Category Archives: Second Trimester

Halfway to Our Goal

Posted on November 10, 2009 | 2 Comments
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(Not J's Belly)

This week marks the half-way point in J’s pregnancy. This is starting to seem like serious business.

Both J and I are firmly in the Want-to-Know-the-Gender Camp. On Friday, if all goes well, we will know whether our baby-to-be is a boy or a girl.

J is reporting today that she thinks she can feel the baby moving.

She also reports (reading from Whattoexpect.com) that our baby is the size of a banana. That cracks me up. Bananas always crack me up. They are funny looking and the word “banana” looks and sounds funny.

Banana.

Anyway. Whether it is Banana-boy or Banana-girl we hope to find out later this week. And when we do, I’ll reorient our name search as appropriate.

At the moment, if we have a boy I’m particularly enamoured with “Fox”. I first thought about this name as a first name after recently seeing some information about Terry Fox. But it was quickly pointed out to me that Fox Mulder, from the X-Files, was probably the  subconscious inspiration. It is a little odd, I know. But at least it is not a made up name. “Fox” has a long history as both a surname and a first name.

Running through the “Baby Name Advisor” based on J’s and my names suggests Denisse for a girl and Marquise for a boy. These names make no sense. I figure Fox has Marquise beat out by a mile. There was 1 boy named Fox born in Alberta last year. Marquise, on the other hand, completely struck out (however, there was also 1 boy named Fisihatsion born in Alberta last year – what a name).

No, this isn’t a blog devoted entirely to names.

Renovations to our lives continue: looks like we will be able to install some new hardwood (bamboo!) in part of the house. I particularly wanted the baby’s room to have hardwood and not carpet. The installation is scheduled for mid-Decemberish. And before it gets installed, I’m going to paint the room. To do that we need to pick colours for the baby’s bedding. Or so I’m told. I’m not particularly keen on colouring the baby’s walls based on whatever sex it comes out as. So on one hand I’d be fine with, oh, say pink and brown bedding – even for a boy. On the other hand, I am simply not a fan of pink.

So, yes, you can see that even the minutiae of paint assumes monumental importance to us soon-to-be-first-time parents.

Anyway: banana.

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Brand Extension

Posted on October 19, 2009 | 4 Comments

logoFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

19 OCTOBER 2009

MOWAT-HUTCHINSON ENTERPRISES

ANNOUNCE

IMMINENT NEW BRAND EXTENSION

SASKATOON – At a press conference this morning, Janelle Hutchinson, Co-President and fifty-percent shareholder in MOWAT-HUTCHINSON ENTERPRISES, announced the launch of a new brand extension. The new venture will draw on brand strengths of both MOWAT INDUSTRIES and HUTCHINSON INCORPORATED, each contributing their corporate DNA to the future offspring of their collaboration.

“Now is the time to harness the power of the MOWAT-HUTCHINSON alliance,” said Hutchinson’s partner, Robin Mowat. “Now is the time to give life to the creative bonanza that our partnership has fostered. This is an exciting development.”

Industry experts will no doubt be curious to find out more details about the new product to come from MOWAT-HUTCHINSON, but Hutchinson says further details on the exact nature of the venture will be announced in a few weeks. “We are nearing the mid-way point between product inception and product launch. So there are still a few unknowns. But we know that our friends – who have to date enjoyed the MOWAT-HUTCHINSON brand – will be eager to know more about our newest creation, so we won’t be holding anything back.” Mowat added: “We have a firm product launch window, the last week of March or the first week of April, 2010. You can count on it.”

MOWAT-HUTCHINSON ENTERPRISES was launched on 20 December 2003, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

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Posted in Beginnings and Endings, Second Trimester, The Pregnancy

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The Boy in the Moon

Posted on October 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

On my way home from my evening Army Reserve committment (Tuesday nights 7-10pm) I listened to a replay of the day’s episode of CBC Q: Jian was interviewing Ian Brown about his book The Boy in the Moon. Brown and his wife, Johanna Schneller, are both Globe & Mail reporters and have a boy – Walker – who has a very rare genetic syndrome (cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome, or CFC). Brown’s book is an autobiographical account of their experiences.

