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We have returned from St. Louis and are getting settled back in. Thank you to all our friends and family, especially my sisters and mom, for the surprise shower. I was truly surprised which I guess says a lot about my gullibility since the shower was at my parent's house (where I was staying). I'm really lucky that Carl is such as trustworthy and faithful husband because it doesn't take much to pull the wool over my eyes! I really miss everyone back home and wish we could move back to St. Louis sooner. Now that we have a baby on the way, I am so grateful every day for both of our families. Not that we weren't grateful before, but it has become a source of great pride that we able to bring a baby into the world knowing that the love and support we have been given will be passed on to our child. The baby is not even here yet but I feel that she helped to simplify and clarify life already. Things that may have seemed important before pale in comparison to seemingly small events. For example, Carl felt the baby kick for the first time last night. His reaction was total and complete excitement and happiness - the kind of pure emotion that I typically only see in the children that I have worked with. I know that I'll never forget that moment. As my father says, you have to look for those little epiphanies every day; it just seems easier to do now.
For months now we have been reading to the baby despite the fact that she has not had fully formed ears for the vast majority of the time. For most of these readings, I have chosen the books - ranging from Goodnight Moon to Daddy Kisses. So, Thursday night Carl decided that he was going to choose the reading material. When he left the bedroom, I figured that he was going to the baby's room to choose among the nearly 100 children's books that we have on the shelf for the baby. I should know better after 4 years of marriage. No, Carl did not return with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, he returned with a prose piece written by Rilke on solitude. Calabasa then received an introductory lesson on the nature of Rilke's work and why while you may think that a piece on solitude would be pessimistic, it is actually optimistic. The lesson ended with a promise that Shelley would be next in line and that she would probably enjoy his writing even more because he tends to include more writings based on happier themes. The baby and I can hardly wait...
I suspect that many people have pet names or nicknames for their babies while in utero. From the beginning, Carl has called our developing baby Calabasa (Spanish for pumpkin). The name stuck, and we have been anxiously awaiting little Calabasa's arrival ever since.
We had our latest doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything seems to be going well with the baby. As almost everyone knows by now, we are expecting a little girl. Sunday will mark the beginning of our 23rd week, which according the pregnancy bible What to Expect When You're Expecting is the start of the sixth month of pregnancy. It truly has been going by so fast. Now that the all-day sickness (not morning sickness) has passed - not including a couple of vomiting incidents earlier this week - I am doing much better.
I have to say that I am enjoying being pregnant, especially now that I have quit my job and become a lady of leisure. I thought that there might be some transition period in which I would be adjusting to not working, but I've found that it suits me just fine. I have been very busy however, with a trip to see Carl's relatives in Indiana over the 4th and leaving to see my relatives in St. Louis tomorrow. A girl could get used to this. I know it will be short-lived though. I had my first interview for a Trainer position with Kiddie Academy on Wednesday, the day after my last day of work with Head Start. We'll see if it is meant to be.
We really want to thank all Carl's relatives in Indiana for the wonderful baby shower this past weekend. It was so nice to reconnect with family and to celebrate the major life change that is about to happen. Also, thanks to everyone for putting up with our very vocal pooch, Terra. She had one of the most enjoyable experiences of her doggie life, chasing the frogs and turtles around the pond. A special thanks to Ingrid, the coordinator extraordinaire, for everything including the digital camera which will be supplying the pictures for upcoming postings.
When we first announced our pregnancy to family and friends, Carl's cousin Roger immediately suggested that we set up a blog. Roger and his wife Nadine have set up a blog to keep all informed of the latest developments with their new baby, Lucy. It has been a great way for us to not feel so far away from the action despite being across the country from the majority of our family and friends. So now after several months since the announcement, we are finally getting it together and setting up our blog. We'll try to be vigilant in updating our posts. (Hopefully, it will not end up like many of my projects with great enthusiasm in the beginning followed by waning interest.)
