Walk that baby out

We went to Muir Woods to try to walk the possum out today. It was a bit chilly; yet very very clear. We walked most of the boardwalked path; Ilsa did great and got only a little tired by the end. We had lunch in Sausalito. The possum seemed to like the walk.

We came up with a new name for the possum; a "burl"! Ilsa's mom thought that the redwood trees' burls look a little like pregnant bellies. I think Ilsa looks a lot better. In any case, it was a very nice day with the in-laws.

Things are happening.

Operation Possum Drop is in full effect. I have seen some "signs" that labor is likely in the next couple/few days. I won't mention what those signs are as they are fairly gross. Then, most of pregnancy is pretty gross.

We'll keep you posted!

This is what 39 weeks looks like.

Behold the ginormousness of the Belly.

Nesting

39 weeks today. Ilsa and I agreed that she gets to be president of the "excited, yet petrified" club and I get to be vice-president. Today, we installed the car seat, put Penny's bed back together after washing the cover (see below), and have double checked our hospital bag(s). We'll clear the cameras and make the baby's bed. Ilsa says that she thinks things might be stirring down south; her parents arrive on Tuesday, so I'm placing bets for Wednesday or Thursday.

From our view, seems to be contained....

Flames are no longer visibly getting closer....

The picture below was taken earlier:


Scary!

The news folks say that it's a 5-alarm fire in Brisbane (and are calling it the San Bruno fire) and is not yet contained. That said, we see lots of police & firefighters over there (well, their lights, anyway), and the orange glow has largely disappeared....

San Bruno Fire!

A fire in Brisbane, only ~2.5 miles south of our house, visible from our house. We're watching carefully.

Big News.

So perhaps you have noticed that all of the recent posts have been written by the Doctor. That is because the Doctor does not have contained within his person an energy-sucking life parasite-- oops, I mean a fetus.

I do, though!

Yep, on December 14, 2008 or thereabouts we will be welcoming the newest member of our family. For now, we are calling him/her the Possum (don't ask, it's a long story).

So the Possum was apparently made in Pittsburgh, (see what happens when your husband quits his job and is around the house all day??), has already traveled trans-continentally, and will likely be born with a taste for vodka martinis as I was drinking them with abandon on the trip. Oops.

See, I had NO IDEA that I was pregnant. I was stressed from moving! I was trying to finish my MFA thesis! The world was all topsy-turvy! It just happened that the day after we arrived in SF I thought-- hmm, I am going to pee on this stick, just in case. And I did, and the rest is history.

Luckily the pregnancy seems to be progressing nicely. No morning sickness, really. The tiredness sucks but it really just means I nap instead of unpacking and we still have boxes everywhere. I have never known tiredness like this before. The worst part is that is comes in tandem with the constant need to pee. There were mornings when I was lying in bed, wishing I was wearing Depends like that crazy astronaut lady because I was too tired to get up and walk the 10 yards to the toilet.

That's right. I would rather stew in my own urine than get out of bed. These are the things that are not covered in What to Expect When You Are Expecting (which should, btw, really be titled What a Bad Expecting Lady You Are and Everything You Do Is Going To Make Your Baby A Freak), along with the constant farting and increased earwax and dandruff production.

But look how cute our little fetus is! It looks like an alien baby! It has a giant head! And tooth sockets! And a spine! And a potbelly!

More baby news to come. I am sure EVERYONE wants to read about the fun that is a transvaginal ultrasound!

(P.S. I also passed my thesis defense and reading with flying colors in mid-May and am now officially a Master of Fine Arts.)