A.B. Kagledom

Dear Little George,

The gestation calendar says that last week you started to hear - inside and outside the womb. If that is true, here is a list of some of the first things you heard:

1. The contractors finishing up their work on our new house. They've removed the lights that looked like boobs (that could have been confusing every time you looked up at the ceiling and expected a meal).
2. A lot of singing and talking coming from your brother. He entertains himself these days by pretending he is surrounded by his favorite characters and making up songs.
3. Mama gloating about how many baby clothes she did in fact keep. They are now sorted into plastic tubs by size waiting for you. Apparently we really only gave away 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. Since Simon wore 0-3 for an entire three weeks, that is no big loss. We expect you to be around the same size. We won't be spending money on itty bitty clothes this time around.
4. Lots of hammering as Mama and Daddy hung the framed wall paintings Daddy made back in the Mountain View townhouse days. They are heavy. They've made it across the country twice in near perfect condition. Your room is looking more babyish - all we need is a better light fixture and ceiling fan combination to finish it off. We expect you to like fans. It seems to be a Kagle thing. We may need a new crib - we're not quite sure yet if Simon's can be fixed. The last time we put it together the side fell right off. Over. And Over. And Over.
5. You would also have heard us say goodbye to Cousin Devon as he left for the Marines. That would have been followed an hour or two later by a crying Simon when he woke up still in the car in a traffic jam. We were being stupid and thought we could make it into San Francisco on highway 80 in 2 hours on a Sunday evening. After we switched to 680 you would have heard Simon cheerfully talk to Laa Laa and Muck while he and Minnie and Kiki flew up and down in the airplane. I think it crashed but no one seemed to be the worse for wear or even slightly unhappy. Maybe Kiki saved them on her broomstick? It's hard to tell.

Love,

Mama

Posted by kagledom at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Little George,

We're in the middle of gestation week 19. You started actually kicking me last weekend. It first started seemingly as a way for you to inform me that I was squishing you but now I just think you've come to enjoy the movement. Daddy has yet to feel you move. I imagine that opportunity will come sometime later this week.

Mama has been very concerned about her weight recently. Even though she is exactly the same weight at the same point as when carrying Simon she looks MUCH larger. Large enough that the occasional person actually mentions it. We assume those people aren't trying to hurt Mama's feelings. It is hard to put on pounds - pregnant or not. Mama's body is just trying to pop back into Simon-shape to give you room. It remembers that he was nine pounds and carried fairly high until the day he was born. So if you can help me out here by desiring salad, toast, vegetables, and fruit, instead of constantly wanting chocolate, avocados, beans, and cheese, we'll get along fine. OK, maybe I won't give up avocados or beans. Deal?

Love,

Mama

P.S. Calvin has named you "Humpty Kong Kong." Maybe he doesn't really appreciate Simon renaming him "Tokyo?"

Posted by kagledom at 09:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dear Little George,

We're calling you Little George for the same reason we called your brother George. When Daddy was young he named all his stuffed animals "George" - there was a "Big George" and a "Little George" and even a "Medium George."

Just as with Simon, we won't be telling anyone your name until you are born. If we did, we're absolutely certain there would be a crowd of people who would stand up and ever so gently say "THAT IS A TERRIBLE NAME, HOW CAN YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD?!" After all, with your brother there was "Simon says" and "Simple Simon" and "that mean guy from American Idol" to worry about. Simon's name hasn't been a problem for him and we don't think yours will be for you either. It is unusual, true. It is even likely you will never -in your life- run into another person with your same name. But we think it is a great name with a great history. Mama has never run into another "Hava" and her life has not been irreparably harmed.

No one really guessed Simon. We're pretty sure no one will guess what the "A" in A.B. stands for (the "B" is easier). But everyone is welcome to try. As people come up with guesses, they should add them to the comments of this post. They'll be here to compare when Little George is born and when he is old enough to enjoy the attempts.

Love,

Mama

Posted by kagledom at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)

Dear Little George,

We had your ultrasound checkup this morning. You are just the right size. You were holding your foot with both hands and then you rubbed your eyes. It was wonderful to see you again. You and your little man bits.

Love,

Mama and Daddy

Posted by kagledom at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Little George,

I stopped being exhausted and nauseous two days after we hit the twelfth week of pregnancy. That was really lucky since we left for our vacation only one week later. I also started feeling you move at twelve weeks. You don't move much. That or you are still too small to make much of an impact. Your brother would tap tap tap and move a heck of a lot when he was in your home. You simply roll or slowly swipe every now and then. Your brother has been a constant mover since he was born but we'd be THRILLED if you decided to be a little more sedentary.

You also had a nuchal translucency screening at week twelve. Daddy and I watched you lay there with your little heart beating. It looks like you had two hiccups. You're measuring 4 days ahead in height. We bought a DVD of the ultrasound. You are already adorable. And what a relief it was to discover that you are not at risk for Down's or two other genetic conditions.

We took the DVD on vacation. Daddy hadn't told his extended family about you because we were about to see them in person. We announced your existence by showing the DVD. Aunt Jackie, Uncle Tom, and Cousin Rachel were at the first showing. Aunt Jackie screamed. She has had the best response to the announcement of your existence. Oma saw the video the next day. A week or so later we showed it to Grandma Whee. Everyone is very pleased that you are around. Most people agree with Mama that the video reveals signs that you are a boy. Everyone also agrees that it is hard to tell for sure.

We'll reach 18 weeks tomorrow which means we're almost half way to your birth. Holy cow this pregnancy is going by quickly. Daddy says it helps that we bought a house, moved, remodeled, traveled, and are still unpacking and cleaning. Your room is a nice warm yellow with beautiful hardwood floors. It contains lots of boxes of clothes and toys that you may or may not use. Your brother still likes to rub my belly every now and then and give you a kiss. I think he'll be a great brother. I hope you think so to.

Love,

Mama

Posted by kagledom at 02:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)