Picture update (blog to follow later)

Here's a belly shot from 22 weeks and probably our last mini vacation before the baby is born....I'm sorry (Amy) it's taken me sooo long to get something up. I'll work on a blog entry soon, but thought I'd give yall something to look at in the meantime.

Baby Sones has girl parts

Several people have been telling me that I shouldn't refer to our baby as "our fetus." The problem is that I just didn't know what we were having. The good news is that it's been discovered and I can now refer to that maturing zygote as "our female fetus."

That's correct, we will be having a daughter. Our child will no doubt develop girlish tendencies such as getting really into Rainbow Bright, putting on make-up, enjoying the intolerable musings of Dane Cook, dreaming of being a cheerleader, and anything else Hutch is into these days.

Suddenly I'm surrounded by one certain, unavoidable fact. I will be in a home with 2 chicks at all times, complete with emotional baggage and competitive attitudes. I'm thinking of purchasing an armored suit I recently saw on the Discovery Channel. Some dude in Montana created it to fight bears but I think I could use it.

Honestly though, we're very excited about our female fetus and her belly cave has really grown in the past few weeks. And even though Tracy forced a smile when the Ultrasound tech said it was a girl, I know she is getting excited too. Girl Time of the Month Talk...here we come!

So, now that we know what we are having....get ready for posts on the nursery's progress. For those of you familiar with our house, Baby Sones' room will be the guest room (the green one) and is probably staying the color it is. I also have enlisted Christina's help in converting my current guest room bedding (which I love) into crib bedding. Marla (to be called Mar Mar by the baby), Mel, Mel's mom, and I will be going out to Canton in a couple weeks to go baby shopping....time to stock up on hairbows (if this child looks like me, she'll need the bows for a while, or at least until her hair grows long enough to not look clear in photos)!! Also, the belly shot above is from right after my 17 week appointment. As I'm coming up on 20 weeks you can tell I got pretty far behind....so no "wow she exploded" when I post the next round of pictures...that would just be mean :)

Boy or Girl?

Two posts back to back (I was lazy last week and forgot to upload the first belly shot)...aren't yall lucky? So, I have now hit 16 weeks and Chad and I are anxiously awaiting our next appointment and sonogram. I can't wait to start refering to 'the fetus' (as it so lovingly called right now) as he or she....or at least 'baby boy' or 'baby girl'. The pregnant belly has definitley brought on mixed reactions, I think for Chad it makes the idea of a baby more real, and so he's starting to develop interesting ideas on fatherhood, and saving money....

So next week we finally discover what type of anatomy our fetus is packing. If it turns out to be of the male variety, then I have my own personal servant to begin doing yard work in about 3 years or so from now. If it's a girl, then it won't be allowed out of the house until the age of 18. Regardless, it's a very exciting time and it's got me thinking more and more about the actual birth.

Now that we're in the trenches of this recession, hospital fees seem outrageously expensive. Not to mention, has anyone ever really felt comfortable and at ease while staying in a hospital? What if there was a solution to both of these problems? It recently occurred to me (after a call from Marla, Chad's mom) that we don't get enough use out of our hot tub and, so far, it hasn't been worth the investment. Until now.

Freebirthing may seem outdated and unrealistic, but I'm having trouble finding any negatives. Here's the scenario I've been picturing in my head: I'd like to host a large barbecue in the backyard with all of our friends and family. We'd probably serve hot dogs and initiate a competitive washer tournament. In the meantime, we'd have Tracy hanging out in the hot tub in a swimmer's cap and goggles. We'll keep all of the delivery tools in the fire pit so that they remain sterile. When the baby starts trying to crawl out, we'll all gather around and chant Tracy's name. This will be just like when Reggie Jackson stepped up to bat before that 3rd home run in the World Series. Because I spent 7 years acquiring a Health Science degree, I figure I'm almost a doctor. I don't anticipate having any problems delivering this child. We can even have Hutch jump in with one of those underwater disposable cameras to catch some action shots. Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Goodbye Allen Belly, Hello Baby Bump

Well, it's official. Tracy's fetus cocoon is expanding. It's small for now, but noticeable and growing like a chia pet. I can only assume that she will look like one of those punching balloons by Easter. This brings up a whole other conversation on birthing vs. hatching, but I'll save that for another time.

That's right, the baby bump is here. I was hoping to get away with another month or so without showing (less time feeling large), but Baby Sones has decided to let everyone know he or she is in there.

