Let the countdown begin!

There are only 73 days left until the due date, March 11. In "Rent" speak, that's roughly 105,120 minutes. *Sings* "How do you measure a, measure a ..." um, nevermind. Any way you measure the time left in this pregnancy, it is ticking away quickly and the realization that there will be a baby here soon, God willing, is exciting, yet unsettling.

Getting to this point has been quite the journey -- 2005 has been quite a journey. I can't reflect on this year without thinking about how great it would be to have my Lola here imparting all of her wisdom from her days as a nurse in Labor & Delivery. I can almost feel her warm smile and she pats my belly and beams with pride. I wish I remembered more of what she did when my brother and sister came home from the hospital. I do remember her singing a melody that went sort of like this, "ding, da-ding, da-ding, da-ding," while she gently rocked them, but that's about it. I was only 5 and 7 ... I guess it would be a stretch to try to recall every detail. I didn't think much about parenthood before she died in March, so I didn't really get to ask her all of the questions I have now. Although I didn't really experience morning sickness (Thank God!), I treasure this little piece of photocopied paper that my mom sent me this summer. It is a typewritten brochure titled "When You Have Morning Sickness or Nausea" from the hospital where my grandmother worked that looks like it must be from the 70s or early 80s. Apparently it had been taped to the inside of her kitchen cabinet for years, and it was just overlooked until my mom found it this summer. I have no clue why she had hung on to it for so many years. I hope I can come across a lot more little tokens from time as a nurse and a mother.

As we count down to 2006, I also think a lot about my dear friend, Britt. Often I imagine her laugh and her voice repeating over and over "I can't believe you're having a baby," similar to how she was in disbelief for three years (during almost every phone conversation!) that I was actually married. Growing up, you reluctantly accept the fact that there are going to be milestones that your elderly grandparents -- and eventually, your parents -- might miss. But you never imagine that the people you grow up -- siblings, cousins, friends -- with won't live long enough to experience them with you. Britt always promised to be the fun "aunt" who loaded the kids up with candy, and probably much more, and I always joked that the kids' unsupervised time with her would be very limited! I did look forward to the days when my children would spend time with their declared "best friends" and they could see first-hand that those experiences could last through adulthood and old age. I hope that my stories and pictures will be enough to teach them that.

It has been quite a year for us -- a new job for J and a new job status for me (unemployed. lol), an interstate move, losses in the family, a new car, a baby on the way, and Miss A's move here. As the new year approaches, it's exciting to think of what the year could bring -- what it will be like to have a real, live baby around, how s/he will affect our family, and all of the things we can't even imagine!

As you celebrate the new start with your loved ones, we wish you Peace and Health in 2006 and for many years to come!

Week 29 Developments

• Age of Fetus: 27 weeks
• Baby's Size (head to rump) this week: 10.5 inches
• 16.75 inches (head to toes)
• Weight: 2.75 lbs

Baby's brain is developing well and can now direct the rhythmic breathing necessary for oxygen and body temperature. The baby is also building up more fat under the layer of skin causing its appearance to be less wrinkled. The baby becomes more capable of surviving outside the womb every day now. The baby is more sensitive now to light, sound, taste and smell. The baby's eyes can now move in their sockets. Right now the baby's size is about the length of a football, which, by the way, is on my list of banned sports for baby!