Belly Pictures!

You've been asking, so here they are. Belly Pictures!

What??? You were expecting pictures of Brunhilda??? Ok, maybe just this once.....


(Picture removed)

Growing, Gaining, Losing ....

Gunther (that’s Gunther with a long U, as in Uno) is now 17 weeks. 17 weeks, 4 days, and a few hours to be exact. And, with an IVF conception, one can be very exact.

At 17 weeks, Gunther’s body is complete. Actually, that work has been done for some time. Gunther’s main job now is to complete all of the circuitry, develop his brain, harden bones, practice using new muscles and organs, and gain weight. Most importantly, Gunther is looking to gain fat.

Up ‘til now, a peak at Gunther would reveal an extremely thin, and very skeletal little micro-person. The reason? Gunther has no fat. Oh, he’s warm enough – floating merrily around in the balmy amniotic fluid. But, down the road -- say sometime in early Oct -- he’s going to need body fat -- and lots of it if he’s going to be comfortable in a MN winter.

This all boils down to the latest fact of pregnancy that I’m now facing. I should start gaining approximately one pound every week until delivery. Did you get that? No? I’ll repeat it. One POUND per WEEK over the next 22 weeks!!

Raise your hand if you’v ever been told to gain weight (pregnancy excluded, of course). Go on, don’t be shy. Pretend you’re scratching your head if someone catches you with hand in mid-air. OK, OK – put your hands down. This is the U.S. and most of us don’t land in the “need to gain weight” category. Of course, it happens. Some, people just need to gain weight to be healthy, but I’ve never been one of them.

I was a chubby kid and teen who developed into a rather fat college student. I spent most of my entire teen and adult years on one lame diet or another. -- Does anyone remember the banana, hard-boiled egg, hot dog diet? -- And now, after 30-some years of actively working to lose or maintain weight, the rules have changed. Gaining weight is a good thing and I can’t quite wrap my mind around this change.

To be clear, the whole gaining weight thing while pregnant comes with a lot of stress. There are “Rules” to pregnancy weight gain:

• Gain. But not too much!


• Don’t gain too many pounds in any one week – gain slowly and regularly.


• Be sure to gain in a healthy way. Eat healthy, get the right mix of nutrients, and exercise.


• And, my personal favorite…. Any gain over the recommended 25 lbs is extra body fat that will be harder to shed than the actual baby weight…. Yeah.

Fortunately, I’ve been spot on with the weight gain so far. I’m up approximately 6.5 lbs. Not all of it, sadly, is baby. But still, I’m currently on track for my allotted 25-30 lbs of gain.

Notice the highlighted “currently” used above? Given my growing appetite (described as “truck-driver like" on one website ), I’m not sure how long this trend will last. At least I have comfort in those 30-some years of dieting experience to draw upon later this fall.

I wonder if veggie dogs can be substituted in the “banana, egg, hot dog diet”???

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Now on to Boo and the “Loosing” part of this blog’s title.

Boo is loosing it: his mind, his fur, and his cute demeanor. Despite the snowstorm we had yesterday, springtime has arrived in Boo’s mind. He’s been shedding and running around like a mad-cat; causing havoc whenever he runs.

His new favorite activity? Sneaking up on Bill while he’s working on his laptop, and biting him on the foot. Or, the leg. Or, if the attack comes from above – say from the couch – the bite will land on his arm or shoulder.

There's no warning of the upcoming attack, no anger involved, and the bite usually happens quite slowly. Boo just opens his mouth, turns his head for a better angle, draws his ears back, and slowly bears down on the piece of flesh chosen at the time. We're not sure what going on in his little cat head, but from my perspective, it’s pretty amusing to watch. From Bill's perspective, it's annoying and painful. Here’s the scene:

Bill: Quietly sitting on the floor, laptop in front of him - completely unaware of his surroundings.

Boo: Sneaking up on Bill, in a quiet unassuming way; giving no indication of intent.

Then, out of the blue… The bite. The shout. Ensuing chaos.

Before I say goodbye, I'd like to invite you to post your own blog comments. It's easy, simply click on the comments link at the bottom of this, or any post and send your email. (The comments link looks like this---> "Posted by Jen at 10:06 AM 0 comments.")

And now... I’m off in search of a snack. I haven't eaten in at least an hour and Gunther does needs his fat.

Since you liked Boo Stays Home ...

Yes, yes... I know. I heard the outcry. I knowingly left you all stranded somewhere on the way to the airport in a cold, windy France on the ever popular Boo Stays Home travel blog. (http://www.boostayshome.blogspot.com/)

I have excuses; good ones, in fact. I came home, started our third IVF cycle, got ready for Christmas, traveled to MO, had our IVF, got pregnant, became VERY tired, then nauseous, and then... well, then I just plain forgot about it. Do you forgive me for abandoning you yet? No??? Hmm... what if I promise to bring us home one day? Would you then accept a new "Boo and Baby" blog? I can't promise the same level of fun and excitement as a trip to Paris, but I will try to share as many embarrassing stories as possible. So, are we good?

Now that we're made amends, I thought we could take some time getting to know each other. Meet the main players in this little blog...

<--- The infamous Boo Radley

Nicknames:

"The Monster", "Pooh", "Boo-fors Cannon" (don't ask), "Boo-cephus"

Age:

Approximately 3.5 years

Hobbies:

Playing in running & dripping water, waking Jen, playing chase, attempting to pounce chipmunks through the patio door, dare-devil staircase play, and just generally causing trouble.

<---- "The baby"

Nicknames:

Gunther, Brunhilda

Age:

16 weeks

Hobbies:

Growing, swimming, swallowing amniotic fluid, causing parental anxiety.

Now that we've become acquainted, I'll leave you for the day. More fun and laughs promised for our next visit. In the meantime, check out some our favorite links listed over to the right.

Jen, Boo, &, Brunhilda