Gerber vs. Gremlin

So that fetus of ours is finally starting to look semi-human. This is making me feel goode for a couple of reasons. For starters, it had previously looked eerily similar to something from out of this world or of a different species. Sort of like a Velociraptor or Shia Lebeouf. The second reason for my relief is due to Tracy's baby photos. Have you ever heard the saying "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?" While I'm fairly confident that I was spawned on Earth, I haven't ruled out Tracy coming from Venus. Sure, I think we'll all agree that Tracy is a more attractive adult than me. I know what you're thinking -- "Chad, you're the epitome of perfection." But let's me honest, I get by on my winning personality, champion charisma, and ability to brighten any room. Tracy, on the other hand, can get by on looks alone. However, this wasn't always the case.


As a baby, I was constantly turning down offers to be the next Gerber baby. I realized my potential as an infant but I just didn't like the politics of it. In the meantime, Tracy was turning down the role of the "albino gremlin" in the Gremlins movie. Perhaps she was born as a beautiful Mogwai but, at some point, she ate after midnight. So what I'm really hoping for, is a child to look like me as a baby, then morph into Tracy around age 3 or 4.


This past Friday, we got an up close look at our fetus. It was bouncing around like a logo on a screensaver. At best, it looked very athletic. At worst, it looked like a hockey player. At one point, it turned and looked straight at me. I got chills and wondered if it was angry about the ultrasounds being fired at it or if it was simply sizing me up. Regardless, the heartbeat has slowed to 150ish which now could mean boy. I don't really believe any of the heartbeat nonsense.

On a side note, I have always imagined my baby being delivered by Cliff Huxtable. So, in an effort to make us more comfortable, I have submitted a written request to our doctor asking for him to begin wearing ugly sweaters and maybe even a little bit of blackface. I'll keep you all updated.

A Nutty Affair

After my 12 week appointment (blog on that in the next day or two), I went to work armed with new sonogram pictures. The first picture will open the debate on what our baby's gender is. The Sonographer told us that the line circled shows our baby's sex....if it's parallel to the baby it's a girl, if it's at an angle it's a boy. When we asked which it was she told us she wasn't telling us and scheduled us for our next sono on March 6 (I'll be 17 weeks and a couple of days, so Baby Sones' "hooha" should be apparent). So, take a peek at the picture and let us know what you think! The second picture is when the baby decided to turn and face the camera....this picture prompted the third item, a note from my lovely friend Susan. Check back soon for another update (I can't imagine what Chad will have to say this time)!

That's an Ultrasound?

Over the past 3 weeks I've suffered from Migraines, a nasty stomach virus, and the Shingles. I can only assume that I will battle Smallpox and Polio in February. The good news is that my knocked up wife only caught my nasty stomach virus. Judging by the sounds I heard coming from the bathroom, I became concerned that she had already hatched our child without knowing. So Tracy went in for a check-up without me this week (updated photo and stats from that visit are at the bottom), but I couldn't help but to recall our first check-up (that picture is out to the side) Upon arrival to our first meeting with the Doctor, I felt a bit out of place. His office is located within a Women's clinic and I felt like all the women inside were staring at me and judging me because I had the wrong type of anatomy to be in this building. Still, I fought through it with the anticipation of seeing my fetus for the first time. After some brief small talk with our doctor, he asked Tracy to please remove her pants. My initial reaction was to stand up and punch him in the forehead. Then I thought "he's not a bad looking older man, I'm open minded, let's see where he's going with this." But he then explained that we would be doing this Ultrasound in the form of a TVP. As a medical recruiter I was all too familiar with this procedure, better known as the Trans-Vaginal Probe. He proceeded to lube up a giant wand that I knew I couldn't compete with. As the procedure began, I gave Tracy a quick wink and a mischievous smile.At the first glimpse of my fetus, I stood up and yelled "my child has no legs and looks like a shell-less snapping turtle!" The doctor then calmed me down and explained that it hasn't developed all it's parts yet. It's heartbeat was beating faster than Jason Zantjer's in a field sobriety test. The rate was around 170(179) per minute which often means girl but we'll see. We go back in a couple of weeks and get to do an over-the-belly Ultrasound which seems less exciting for Tracy but more relaxing for me. Can't wait.


I hope all of you reading this keep in mind that my husband gets his humor from his mother and ofter 'enhances' his stories. Anywho, the doctor was a little concerned at my weight loss and dehydration from the virus, so they did a doppler scan (heart rate of 176) and a sonogram (heart rate on that showed 160). It was really neat to see the baby actually looking like a baby, he/she is starting to move around too! We go in next Friday to do a big genetic test thingy, so Chad will get to be involved then :)