I'm peeking out to see what mommy is makingMonday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Other People
One of the great things about being pregnant is just watching and hearing other people's reactions and stories, myths, ideas, and traditions. Luckily I work in an environment with folks from over 70 countries, so cultural myths of pregnancy abound.
Before we knew we were having a girl, I loved hearing people's guesses. One of my students from Cameroon said, "I know it's a boy. You know why? Because boys always take their mother's beauty away from them. You're not as pretty as you used to be." Another from China claimed, "You are definitely having a girl. You cannot tell from the back that you are pregnant, so that means it's a girl." Still others were positive that, because of my nausea and heartburn, it was for sure going to be a little girl.
My mom had her own theories. First, when she was here back in October - before even we knew I was expecting - she was making purnpallau. It turns out that if there's too much stuffing for the amount of dough, then a woman of child-bearing age in the house will surely have a boy; if there's too much dough, the baby is certain to be a girl. Now, mom always manages to get the perfect ratio of stuffing:dough, but in this particular instance there was leftover stuffing: "It's gotta be a boy, Priya. You just watch!"
Of course, we learned 3 weeks later that we were expecting, and then slowly the story changed. Upon gazing at my belly button over Face Time, my mom's new theory was that it was definitely going to be a girl. My belly button remains an innie - for god knows how long (it's getting shallower and shallower by the hour) - and that is a clean sign that the little one probably prefers pink to blue.
In other news, I am very prepared to admit that I love the pregnancy attention. People are so sweet and say such kind things: "You're so cute!" "You're going to be such a great mom!" and my favorite, "That little girl is so lucky!" Rosh has the best reactions. Last week the little one kicked his hand - for the first time - and Rosh was all smiles, all day. I like to think that she is just as feisty in getting her daddy to just stop snoring already as her mom is...but who knows what's going on in that tiny head of hers.
I have my own private reactions and relationship with our baby that feel very, very special. I get to feel her squirming around, farting, burping, dancing, whatever it is she does in there. I can sort of tell when she's sleeping and when she's ready for some exercise. A lot of the time it feels like she's farting (she is, after all, Roshan's daughter), but just today there was a noticeable jab x cross x jab kickboxing routine going on, incidentally just on top of my bladder.
Week 22 has been amazing. So much movement, so much growth, and so much giggling (it tickles a lot), coupled with sleepless nights, heartburn, hemmoroids (how do you spell that!), and acne.
Oh little one, you are worth it!
Before we knew we were having a girl, I loved hearing people's guesses. One of my students from Cameroon said, "I know it's a boy. You know why? Because boys always take their mother's beauty away from them. You're not as pretty as you used to be." Another from China claimed, "You are definitely having a girl. You cannot tell from the back that you are pregnant, so that means it's a girl." Still others were positive that, because of my nausea and heartburn, it was for sure going to be a little girl.
My mom had her own theories. First, when she was here back in October - before even we knew I was expecting - she was making purnpallau. It turns out that if there's too much stuffing for the amount of dough, then a woman of child-bearing age in the house will surely have a boy; if there's too much dough, the baby is certain to be a girl. Now, mom always manages to get the perfect ratio of stuffing:dough, but in this particular instance there was leftover stuffing: "It's gotta be a boy, Priya. You just watch!"
Of course, we learned 3 weeks later that we were expecting, and then slowly the story changed. Upon gazing at my belly button over Face Time, my mom's new theory was that it was definitely going to be a girl. My belly button remains an innie - for god knows how long (it's getting shallower and shallower by the hour) - and that is a clean sign that the little one probably prefers pink to blue.
In other news, I am very prepared to admit that I love the pregnancy attention. People are so sweet and say such kind things: "You're so cute!" "You're going to be such a great mom!" and my favorite, "That little girl is so lucky!" Rosh has the best reactions. Last week the little one kicked his hand - for the first time - and Rosh was all smiles, all day. I like to think that she is just as feisty in getting her daddy to just stop snoring already as her mom is...but who knows what's going on in that tiny head of hers.
