Family Reactions cont.....

Dear Avacado,

As I promised here is the continuation of the story of the reactions of your various family members when we told them of the good news.

Aunt D: Your Aunt D is 16 and she was overjoyed with hearing you were on the way.  She has been asking for you for a long time and was worried that she would never be an aunt.  She got so excited and wanted to know everything about you.  How big were you, when did we find out about you, and when were you coming.  She also wanted to know when we our first doctor's appointment was and when we would find out your gender.  To this day she remains the most curious relative and she calls after each doctor's appointment and usually at least once between doctor's appointments to check on me and you!

Uncle S: When I called him to tell him he was going to be an Uncle he told me he already knew and had known since the weekend before when we went to the Red Sox Game for Grandma Mary's birthday.  I'm not sure if he really did know but either way he was happy to hear that you were coming and said that he would even share his birthday with you (we were told you might arrive on December 6th and his birthday is December 9th).

Grandpa Adam & Dennis: They were told later in the day and they were both excited to hear about you.  I don't know what their exact reactions were as they were being told while I was outside telling your Aunt D.  But, when I came back into the house I got hugs and congrats from both.

Grandpa Tom: Grandpa Tom was told a few weeks after everyone else.  The morning we had planned to tell everyone about you Grandpa Tom had a stroke.  We later learned that it was not just one stroke but two, one in the front of his brain and one in the back.  He was taken to the hospital and kept there for a few days.  He was a very sick man and his blood pressure was very high and therefore we didn't want to give him any news that would cause him to become too excited.  When we finally were able to tell your Grandpa Tom is was an exciting moment.  He was so happy to hear about you and throughout the rest of the visit with him he kept telling me that he couldn't wait and that he was so happy for us.  He was also worried about how Hunter would take it and made sure to give us lots of advice on how to make sure Hunter was involved.  The wait to tell Grandpa Tom was tough but it was well worth it to be able to tell him in person!

Uncle J: We called Uncle J on the phone and told him and he was pretty excited too.  He wanted to know when you would be coming and when we told him in December he said that was cool because that meant he would be coming up to Maine that month for the holidays.

Great Grammie:  Your Great Grammie lives in Florida but we wanted to be able to tell her in a sweet way on Mother's Day with the rest (or the majority) of the family.  So we sent her a card that said "Congrats on the arrival of your GREAT GRANDCHILD" and included a note saying that we wanted nothing more than for her to come here and celebrate your first Christmas with us.  I also included a note on the envelope that she was not to open the card until Mother's Day.  She called me that morning and was so excited for all of us and said that she would be here for Christmas.  Your Great Grammie is such a wonderful person I really can't wait for you to meet her.  We might even have to sneak away during the winter to visit her in sunny Florida and get you on your first airplane - it will depend on my work schedule - but you have many other relatives that also live in Florida that I would love you to be able to meet.

Great Grandma Irene: Josh told GGI and she didn't say much but she gave us lots of hugs and it was clear that she was really excited!

So, that's your story.  We have told other people since telling these family members but they were the ones that we were the most excited to tell because each one of them had, in some way, been wishing for you for a few years and they were all so excited when we told them about you!

xoxo
Erin

Family Reaction

Dear Avacado,

I thouhgt it might be fun to document the reactions of each of your family members when we told them about your impending arrival.  We waited until Mother's Day Weekend (at which time I was almost 2 months along).  We invited your two grandmothers up to the house for a weekend devoted to them (your Aunts D & S were also invited).

Your grandmother's were the first to find out.  I had purchased each of them a baby carriage Pandora charm and, with a ribbon, strung it across a picture frame.

When they opened the frames their reactions were similar but different.  Grandma Janet squeeled a little bit and exclaimed "I just knew it" while Grandma Mary was very quite for a minute and then, with a smile said, "I am so happy". Both Grandmother's were very excited to hear about you and they both spend the next few minutes asking questions about you as well as telling us how excited they were to finally be grandmothers!

This is a picture of your grandmother's after they had calmed down a little bit displaying their gifts.  After this we took them out to lunch and they proceeded to tell everyone they saw that they were going to be grandmothers (well, that was your Grandma Mary mostly but Grandma Janet helped out too - our waitress and the people behind us knew about you!).  We finally let them call one friend and share.  Grandma Mary called Sue Carrai ad Grandma Janet called your Dad's Aunt Kris.
Aunt S:  Aunt S was not as excited about your arrival.  We had her open a onesie that said "My Auntie Loves Me".  At first she thought it was a gift from Hunter but slowly she figured it out and asked "are you going to have a baby".  Whe we told her that you would be coming in December that's when she got a little sad.  Her birthday is in December and I think she was worried that we would all forget her birthday.  But, that could never happen so she really has nothing to worry about!  I think Aunt S will come around to the idea of your arrival - right now she is the baby of the family and it will be tough for her to have that change but she will get used to it.  Plus, she'll probably be your babysitter when you are a little older :)

Aunt C:  Aunt C was told the weekend before and she didn't believe me!  She kept asking us if we were joking and despite us saying no more than once she kept saying she thought we were teasing her.  When she finally believed me - that we weren't kidding - she was very excited and since then she has declared herself your literary guide.  She has decided she alone will be in charge of picking out all your books as you get older.  She has already started and gave your Dad and I each a book about "What Mommies Do" and "What Daddies Do"

Stay tuned to hear about the rest of your family's reactions . . . .

xoxo
Erin

16 Weeks

Dear Avacado,

Today we enter Week 16 and you are the size of an AVACADO according to "The Bump" fruits and veggies chart.  I think you had a growth spurt in the last two weeks because I had been pretty sick and now I have a noticeable "bump" in my stomach area.  Your dad says I look like a "fatter Erin" but not quite pregnant yet.....all I know is that my work pants are no longer fitting so I am going to have to start thinking about maternity clothes.  I have one pair of maternity pants I wore to Court today and I have to say they are not as flattering as regular clothes so I will have to think about what to do :).

