Week Eighteen

IMG_7033_polarr.jpg

Baby

  • is the size of (this) mango at 5.6 inches.

  • has little ears in place that can now faintly hear sounds from outside the tummy.

  • has unique fingerprints on his/her fingertips and toes.

  • has a nervous system that is rapidly growing, developing the nerves necessary to experience the world with his/her senses.

  • is big enough to put lots of pressure on mom’s organs while sleeping (forcing her to try and sleep on her side).

Mom

  • is feeling back to normal with lots of energy and the sweet cravings going away.

  • can feel the stretching in her lower abdomen at times which isn’t super painful but doesn’t make certain moments exceptionally comfortable, either.

  • had a midwife appointment and heard baby’s heart beat. Both mom and baby are very healthy!

  • is craving food from home like grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, macaroni and cheese, goldfish, and hot chocolate (all things she hasn’t eaten the last five years!)

  • has what feels like the most enormous boobs in the world. Seriously.

  • started baby yoga two days a week with lots of other pregnant mamas and is loving the two hours a week of zen, lovely smells, and time with baby.

  • is still biking to and from work every day, though the rain will soon be the main reason for why she stops. Welcome, Dutch autumn!

  • told her Kindergarten class about the baby. They are having so much fun asking questions, trying to hear the baby, and wanting to measure how much the belly grows each week.

  • is planning a trip to Georgia (the country, not the state) in October with her friend, Sarah. Her last solo lady trip for…. well, probably a long time!

  • ‘s bump is moving up a bit and starting to look like a real pregnant belly but one that still looks like she could have just put on a little weight to people who don’t know ;)

Dad

  • is back from Singapore and home for the whole week to hang with mom! He’s off to Taipai on Friday.

  • is celebrating life and the amazingness of the human body as he hits the two year mark since the night of his motorcycle accident. What a warrior!

  • is getting the legal/paperwork process going in The Netherlands for both baby and marriage.

  • is planning a trip to China in October with his friend who is moving to Australia soon after.

  • is plotting out the gender reveal (coming up in week 20).

Life

  • Mom and dad registered with a kraamzorg. A kraamzorg in The Netherlands is a women who comes to help you around the house and teach you the beginning steps of having a new baby during your first week home as a family. Such a brilliant idea and completely covered by insurance.

  • Mom and dad are figuring out their maternal and parental leaves for the next year. Mom will head off on maternity leave in the beginning of February and be off on the leave until the end of August. She will then head back to work, after six months with baby. From there, she will decide if she will use her 128 parental days to work part time or even stay home even longer, until January with baby.

  • Mom and dad are looking at dagopvangen, or daycares, for the future as they will need a very flexible one for dad’s inconsistent flying schedules for the days mom goes back to work. The good news is that when he’s home, he’ll have lots of days with baby and maybe even with baby and mom, together! Exciting!

  • Mom and dad booked their wedding venue and villa in Costa Rica, August 2020 (grandma and grandpa have been such a big help!) and hired a wedding planner to help put their vision into reality! Beach ceremony and sunset happy hour, villa terrace reception, small, intimate, adventurous. They can’t wait!

  • Sarah has a new job, Aaron is looking is buying a house, and Aubrey and Zack have booked a venue for their wedding in Portland which will be beautiful. Grandma and grandpa are kicking butt once again, with grandpa in Seattle helping the executive board and mom getting hired to work as a professor at a nursing university.

  • Anne (and Jord) are just back from a road trip to Croatia, Maaike (and Just) from Italy, and oma and opa are just back from sailing around the Greek islands for two weeks.

  • The West, Coberly, and Papp families celebrated the life of Papa Steve who passed a few weeks ago. They had a beautiful memorial service for him. Mom and dad were sad they couldn’t go but were there in spirit.

  • Massive climate strikes took place all around the world last week, as a young Swedish girl inspired others to take action. Who knows what kind of future mom and dad are sending baby into but let’s hope he/she will be part of the young movement to at least try to make it better.

Lessons Learned

  • Remember that scene in Mean Girls when Karen says her breasts can predict the weather? When the wind blows or the temperatures drop, I’m not uncertain she was very far off. Nipple sensitivity is a real thing.

  • The excitement of having a baby is such an awesome bonding time with your partner. Involve them every step of the way. Give them responsibilities. It’s so worth fun and so worth it.

  • Having a (probably pretty poor) style of mostly loose or stretchy and comfy clothing before pregnancy means you won’t need to invest in maternity clothes, at least for awhile. Thanks, messy Kindergarten career!! Leggings, sweaters, layers = lifesavers.

  • Always have a back up meal plan. The number of times I’ve cooked a dinner only to be completely disgusted by it as soon as it’s set in front of me…