Listening to Brown talk, I was reminded of Jean Vanier’s Becoming Human. I read that book several years ago – and I will have to reread it. But perhaps first I will read Brown’s book.

The Globe & Mail has an extensive Special Report on Brown & Family – material that is likely reflected in The Boy in the Moon. I haven’t finished going through it.

I am afraid that J & I will have a child with some sort of special needs. Actually, I’m only afraid of some sort of mental/intellectual deficiency. I can handle blindness or deafness. But facing the possibily of raising a child with whom I could never reason, with whom I could never explain complex things, that scares me.

Brown understands this. He has faced this. He faced utter exhaustion and worry for years on end. He spoke about contemplating ending it all.

In the Globe report, he writes: “What is the value of a life like his — a life lived in the twilight…” – and I’ve asked myself, abstractly, the same question.

He also spoke about the greater understanding of existence, of humanity, that he gained from loving his son and spending time with him.

Having read Brown’s writing before, having seen Johanna on TV years back, this story became even more interesting. In some ways, I’m sure, they are a couple like J & I.

There is no witty conclusion in this blog post. No coming-to-terms-with. I am still afraid.

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Posted in Beginnings and Endings, Second Trimester, The Pregnancy

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Ten Days to 100% Publicity

Posted on October 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

So over the past few months, we have been slowly telling people. But the circle of conspiracy surrounding this pregnancy is about to blow wide open – a week from Monday, J will be fully informing her staff. After that, I’ll be publicly announcing the news on Facebook & via other media.

I’m looking forward to this – so many people already know, it’ll be nice to have it fully public. I’m also delighted that we’ve been able to keep the lid on this for so long.

Suddenly, at the end of this week, J is starting to show. This is causing her to fret a bit, since she still has a week or so to get through before informing her troops. But it makes me happy: it makes the whole abstract concept of fatherhood a little more real.

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Doctor Two: More Sounds

Posted on September 29, 2009 | 2 Comments

Today J and I went to the doctor (OB/GYN). This was our second visit. She has to pee in a cup. I’m not sure what this urine sample is used for (other than to generate awkward conversation with the nurse/receptionist), but given some of the other clientele I have seen combined with the poster depicting the physical ravages of ten years of crystal meth use I suspect the doctor might be testing for illicit narcotics.

When the doctor finally sees us (I only plugged the parking meter for 40 minutes) she doesn’t accuse J of doing crack cocaine and instead reviews the findings of the sonogram from a few weeks past. Yes, we are on track. Due date? Oh, let’s stick with April 2(ish).

Then, with what looks like a decades-old children’s walkie-talkie, the Doc searches J’s belly for an elusive heartbeat. She says “don’t worry” if we can’t hear the baby’s heart. But I instantly do – straining my ears, focusing on the crackling whooshes coming from the tinny speaker. I’ve spent years in the Army listening to crackly radio signals. I’m pretty good at picking out sensible sounds. For what I start to feel is much too long, I hear nothing.

Then: the perfect sound track for a heart. A rapid gentle pounding of a young creature.

And suddenly the fear is past. Everything is fine. 156bpm, or thereabouts.

J has two questions:

Q) H1N1?

A) Take the vaccine.

Q) Sleeping on my back?

A) It is okay for awhile yet, but in a few weeks you should transition to sleeping on your side (as best you can).

And then J gets a parting-gift: pamphlets and information and samples, tucked into a sealed, clear plastic bag.

This is one of the last nice days of the year. Soon there will be very cold winds, and snow, and dark mornings and nights. But today it is a sunny Autumn day. And we are happy.

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Posted in Second Trimester, The Pregnancy

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