I have an anatomy scan three weeks from today - I am very hopeful that you cooperate better than you did at your last ultrasound as we would really like to know your gender.  Your Dad is really wishing for a girl but I can't tell if he is just saying that because he would like a boy and doesn't want to get his hopes up or because he would really like a little girl.  Sometimes, your Dad can be really difficult to read! 

What do I care about?  I honestly just care that you are healthy and that you don't come to early or come too late!  Call it vanity but I really dislike the November birthstone (it's a terrible shade of ORANGE) but I love December's (blue!).  Also, 3 of your 5 aunts/uncles were born in December and I think it would really neat for you to share their birthday month (your other aunt was born in February and your other uncle in August to you had better not make an appearance in either of their birthday months!).

Well, thats about it for this week.  I haven't taken a belly picture yet but I always said this is the week I would start so I will post it once I get up the nerve to have the picture taken.

xoxo
Erin

Your First Playdate

Dear Avacado,

Today I took a personal day from work (sometimes you just need a day to have a little bit of fun) and spend the day with my good friend Jill and her two children.  This was your first official playdate!  It is my hope that one day you will find good friends in her children Sophie (2 years) and Ryan (1 month) and that we will have many more playdates like today!

We went to an amazing park in New Castle, NH near the Wentworth where Auntie Ana and Uncle Gordon were married.  It is my hope to bring you there quite often in teh summer of 2012 as its a great place to picnic and take pictures.

After letting Sophie play for a little while (there are so many things to play on there) we went and had lunch.  During this time Auntie Jill gave me so much advice for things I might need for you and things that I probably don't need but might find helpful.  I am very lucky to have such a good friend and I can't wait for you to meet her.

I hope you enjoyed your first official playdate!

xoxo
Erin

First Purchase

Dear Avacado,

Today I checked the mail and the new Pottery Barn Kids catalogue was waiting for me.  I love Pottery Barn and use it as inspiration for a lot of my decorating.  The items sold by this vendor are often very expensive but you can find similar items in other stores for less.  Hence, the Pottery Barn catalogue is my shopping/decorating Bible.

Anyways, as I was looking through the catalogue I came across this:

A whale shaped wicker basket.  I had tried to order this basket last year for our living room to keep magazines and Hunter's toys in but PBK had sold out and it was not avaliable second hand (and I did a LOT of searching).  So, when I saw it today I had to snatch it up.

I purchased it in white and it will either be kept in your room and stuffed with toys or we will use it in the livingroom to keep diapering supplies and/or toys as you grow.  If you are a girl I will likely add a bow to it.  When I mentioned this your Dad laughed and called me the "ribbon queen".  It's true - I have a lot of ribbon and I like to add it to many things to give them that "extra touch".

This was a very expensive purchase but we will be able to use this basket for many many years to come and its uses are not limited to baby/kid items.

So little avacado - when you ask me many years from now what was the first baby thing we bought I will be able to tell you it was this adorable white wicker whale basket.

xoxo
Erin

Pregnancy Symptoms & a New Best Friend

Dear Avacado
In the last three weeks you have introduced me to my new best friend - the toilet.  For some reason the nausea has become stronger once more and it is cauing me to lose my lunch (and breakfast and dinner) at least once a week.  Why am I writing this down?  Because, if you are a girl - someday you might ask me what pregnancy was like and I want to make sure that I remember some of the details so that it can perhaps help you.  So when did this all start - about the 12th week (I am currently in my 15th week).

First trimester was not so bad.  You made me very tired (I was often ready for bed at 6pm and had to make sure I had dinner before crawling under the covers) and I have waves of nausea......mostly at night but nothing like these last 3 weeks.

So, perhaps you and I and my stomach need to figure out a better system.  I would prefer to spend the time I am currently spending in our bathroom with friends or your Dad.

xoxo
Erin

Six Months

Dear Avacado,

Six months . . . . that's what remains of your developmental journey in my stomach and our lives as a child-less couple.  Six Months. 

Six months can seem like an eternity.  It is the time it takes for Winter to turn to Summer.  It is the time that teenagers patiently wait through between getting their permit and their license to drive.  But, it can also seem incredibly short and when you are anticipating an event or the arrival of something (or someone) it can feel like not enough time.  Not enough time to get a room ready, to get a pair of first time parents ready, to visit with friends who might live farther away, to adjust schedules, and realize that in a mere 183 days - life as we know it will be forever changed.

Six months can seem like not enough time when we realize that three months have already passed.  However, we promised to take things day by day - Baby Steps I call them and by taking baby steps time will slow down (or at least we can pretend!).

In the last three months so much has happened.  In three months we (1) learned we were pregnant (2) heard your heartbeat for the first time (3) saw you via an ultrasound and heard your heartbeat a second time.  In three months you have grown from the size of poppyseed to the size of a lemon.  You have developed from a little zygote (basically a cell) into a tiny human complete with finger and toenails. 

Here you are at 13 weeks and  1 day:

See you in Six Months....

xoxo
Erin