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Baby stats:
Last week: 2.5cm
This week: 6.0cm!
Last week: Embryo
This week: Foetus!
Developed this week: Tongue, teeth, and the final shape of the ears
Undeveloped this week: That tail grown in week 6
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Aimee's thoughts:
After talking with enough people that our ears almost fell off, we started to notice a similarity amongst a lot of the questions they had. We thought we'd repeat the questions and answers here before we get asked them again:
When is the baby due?
December 6th - Kevin's 30th Birthday!
Did we plan it so that the baby was due then?
Heehee. Nope. And in fact, this would have been incredibly difficult as it's the date of my last period that indicates when the due date is. So unless Kevin has a special discussion with my menstrual cycle, there really is no way of planning a specific due date.
Are we going to find out the sex?
Yup. We've always wanted to know. We think that it really helps you bond with the baby before it's born if you know 'what' you're talking to. It also gets kind of tedious in a politically correct sort of way to keep switching back and forth between he and she.
Are we going to tell other people when we know?
Yup... look for the verdict on or around Week 20! (The darn hospital won't let us find out sooner.)
Do we have names picked out?
Yes, we've decided on Adolf Osama Harvey Oswald if it's a boy, and Britney Christina Beyonce if it's a girl. Okay, we've got some REAL names that we've been playing with, but we're not telling. See, we figure that if you tell other people the name BEFORE the baby is born, they'll either swipe it for their puppy if it's good, or do everything in their power to make you change it if it's bad. If you tell people AFTER, there's nothing they can do except fake a smile and say, "oh, I think Adolf's a LOVELY name!"
Are we moving back to Canada?
Moving? No. Visiting? Of course! Anyway, if we have the baby here, it'll (See? I hate 'it'! My baby is a person, not an 'it'!) have dual-citizenship in Canada and the EU... and if the baby's anything like us, we want to provide it with as much travel documentation as we can!
What is the nursery going to look like?
Nursery? I don't think a nursery will fit into our one-bedroom North London flat. We're thinking more along the lines of a cot in the corner of the living room. But, we've recently discovered that this is directly in the line of sight for Kevin's full-wall projector, so we may have to readjust that plan.
Am I going to keep working?
Well, unless I suddenly begin to hate my wonderful job and win the lottery, I think I will keep on working. My plan is to work as long as I can, and then take full maternity leave. After that, it's back to the arduous task of thinking of fun online games for little girls. (Oddly enough, no one has asked Kev if he's going to keep working.)
Is Aimee feeling okay?
If you've read anything on this website or spoken to me in the past 4 weeks, you'll know the answer to that.
Are there any colours we'll be dressing the baby in?
An odd question, but one that we've got an answer to. We're not fond of pastels or anything with commercial characters. No Disney, Winnie the Pooh or SpongeBob. What does this leave us with? Bright, colourful quirky kids clothes for our bright, colourful quirky kid to wear!
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Kevin's thoughts:
HOLY FRICKIN' FRACK! That's all I can say when I look at the pictures in front of me. Come on, say it
with me... HOLY FRICKIN' FRACK!
Not only am I looking at my very tiny child on the ultrasound monitor, but I'm also seeing bits of my wife
that I've never seen before (and I thought I'd seen everything by now)! It's amazing, both the wife AND the baby
bit! Here... take a look for yourself!
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Left: A baby, or quite possibly a chicken wing under mistletoe.
Top right: The movement of baby's heart, or quite possibly the thermal scan of Osama's hideout.
Bottom right: Cross section of baby's skull, or quite possibly an asteroid screaming through
space on a collision course with Earth! Either way, it's still exciting!
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Isn't that awesome? It's a baby... inside a tummy! Just like all the books say!
I believe this moment, seeing the baby on a scan for the first time, is the first REAL moment
of truth for dads-to-be. As I said in Week 4, there's nothing happening
to me, and other than the fact that I've had sex (yes, it's true!) the only thing I have to prove to
myself that I'm actually having a baby is a tired wife who throws up a lot... which by her word
makes her pregnant, but could also be caused by influenza, or constant and excessive
drinking.
But this scan... this is PROOF! It's the real thing!
Scans are cool. I really really wanted a go at the Ultrasound machine. I actually considered slipping the guy £20 to take
a short walk, but, this being a private scan, they probably see money thrown around left and right, and a
paltry £20 wouldn't have even raised an eyebrow, except possibly in contempt.
Just 10 minutes
twisting the dials and poking the buttons and prodding different body parts... that was all I
wanted. I can see why Tom Cruise bought one. Hell, I'd buy one if I had £49,000 kickin'
around, and spend all day looking at my own insides, never mind Aimee's. "Wow, that's my heart!
Look at it go!" And not only people, but STUFF! Can you discover the contents of a desk drawer with
one? Ooh, what about ANIMALS! Surely there are other applications for this genius of human innovation!
To a guy, there's nothing better than getting your hands on a piece of equipment that you should never
have been entrusted with. Take my dad, for example... He got one of those diabetic
blood sugar tester kits not long back. You're supposed to check your sugar twice a week, and it'll
chart your blood sugar in a nice graph. Well, after he got it, we checked the sugar content of blood,
spit, vinegar, wine, Sprite, Diet Sprite, whatever... threw his results way out of whack. After dinner,
everyone around the dinner table would check our blood sugar, and whoever had the lowest won the last piece
of pie.
So, if I want to get unlimited access to one of these Ultrasound thingies, what can I do? I can buy one
like Tom and Katie (fat chance). I can book another private Ultrasound, then gas the Sonographer halfway through the
procedure. I can quit my job and go to Sonographer's College. Or... or I could make my own!
Seriously, how hard can it be? I'd probably need to start by reverse-engineering something, like a fish-finder:
that's a commonly used, sonar-based device available at all good fishing shops. Then, I'll just tweak
a few dials, and if I get stuck on the details I'll just look it up on Google.
Stop laughing at me and indulge my fantasy here. After all, I can't have been the first person to think of this.
I believe that inside each of us is a tiny scientist waiting to get out. It just so happens
that, if my plan works, Aimee will actually be able to SEE the tiny scientist inside of her!
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Did you know? |
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This week the teeth are formed. Certainly at this point, with a 6cm baby, the teeth can't be any bigger than
grains of fine sugar, but they're teeth nonetheless...
Did you know that back in simpler times, if your baby was born with teeth, it was suspected of being a vampire?
Guess we'd better steer clear of the garlic and turnip baby food...
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Aimee's cravings |
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BBQ steak
Strawberry ice cream
...and the longest lived craving to date...
Greek salad
Aimee would like it pointed out that she has still not received the BBQ steak... probably because she set the conditions that it has to be cooked on a proper Canadian backyard BBQ by her dad.
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Aimee's Mag of the Week |
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 I'm Pregnant Magazine
We all know how much I love my magazines and with a whole new genre opened up to me, it's hard to resist them. So far, I've managed to only buy a few different ones, but this is by far the best. The tagline is 'Buy it once - it's all you'll ever need!' and I am inclined to agree. It covers everything from maternity rights to the week-by-week growth of your baby.
Not that this means I'll be bypassing all other mags, but that's my own fault, not the magazine's.
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The ears are ready!
You know what that means... We can now utilise baby communication technology!
You send us an email, and Kev'll yell at my tummy! Ain't science neat?
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