Lil’ G: 32 weeks down

Size Comparison: A Kenner Girder & Panel Set

A Girder & Panel Set? I don’t know how popular these were. I do remember that my older brother had a set and I thought it was pretty cool. They were an interesting toy. On the one hand, the thing is essentially a static toy building. Really, most buildings aren’t all that much fun as toys (think of the movie Big where the Tom Hanks character trashes the toy robot that transforms into a building). On the other hand, our kit featured an elevator and numerous tiny, tiny people which made for excellent make-believe Spider-Man battles. Plus, my various Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars were close enough in scale that they could be incorporated into Spidey’s triumphs.

The baby continues to grow! Lil’ G is about 4.5 lbs now and he/she seems to be using their entire bulk to push against my beautiful wife’s navel. It’s a little odd to see the tummy magically shift from one side to the other. It’s truly a miracle.

Our childbirth classes continue. We made it through the birth video on Monday and, while it was disturbing, it was better than I expected. Next week’s class will include the tour of the hospital. That should be fun. We’re also working out our list of middle names…trying to pick names that sound good with our potential first names and also don’t curse our child with unfortunate initials. Wish us luck.

In VERY exciting news, my sister-in-law is having her baby…well…now. As of this morning (Wednesday 9/27/06), doctors were inducing labor. Sources have informed me that things seem to be going fine. Just the same, we’re praying for the safety, health, and patience of all those involved.

Lil’ G: 31 weeks down

Size Comparison: Colecovision

I’m probably WAY off on the size comparison. In my defense, this was never intended to be an overly accurate depiction of my child’s growth. Anyway, the Colecovision was an awesome gaming console. It’s a shame that it was never as popular as the Atari because it, like the Intellivision, was a superior machine. The graphics were terrific, the sound was great, and play was far more advanced. It’s also a shame (at least it is for me) that it’s gotten so pricey to pick up one of these machines. I’d certainly like to sit down and play some serious Zaxxon. Hmm…if a Colecovision and an Intellivision got in a fight, who would win? Maybe Q-Bert? Idunno,

More importantly, let’s move on to Lil’ G. The books put the baby right at about 4 pounds. Lil’ G is growing like crazy! No doubt it’s getting pretty crowded in there. The baby has definitely had a lot of hiccups recently. According to the doctor, that means the baby will have a “good cry.” Cha-ching!

It’s been a busy week for us, too. We’ve gotten a mattress for the crib so the baby will have a place to sleep. Otherwise, Lil’ G was going to sleep on the dog bed and that really didn’t seem fair to our little Maggie (Maggie is the dog). We had one of our regular appointments with the doctor and we’re happy to say that everything is progressing as it should. The baby is laying sideways with the head on the left and pointing a bit downward. The bum is to the upper right. So, Lil’ G isn’t too far off from being completely upside-down. We’ve also started our childbirth classes. So far, that’s going very well. This one concerned what you could expect in the third trimester and the period leading up to the actual birth. It was complete with the expected cheesy video. Next week we’ll see the actual birth video...say some prayers about that.

Lil’ G: 30 weeks down

Size Comparison: Lava Lamp

Should “Lava Lamp” be one word or two? I guess it doesn’t really matter…either way, it spells “S-W-A-N-K-Y”. I remember my parents’ lava lamp. It featured the bright red “lava”, a perforated copper colored base, and a scalding hot light bulb. I’ve since purchased one of the newer models in black and purple. It’s not quite the same but it definitely makes a house a home.

The books say Lil’ G should be between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds. That sounds like a pretty big range to me but, apparently, the growth rate can vary a lot between children at this point. Whatever the weight, the baby is making the most of it. Lil’ G is all over the place now. I think he/she even had the hiccups the other day. From what I’ve read, that’s a good thing…hiccups exercise the diaphragm and help the baby prepare for breathing. The way Lil’ G was hiccupping, the kid is going to have a nice 6-pack. Just like his/her Pa.

As for the parents-to-be, this has been a busy week. We took a trip to visit the Cincinnati Zoo and the Newport Aquarium. Both were excellent though it rained the entire day at the zoo. The nice part, though, was that we were the only ones around to watch the cheetah feeding and the zookeepers seemed pretty happy to talk to us. Plus, we got to touch sharks at the aquarium!

Next week will be busy, too. Well, Monday will be busy, anyway. We have a checkup with the doctor Monday morning and we start our childbirth class Monday evening. I’m actually looking forward to the class.

Lil’ G: 29 weeks down

Size Comparison: Speak & Math (probably needs to be a "large Speak & Math")

Even though I owned and loved the Speak & Spell, I enjoyed the Speak & Math version a little more. Maybe if it had been the other way around, my spelling would be better today. Anyway, I remember taking this on car trips to my grandparents and the Number Stumper game beats Gameboy any day. The only thing I can add is:

Number right: 2. Number in right place: 1

Lil’ G is doing great. We had another appointment with the doctor on Tuesday. All seems to be well. The baby is moving all over the place now. We tried testing the baby’s like sensitivity the other night. You know, turn off the lights and shine a flashlight on the baby-tummy to see if the baby reacts. We did get movement. I guess there’s no way to tell if the baby was reacting to the light or if it was just rolling around. Either way, it was pretty exciting.

If I remember right, the book said the baby should be around 14.5 inches from crown to foot now. I’m guessing it’s getting pretty cramped in there. I know my wife is thinking it’s getting pretty cramped.