The Mexicans

The Moses family refers to our relatives from Mexico as "The Mexicans."  This reference typically elicits giggles and/or strange facial expressions from others.  But this is what we have always called them.  The Mexicans are very near and dear to our hearts.  We love to see them and don't get to see them often enough.  Anita and Orly traveled to Fort Worth for Aunt Lynell's wedding (Labor Day weekend).  Orly brought her youngest child, Gabriel, who is approximatley 18 months old.  Anita is Zadie's first cousin and she is like a grandmother to me.  We have a very special bond and I love her MUCHISIMO.

For those non-family members that are reading my blog, let me go ahead and answer the question on the top of your mind:  Yes, yes there are Jewish Mexicans. 

Anyway, Anita and Orly both knew that I was pregnant but did not yet know the sex of the baby.  Both of them (separately) took one look at me and guessed I was having a girl.  According to Mexican old wives tales, which differ from the American ones, I am carrying like BBH is a girl.  They were both surprised and delighted when I told them that BBH is all boy.  Anita hopes/want to come in for the Bris.  I hope that she can truly be here for such a special event, but I won't get my hopes up, as it gets harder and harder for her to travel due to age and age-related ailments. 

Anita made BBH a very special sweater, which she wants him to wear home from the hospital.  It is white since she did not yet know the gender when she made it.  Something blue needs to be added to it to give it a masculine flair. 

[Insert picture of sweater]

Here is a picture of Anita with me and Blake (and BBH).  I want BBH to know that his special relationship with Anita and the other Mexicans started before his birth.

25 Weeks

25 Week Belly Shot:

The below picture is from one of the famous Halpern-Kaufman sleepovers (this one was at S&M's house).  Just for the record, we don't plan to sacrifice these sleepovers once Baby Halpern and Baby Kaufman arrive!



(I'm approx. 25 weeks and Marcia is approx. 15 weeks here)

My husband is a rockstar

9-9-2011

The crib arrived!  I was so excited to receive it and very antsy for Blake to start putting it together.  I think both of us fully expected the experience to turn into a comedy of errors (based on scenes from tv shows and movies where it takes a village to put a dang crib together successfully).  It turns out, the hardest part was carrying the box upstairs.  Poor Blake did it all by himself, which was probably incredibly stupid and unsafe.  However, my husband is stubborn and I was dying to see the crib... so I didn't stop him from performing the task by himself. 

Once he had the parts out of the box, Blake was a genius with his hands (I bet he'll love reading that statement).  The crib was fully assembled in less than an hour.  We both love it!  It is modern and unique.  Love, love, love!

Feel like I'm looking rather large in the below pictures...

Slightly belated 24 week pregnancy update:

9/7/2011

Although I am actually 24 weeks, 5 days pregnant today, yesterday I had my 24 week OB appointment.  It was the most uneventful appointment as of yet, which is a wonderful thing because it means that the pregnancy is progressing smoothly.  Dr. Bradford wants Blake and I to start discussing pediatricians and cord blood banking.  We think we'll use Dr. Friedman.  He was my pediatrician (and my brothers' pediatrician) when we were little.  He is also Elizabeth's pediatrician.  Dr. Bradford was excited when I mentioned this, as he is apparently at the top of her list of recommended pedis.  I'll make an appointment to visit with Dr. Friedman soon because I'll also need to see whether he still performs circumcisions for Bris ceremonies.

General Pregnancy Update:

How far along: 24(ish) weeks

How big is baby: As I'm approaching my 25th week, baby will soon graduate to the size of an eggplant.  At the moment, he is still the size of a papaya according to The Bump website.

Total weight gain:  I've gained approximately 14 pounds in almost 25 weeks.  Eek!  The number on the scale is climbing and I'm really hoping that I can keep my weight gain limited to 1 pound a week for the remainder of my pregnancy.  Fat chance (no pun intended).

Belly button; Stretch Marks: Belly button is still shallowing.  I'm hanging on to my "innie" for dear life!  No stretch marks yet.  Each night I alternate between using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula and Burt's Bees Belly Butter.  I like both of them, especially because they are virtually scent-free.  I hate scented lotions.  If I haven't already mentioned it, I do not believe that any lotions can prevent stretch marks.  Stretch marks are hereditary.  That being said, I am not opposed to lotioning up my belly each night.  Keeping the skin moisturized certainly can't hurt, right?

Last Dr's Appt: As mentioned above, my appointment yesterday was super uneventful.  Dr. Bradford is pleased as punch with my weight gain, and she is happy that my headaches and morning sickness are gone.  Baby's heartrate was 164.  The nurse had some difficulty finding it, which nearly gave mama a heart attack.  Homework: find a pediatrician and research cord blood banking.  My next appointment is on October 3rd.  I'll get another ultrasound to check on baby's heart.  I'll also have to do my glucose test (yuck!).

Maternity clothes: Obvi.
How am I feeling: Great!  My one and only new symptom: Charley Horse cramps in the middle of the night.  Holy sh!t do they hurt!  I've had 3 rude awakenings in the past week.  I hope this new symptom disappears just as quickly as it appeared.  Morning sickness and headaches are still gone.  Acid reflux has actually been better for the last week. 

Mood Swings and Food Cravings: Still just feeling generally hungry a lot of the time.  One of my best friends, Jess (due 15 days after me!) says that she is hungry a lot but that she can only eat small portions at a time (she gets full quickly).  I wish I could say the same for myself.  I feel like a bottomless pit.

