More on the Moving

Sometimes this child is SO active that I wish it would calm down a bit! I wouldn't necessarily say it moves at certain times during the day, but I generally feel it around lunchtime and then some time during the night - any where from 2:00 to 7:00 in the morning. I don't mind the 7:00 times, but if it is rather forceful at 2:00, I would rather it was sleeping so that I could sleep! The other night, the moevements were so strong, I swear I was feeling a body part - most likely the head based on the position. That's a bit creepy for me. It's more like an alien than a child then to me. Something is trying to come out of me - straight through the abdomen.

Otherwise, in answer to the most frequently asked question, I am feeling fine. Tired because of not enough sleep, but I think that is the only reason. We only have 12 weeks to go!

The cutest little fetus face

Here's the picture Sarah mentioned in her last blog entry - the one from our latest ultrasound that we had last week that shows Baby's face from the front.

In the picture, Baby appears to be sleeping and quite peaceful and serene. But, as I can attest to, it is often active and moving. The other night, Sarah was awake around 2:00 or 3:00 and said Baby was moving forcefully. I put my hand on her stomach and felt a swift kick or jerking from some body part!

We visited the doctor yesterday morning for the follow-up to this ultrasound. She said that a baby's movement is only a sign of health. She also remarked that Baby is big for this stage of the pregnancy! Our fears of a difficult birth are only growing. My theory is that it's like putting lots of fertilizer in the garden - the plants then grow extra large - so I've told Sarah to stop eating so many healthy things so Baby doesn't grow abnormally big!

I also asked if I would be allowed in the delivery room. The doctor said I was allowed everywhere, even in the operating room if they have to do a C-section. She said, however, that gone are the days of fathers having to wear the whole hospital scrubs and masks and all. That was what I was looking forward to - dressing up and playing doctor! The whole fun of it is coming out of the delivery room into the waiting room and ripping the mask off a sweaty face and exclaiming, "It's a boy/girl!"

We're off tomorrow on a long road trip to Normandy, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany with future Aunt Lora. Baby is already well-traveled!

Mother's Day

Stephen got me a gift for Mother's Day as a Mother to be. It made me a little teary-eyed. Sometimes, I really can't believe that this is happening and I wonder, "Do we really know what we have gotten into?" We will have to share a picture of this gift, but it might be a while. We leave on Thursday for a road trip through France. This picture is from our most recent trip to France - which included a side trip to Chartres to view the catherdral there.

We had another ultrsound on Thursday to check the progress of the baby's thryoid (since I have a low active one). Everything looks good they said. The baby is now approximately 1.2 kilos. It will be around 2.8-3.6 kilograms at birth the technician told us. Supposedly, we are right on track. We also have a picture to share from that but that may also take a while! It's a cute frontal view of the face. Hard to tell who it really looks like, personally.

Things are lining up...

We now have a pediatrician! I wouldn't have known really that I needed to look for one in advance except the paperwork for the clinic asked for the name of your pediatrician. So our doctor recommended three names; I managed to find two of them in the phone book (guessed well enough at the spelling of their names); called one and she was accepting new patients. So we have a prenatal appointment the first week of June. Stephen doesn't quite get why we need to go, but the receptionist (with her limited English) said usually one should come in 2 months before the due date. I think it is mainly just to meet this person. One more thing taken care.

We are supposed to start our prenatal classes (in English) in June, but I haven't been able to get the start date confirmed. That is making me a little nervous, but the Swiss are usually good about getting back to you.

An American whose two children were born here told us today that because our baby is being born in Switzerland, if our child does not marry an American and is not living in the US when they have a child, our potential grandchild would not automatically have US citizenship. Interesting and strange ...some things you never think about - and wonder who comes up with these rules!