Baby Spasm

Okay, so I suppose I asked for it. 

The entire first trimester of this pregnancy, although I knew I was pregnant on an intellectual level, and dispite the assurances of several trained medical professionals, three or more pregnancy tests ranging from the pee-on-a-stick kind to the blood test kind, the aching Plantar fasciitus and arthritis flareups, the ever-expanding belly, and cravings for Apple Jacks and 'Nanner Puddin' and spinach dip, I STILL had a hard time believing I was actually pregnant. 

That is, until the last two weeks or so, durning which time the little bugger has put on enough weight that those dives and twists and squirms and kicks witnessed in the 11 week scan actually feel like something. The picture to the left will give you a good idea of what we're dealing with here (only that illustrated bitch's boobs are still sticking out farther than her stomach. Psha.). I've been told that "quickening" would be like having butterflies. Not so much. Butterflies are kind of tickly and happen higher up near your diaphragm, the mere proximity to which causes that lurching feeling (for me, anyway). This feels more like an involuntary eye twitch, only not in your eye. Like a mild muscle spasm inside, in a place where not much else has ever previously been felt, and that doesn't seem to stop. Ever. I swear, if this kid is already moving as much as it feels like he is, we're in for it. I joked with Sean this morning that all night I was getting it from both of them--Sean kicking me as he usually does, dreaming that he's playing a game of soccer as if his life depends on how hard he kicks the ball (my leg), and this little guy, doing whatever he's doing inside my belly, all night long. 

At this point, his little movements are still very vague. They sometimes feel like rolling and writhing, and sometimes like little tap-tap-taps. Before I was able to feel him, I was looking forward to our next scan as I usually do, to actually be able to see him, and to know that he's okay and everything is progressing well developmentally, and to see how much he's changed since the last scan. Now there's another layer to my anticipation. I can't wait to be able to see what he's doing, and to match that with what I'm feeling from the inside. I'm also wondering whether we'll be able to see him "react" to anything in this next scan. Like, will his head turn if he hears Sean's voice? Maybe we'll do a little experiment. 

Chuck Norris? No, Sean Wilson!

What's faster than a speeing bullet? SEAN IS!! Ok...maybe he's not faster, but he certainly has more stamina and determination. And he's no slow-poke, either.

Yesterday Sean competed in the Lake George Triathlon, which is an Olympic distance tri sanctioned by the USAT. For those of you not familiar with the world of triathlons (myself included), this means a .9 mile (1500 meter) swim, 24.8 mile (40km) bike ride, and 6.2 mile (10km) run, or in other words, torture on a stick. People do this for fun, you ask? Yes! Apparently large numbers of them. Just ask my uncle Josh and aunt Daran and our good friend James, who are triatho-masochists in their own right. In fact, we have James to thank for getting Sean involved in the triathlon circuit to begin with, but that's a whole other post...

Sadly, I had to work both Saturday and Sunday, so the Littlest Wilson and Sadie and I held down the fort and rooted for Sean via BlackBerry Messenger. Not very effective, but what can you do. Here is what I've pried out of Sean about the whole experience:

Going in to it, his goal was just to finish, seeing as how he's never competed in an event like this before. He did a lot to prepare. Already an avid runner, he loaded up on all the gear for the swim and bike legs. He trained at the pool at Stevens Institute and put in a lot of milage on this contraption that turns a road bike into a stationary one. He even read a lot about swiming and biking techniques, the best ways to rehydrate, and other helpful tips and tricks. When it came to race day, though he says he's not in the best shape of his life, he was incredibly psycologically and emotionally prepared, which in the end was what gave him a leg-up.

As for the race itself, the most difficult part was the swim, which was the first leg. Half way through he had to take a breather by floating on his back, but he powered through the rest and made it to shore in one piece. Apparently, having sprayed Pam on his thighs and neck did wonders for peeling off his wetsuit. Did I mention that it was pouring rain the entire time? This made for an exciting bike leg. Sean was advised in one of his books or magazines to let 10psi out of his tires in the event of rain, and to look out for certain obstacles on a slick road. The course for the race was very hilly, and paired with the rain, this caused several contestants to hit the pavement. Sean erred on the side of caution by not speeding through the downhills and managed to avoid any wipeouts--not even a skinned knee! The last leg of the race was the run. Thanks to James, Sean knew to expect to feel serious fatigue in his thighs which he might have mistaken for cramping. Luckily he was able to push through it, and by two miles into the run, he says he was feeling really good. He was even passing people left and right, and sprinted a little towards the end. His overall time was 3:21. 

Shockingly, Sean woke up today a bit stiff but totally energized and fully mobile. He said he might even go for a run. In retrospect, he thinks he can definitely improve his bike and run times by not being so conservative--and drier weather would have helped, too!  I'm pretty sure there will be future tris during which he can test these theories. We both foresee this being a family event in the future. The next tri posting will include a picture taken at the actual race, not here in our living room. 

No Place for Politics...