Milestones: Can't think of any new milestones besides the fact that baby is now considered viable by the medical community (see V-Day post).  Oh, oh!  I almost forgot:  I started my registry at Buy Buy Baby last week.  One of my close friends, Emily Strong, accompanied me so that she could show me the ropes.  She has an almost 2 year old and is currently 34 weeks pregnant, which officially makes her a baby expert (and all-around genius) in my book.  Registering is fun and confusing/overwhelming/slightly stressful at the same time.  But mostly it's just fun.  I can't wait for my first baby shower on October 9th! 

What I'm looking forward to: My nursery furniture is supposed to arrive this afternoon!  I can't wait to see it!  Here is a picture of the crib that I have picked out:

I think it is really pretty with a modern edge that will compliment our house.  I also bought the matching dresser/changing table.  Now I just need to find a glider. 

As mentioned above, I'm also stoked about my upcoming baby shower, which is now only a month away!

Preparations and decisions being made:  BBH is still nameless.  Boo!

And, because I'm feeling adventurous... my first bare belly pic:



Elizabeth (Big-Cousin-To-Be)

My three year old niece Elizabeth is truly too cute for words... but I'll try.  Mostly, I want to document some of the precious things that she is saying so that BBH can read them when he is older.

Whenever I see Elizabeth, she LOVES to pat my belly and say "how is the baby doing?" (in the cutest three year old voice ever).  She asks how the baby is doing no less than 10 times every time I see her.  Yet, I don't get sick of the question.

Blake and I have both asked Elizabeth what we should name BBH on several occasions (hey, might as well look for a little inspiration wherever we can get it.  We aren't picky at this point.  A resource is a resource regardless of age or education).  Usually, Elizabeth shrugs and says "I don't know."  But on Sunday at Aunt Lynell's wedding, Elizabeth offered her first suggestion.  Elizabeth feels we should name the baby "Coco."  And yes, she is well aware that BBH is a boy.  Coco. 

Elizabeth's 2nd favorite question (besides "how is the baby doing?") is: "what is the baby doing in your belly right now?"  I usually tell her that baby is napping, resting or dancing.  Sometimes I tell her that Baby is having a snack (which always makes her giggle for some reason).   But this past weekend, Elizabeth said "maybe the baby is riding a tricycle."  She proceeded to bring the tricycle theory up several more times over the course of the weekend.  It's genius really- I love picturing BBH (in his uber-tiny, skeletal glory) riding around in circles on a tricycle in my uterus. 

Finally, I asked Elizabeth this past weekend if she would help us decorate the baby's room. This is how the conversation went:

Aunt Aly:  "Elizabeth, would you mind helping Blake and I decorate the Baby's room?"

Elizabeth:  "Sure!" (::big smile::)

Aunt Aly:  "What colors should we use?"

Elizabeth:  "I don't know."  (::cute shrug along with concerned facial expression::)

Aunt Aly:  "Maybe we should decorate the room blue and green since Baby is a boy."

Elizabeth:  "What about pink?"

Aunt Aly:  "Pink is a girl color."

Elizabeth:   "But what if his favorite color is pink?"

Aunt Aly:  (::dumbfounded silence::)

I suppose Miss Elizabeth has a good point.  When distant-cousin-Fran-from-Seattle last saw me at the family reunion (before we knew the sex of the baby), she asked whether she could "place her hand on my womb" to see if she could "feel" the baby's gender (Fran is a self-proclaimed animal psychic/healer).  Fran told me that BBH is a girl and that she felt strong feminine vibes emanating from my womb.  I'm pretty sure the doctors and sonograms aren't mistaken about BBH being a boy, but who knows- maybe he'll love pink due to all of those strong feminine vibes that he is giving off!

Here is a somewhat recent picture of Elizabeth, demonstrating her effortless cuteness:

V-Day

9/2/11

Today my baby and I have reached a major milestone.  I was excited to graduate to my 2nd trimester and I was excited to make it to 20 weeks ("Half Baked"), but today's milestone is really special.  Today I am 24 weeks pregnant and medical professionals consider BBH to be medically viable.  If you want to analyze it technically, the milestone is somewhat arbitrary, as there is no date certain at which babies will universally survive outside of the womb.  Nonetheless, medical books have picked the 24 week mark and I'm going with it! 

Happy V-Day to the Halpern Family!  Keep growing and baking little man!   

Lucky Charms

9/1/11

No, it's not what you think. I'm not talking rabbit's foot or shamrock. I'm talking children's cereal.

Oh Lucky Charms, how I love thee so...

Pregnancy week 20 kicked off my obsession with the sugary, marshmallow-y goodness of Lucky Charms. Ever since then (so for the past month or so) I've been eating a heaping bowl of Lucky Charms doused in good, old-fashioned 2% organic milk each and every morning (with the exception of the week that I spent on the cruise ship). It has became somewhat of a morning ritual, as I eat it the same way every time: For the first several bites, I orchestrate some careful spoon-maneuvering to craft bites that consist entirely of plain cereal bits (i.e. no marshmallows). This increases the ratio of marshmallows to plain cereal bits, and allows the remainder of my bites to consist largely of sugar and artificial sweetness. Yum.

Now that all my readers have probably labeled me as certifiably BSC (Bat Shit Crazy, for those of you that need help with obscure acronyms), I'll sign off for now. Hope you enjoyed my ode to Lucky Charms.