A letter to my bump

Dear Baby,


My last post was in October, and you were also "born" in October. Coincidence? Nausea and my super tired state through the beginning of this year all point to a big fat no. (OK, so you weren't actually quite born the way most people think of the word, but you certainly changed my world as soon as I knew about the existence of you! That's pretty darn "born" to me.)


I first knew you had arrived in my belly when I couldn't drink. No, your mommy does not need to join a 12-step program, but I do - I mean, I used to - often enjoy a glass of wine (or two) with dinner. One night, many nights ago, that second glass of red just wouldn't go down. I had a sneaking suspicion that you had joined our family. Both your daddy and I were super excited and happy when we saw your healthy little heartbeat at the doctor's office when I was eight weeks pregnant.

Time passed really quickly, yet I also felt like I was pregnant for a long time. And finally and amazingly, today is supposed to be your big, official predetermined birthday... but you seem to be happy just staying put in my tummy. You, like your mommy, must not be in a very big hurry to jump out of a warm and cozy bed. You, like your mommy, must enjoy making a fashionably late entrance. Though your mommy understands how you must feel, she is very, very anxious to meet you! Can you come out soon, please? There are so many people who want to hurry up and love you.

I love you so much already. When I think about holding you in my arms, my eyes get teary - and I am not a crier! I wonder if you look like your mommy or your daddy. I hope you have daddy's long, lean build. (But he was also a TEN-pound baby, so I hope you don't follow him in your birth weight!) Between your daddy's noggin and my own, it's pretty much inevitable that you will have a big head... but that just means you will have a large, smart brain. I haven't heard labor is exactly fun with a melon-headed baby, but I'm ready for you, my love!

Thankfully, you have given me a very easy pregnancy. I was pretty tired and a little nauseated during my first trimester, but I kept everything down and did not have many food aversions or cravings at all. The only cuisine I didn't want was Indian food and kubideh - I usually love both. I wanted to eat anything Korean, probably because it's my comfort food. And lately, I can eat an entire watermelon in just a couple of sittings.

The second trimester was a total breeze; I felt like regular old me, just with an added bump. The third trimester had me feeling a little heavy, but I've been as active as ever. I gained a full 35 pounds (which is on the upper end of the recommended 25-35), and it happened steadily at a pound a week from the moment we confirmed you were growing. Maybe that's why I've been lucky enough to avoid stretch marks (knock on wood). Many of my friends told me that they didn't start gaining until their fourth or fifth month, and some even lost weight in the beginning. But not your mommy! I've had NO problems with eating or sleeping, so I consider myself very blessed. I've had no problems with much of anything outside of my already Flinstone-like feet turning into Shrek feet with all the swelling.

On July 11th, on the first day the new 3G iphone was offered, I stood in line with your Auntie Janet to get it. Uncle Byong didn't seem happy that she was leaving behind her seven-month old baby, Mason oppa, and taking your nine-month pregnant mommy to camp out for a tech toy. But everything worked out beautifully in the end. As far as I was concerned, I was totally fine. Ask me to tell you the story when you get older.

Just this past Sunday, your daddy was planning on going to a Yaz concert with some of our friends. Yaz is already considered old school, so you'll probably consider them absolutely ancient. Anyway, I wasn't planning to go since the 930 Club is pretty much standing room only. My Shrek feet weren't going to fare too well with all that. However, one of our friends backed out, so I decided to check out just a couple of songs... and ended up staying for the whole thing! Your mommy really believes in embracing life and making the most out of every situation, and she plans on passing on that attitude to you too. Your poor daddy has some full hands ahead of him!

Speaking of your daddy, he already loves you too. He's been talking to you and calling your mommy when he's out to make sure you've been safe. When he found out you were going to be a girl instead of a boy, he worried for a full day because he already started to think about your teenage years. Do me a favor and take it easy on him when you get there. You'll want to rebel, and you'll like boys, but let's shield your daddy from the stuff that'll stress him out too much. You don't have to be as much of a prude as your mommy was, but just be a good girl and make sure your daddy knows your goodness. He's a great man, and he's going to be a wonderful daddy. I have a feeling you're going to be daddy's little girl.

You love to move around in me, and you just kicked my rib. You always kick me on my right side. It must be getting tight in there, so come on out whenever you're ready! If you don't make your way out by Monday, your mommy is getting induced. I've heard that labor becomes even more painful this way and possibly leads to a higher rate of C-sections, so we're trying to avoid that. Mommy has been walking a LOT, and the doctor told me at today's appointment that you've dropped a lot since last week, and I'm finally one whole cm dilated (vs the "fingertip" you've been for the last couple weeks). I'm hopeful you'll be ready to make your grand entrance soon. But I don't want to push you if you're not ready, so you go ahead and do whatcha gotta do, baby girl.

Til then, we love you!