I have my own private reactions and relationship with our baby that feel very, very special. I get to feel her squirming around, farting, burping, dancing, whatever it is she does in there. I can sort of tell when she's sleeping and when she's ready for some exercise. A lot of the time it feels like she's farting (she is, after all, Roshan's daughter), but just today there was a noticeable jab x cross x jab kickboxing routine going on, incidentally just on top of my bladder.
Week 22 has been amazing. So much movement, so much growth, and so much giggling (it tickles a lot), coupled with sleepless nights, heartburn, hemmoroids (how do you spell that!), and acne.
Oh little one, you are worth it!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Who's the Pregnant One?
It's no surprise that the first trimester was tough. A funny kind of nausea overcame me nearly every day at 4:30pm. I grew sick just thinking of having to eat things like bread and cereal. I felt as though I was running to the bathroom every 5 minutes (and surprisingly each time something came out!). It's sorta nice that I can chalk up any weird symptoms I have - including the sudden appearance of stray hairs on my chin - to pregnancy. But the weight gain has been the most fun: it's finally excusable!
All these symptoms have been a source of amusement for Rosh and me, but it's been especially fun to see how Rosh is changing, too. In our case, this pregnancy is all about BOTH of us, which I quite enjoy. All of a sudden, my dear, loving husband and father of this little nub growing in my belly is experiencing back pain, fatigue, food cravings (moreso than myself...hmm...what's that about?) and, best of all, mood swings...in a very sweet way, not the PMS way we're used to thinking about when we see the words "mood swings". Luckily he's experiencing all the things I'm NOT. So together we make a great pregnant team. Just as one symptom lifts off him, I seem to acquire it (i.e. sharp back pain, ugh!).
---
I'm now in week 20, and think I feel the little one buzzing around inside. Other mothers say it feels like a butterfly flying inside their stomachs, or gas bubbles bursting, or popcorn popping. To me it feels exactly like a drill bit trying to drill through my abdomen. A light, gentle one, but a drill bit nonetheless. Other times it feels like tap dancing on my bladder. Sometimes it actually feels like the baby is waving at me. Creepy...but also kind of cute.
It happens the most in the mornings while I'm still in bed and it makes me giggle. I wonder what she's doing in there, why she's moving so much, how she's getting used to her growing body. The fact that she's moving so much feels like she already has a mind of her own. When we try to hear her heartbeat each time at the doctor's office, she's always causing so much static with all the cartwheels she's performing for us.
Symptoms: Back pain, heart burn.
All these symptoms have been a source of amusement for Rosh and me, but it's been especially fun to see how Rosh is changing, too. In our case, this pregnancy is all about BOTH of us, which I quite enjoy. All of a sudden, my dear, loving husband and father of this little nub growing in my belly is experiencing back pain, fatigue, food cravings (moreso than myself...hmm...what's that about?) and, best of all, mood swings...in a very sweet way, not the PMS way we're used to thinking about when we see the words "mood swings". Luckily he's experiencing all the things I'm NOT. So together we make a great pregnant team. Just as one symptom lifts off him, I seem to acquire it (i.e. sharp back pain, ugh!).
---
I'm now in week 20, and think I feel the little one buzzing around inside. Other mothers say it feels like a butterfly flying inside their stomachs, or gas bubbles bursting, or popcorn popping. To me it feels exactly like a drill bit trying to drill through my abdomen. A light, gentle one, but a drill bit nonetheless. Other times it feels like tap dancing on my bladder. Sometimes it actually feels like the baby is waving at me. Creepy...but also kind of cute.
It happens the most in the mornings while I'm still in bed and it makes me giggle. I wonder what she's doing in there, why she's moving so much, how she's getting used to her growing body. The fact that she's moving so much feels like she already has a mind of her own. When we try to hear her heartbeat each time at the doctor's office, she's always causing so much static with all the cartwheels she's performing for us.
Symptoms: Back pain, heart burn.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
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