roughly 8 weeks in.
Those were the days!

It's nice to know that they're there

Even if we've read about a tenth of them, it's nice to know they're there. The best one so far is The Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon. We happen to be going to birth classes at the birth center that she founded in Manhattan called Real Birth. It is good to know that we are not alone in being pregnant for the first time. It is also good to know that labor is a normal body function after all. Who knew?

Pop Quiz #2

What does this room look like to you?















a) recording studio
b) grandma's attic
c) thrift store
d) baby's room

Pop Quiz

Based on these photos of Baby Aplin's parents, it is likely that Baby Aplin will have one or more of the following characteristics:













































































A. an extraordinary sense of fashion
B. an aptitude for the custodial arts
C. a calling as a pigeon whisperer
D. a secret life as a superhero
E. a ginormous cranium

Only 10 Weeks Left!

Baby Aplin weighs 3 lbs. 3oz, according to our doctor's visit this week. Has a cute looking nose too, and lately every once in a while he or she likes to kick mommy in the ribs. Ouch.

Baby Momma is having trouble sleeping at night, a common symptom at this stage. It's funny though because for years Ben has complained about how Beth is no fun and always goes to bed so early. Now he's the one who is cashed out at 11 pm while Beth is busy writing thank-you notes and scrubbing the bathtub. (Actually she mostly eats pudding and stares endlessly at Ohdeedoh, http://www.ohdeedoh.com/, an addictive design website devoted entirely to spaces and stuff for babies. Beware.)

Something cool about Baby Aplin: he or she can now tell the difference between light and dark! Apparently even babies at 30 weeks in the womb can follow a light source with their eyes. How amazing is that?

Now do you think the baby saw the camera flash on this one?

On Baby Blogging

Before I got pregnant I thought baby blogs were incredibly
narcissistic, right up there with bumper stickers on minivans that say
"My Child is a Star Student at [insert some crappy elementary
school]."

But then I got pregnant and my feelings changed. Lots of things change when you find out you are going to have a baby. You start obsessing over the thread count of crib sheets and you buy books with ridiculous titles like "The Baby Name Wizard" and one day you hear your husband say Pepperoni Nipples and you realize he's talking to you.

Anyway, when I first found out I was pregnant I was 100 % freaked out (whereas now I consider myself a healthy 45 % freaked out). One friend recommended that I check out these blogs of mothers she knew, and she was right. They were (and are) instantly soothing.


This one, http://www.aprileffort.blogspot.com , is written by my friend's niece. She and her husband have two beautiful boys. They are all vegans and live in a trailer park in Portland, Oregon. This one, http://stoplookingatmelikethat.blogspot.com , is by a fellow Prescott grad. She has an amazing little girl and they live in a cabin in the woods that her husband built. Moral of the story: there are thousands of ways to be a creative, loving parent. And babies are cool.

My favorite blog of all is by our friends, Ben and Anna, who live a few blocks away from us here in beautiful Brooklyn. They spent nearly two years trying to adopt two babies from Ethiopia. A week after they finally got their court date and bought their plane tickets to go pick up their babies, they found out that Anna was pregnant! Check out their story at http://youbettermakeitadouble.blogspot.com . The pics of Hilina and Saida are irresistible.

So, yeah, we are blogging, for our amusement and hopefully yours too. I'll let you know when I get my first bumper sticker.

Baby Mama Gets in to Columbia University's MFA Program!!

Beth just got her first news about Grad School and found out she is accepted into Columbia's MFA program for nonfiction writing! The timing is priceless, of course, but we are excited about the invitation nonetheless. If she wants it bad enough, Ben and baby will their best to make it work!

Still waiting to hear from Sarah Lawrence.......We'll keep you posted!

Baby Aplin Scores Big at Nooga Baby Shower

We went to the Nooga this weekend to see friends and family, show off the belly and score some baby loot. And score we did, with many thanks to Susan and Jill for throwing the sweetest baby shower ever.



Baby Mama surrounded by gifts from generous friends and family
















Beth, Mimi and Baby Daddy












Anne, Christie, soon-to-be mom and dad











Man porch - no pink sweaters out here












Beth and Anne