The Ocean in a Shell

I have read that ultrasound is heard by baby as something as loud as a subway train coming into the station.  I prefer the image of waves crashing on the beach.  Or a waterfall.  That's something a little more familiar to we Kinnickinnick people.  Along with it, in our case at least, come small sighs of relief with the declaration of "normal" after every measurement that is made by the person holding the transducer.  I didn't even realize I was anxious.

Here come some more creepy ultrasound images.  If you can't identify anatomy here, don't worry about it.  Just trust me that it's all perfectly normal, and totally girl.

A sister!  And not in that I don't see a penis, so it must be a girl way.  Those are girl parts.  Trust me.

Fetal heart whooshing away at 159 beats per minute. 

Yup.  Ten toes.

These 3D reconstructed images always creep me out.  We never had one for one of our babies before.  Still creepy.  She's much better looking than this.  Trust me.

Some parting thoughts on in utero hearing from The Arcade Fire, as extrapolated by me while daydreaming about the girl and listening to Half Light I on my way home from work this afternoon.

Our heads are just houses

Without enough windows

They say you hear human voices

But they only echo

Howl at the Moon

Somehow - and I don't know how this happened - but somehow, we're so very, very busy, it's hard to find time to breathe.

About to stumble down the stairs.

Howl.

At the moon.

's Moving Castle.

-er Monkey.

He's pretty awesome.  We have had remarkably little support in our decision to have a puppy and a baby in the same year.  I sort of get it.  But mostly I think you all are crazy if you believe we could meet this bundle of yellow puppy love with bear-sized paws and not bring him home with us.

Love me.

There has been a lot of other stuff since My Parenting Fail / Greta's Punk Rock Haircut too.

The littles spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa.  Eight days, actually.  Eight entire days.  And nights.  I almost died.  They had the time of their lives and can't stop talking about it.  Greta learned how to religiously feed a dog and Noah learned how to pronounce his r's.  Go ahead.  Ask him to tell you about the far away stars or the green grass or the kangaroo that barks (OK, I made that one up).  He'll nail it.

Kevin and I spent the week in the West.  One of us finding our Zen in the woods in the mountains.

The other working on developing DVTs in a lecture hall while desperately missing her babies.  But I will pass my boards.  I will.