Sean and I very are lucky to have a family and friends who represent a diverse range of personalities and lifestyles and political opinions, and partly because of this, I decided when I started this blog not to venture into the dangerous waters of the current political scene. After all, this space isn't really intended to be just a venting vehicle for me, however much it may appear to be...

However... it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to NOT comment on recent and impending events! Putting aside my own ideologies informed by my experiences growing up in a rather liberal environment and studying what I did in school, I now have a totally fresh perspective based almost entirely on being an expectant mom with concerns for what my kids will inheret when it comes to our economy, the environment, the perception of America by the rest of the world, our basic human rights...the list goes on and on (and so did that sentance!). While I am so thrilled to be able to provide a life for our son where I will likely not have to work, where we can afford a lovely home and lots of luxuries, where he is surrounded by friends and family and is healthy and physically safe, still I'm very afraid of the things that are happening just outside our little comfortable bubble.

The upcoming election will determine so much about the world that our son will come to know, in, at the very least, his early years. Sean is so concerned about the outcome that he registered to vote for the first time in order to cast a ballot in the primaries, and we'll most certainly be at the polls first thing in November. I just hope that the growing numbers of people who are disgusted with the direction this country is headed, both here and afar, turn out to vote that day too. Of course, they did for the last two elections and look what happened anyway.

A Note About The Littlest Wilson Group

To those of you who've joined the Google Group to receive email notifications for updates to The Littlest Wilson blog, thanks so much again for your interest in keeping up with what's going on here in Hoboken! 

The whole point of the blog was to give family and friends updates in a unobtrusive manner....however, the email thing can get out of hand pretty quickly thanks to the "reply" button (I'm guilty myself). The last thing we want is for you to get tired of hearing from us!

So, please note that replying to any emails you receive from the Google Group will now ONLY come to me--or should, based on the adjustments I've made. This means that if you want to post a note for the group to see, or for anyone who logs on to the blog itself, just hit the little "comments " icon at the bottom of the posting at thelittlestwilson.blogspot.com and you can leave a comment directly on the site.

If you are a member of the Google Group, you can adjust your notification options by going to http://groups.google.com/group/thelittlestwilson, logging in, and selecting "Edit My Membership" on the right side of the page. There you will have a choice as to the number, if any, of email updates you recieve daily. I would suggest no more than one...

Again, thanks so much for being involved and caring friends and family. I've added some links to Wilson Family Photo Albums and updated the slideshow, so check in when you get a chance. Hope you're all having a wonderfully relaxing weekend!

Survey Says...

Loyal blog-checker-inners may have noticed that the poll on the right has closed a bit earlier than originally anticipated...

This is because we got a nice surprise at our doctor's appointment on Friday when we went in for our routine monthly check-up. After conning our doctor into putting us on the sonogram schedule (I said I was concerned about the fibroid the technician detected at my last sonogram...which is mostly true) so that Sean could experience a live ultrasound, we got an unorthodox 15-week scan that-- lo and behold!-- left no question as to the sex of our baby, even five weeks before we expected to find out. We're having a boy!

The second to last scan at the left is an image of the baby as though he's sitting on the camera. His bottom is to the lower right, his left foot is top center--what a perfect little foot!!-- and you 

can make out his right thigh bone and right heel parallel to it. You will notice an unmistakable "object" between his two little legs.

I haven't determined what, if any, the prize will be for those who guessed correctly. You might all just have to be content with one "nah-nah-na-nooney, I told you so" aimed directly at me, who (despite all those tales of motherly instinct and the like), really thought it was going to be a girl.

Sean's reaction to the experience of the sonogram was very similar to mine at that first one three weeks ago. Although I spent countless hours trying to describe in full detail my surprise at just how active the baby was and the surreal-ness of seeing the baby wriggle and squirm like a real, live little person on the screen, Sean was nevertheless completely blown away at the sight of his son. He could hardly keep it together. It's so amazing  to have the images from two scans just weeks apart--they show just how rapidly the baby is  growing! In the last scan, his head was about 1/2 the length of his body, and in this scan, he is already much more proportionate. We could see his heart beating and his arms and legs moving, but he wasn't quite as hopped-up and hyper as he was a couple weeks ago when he was literally bouncing off the walls. In fact, it almost seemed like he was napping, and he seems to like to keep his arms up near his face so that when they're long enough, they'll reach over his head, which is, incidentally, the way I sleep. Like mother, like son.

Another fantastic surprise is that our doctor's office has the ability to do 3D ultrasounds! This was totally unexpected, and even though I've been pouring over the book our neighbors gave us that has 3D scans of babies on each day of gestation, it was a totally amazing experience to see our own baby in three dimensions. The first two scans (actually the last two pictures taken) are the 3D images.

Now Sean and I are getting used to the idea of having a son. It's so strange to know! We have our next appointment in two weeks for another series of tests, and then another routine visit with the 19-week scan a few weeks later. So far, he looks totally healthy and "normal," and pretty darned handsome in these pictures...but then, I'm biased.