What now?

(this thread is for Aidan and others. Not me. In case there was any confusion. Okay. Carry on.)

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Answers

Jesus Christ. Don't scare me like that.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Hannah dearest, considering the last two topics you've started . . . missing the Lil' Peep, maybe?

I will confess to occasional baby lust. My co-worker has an absolutely adorable 14-month-old. I always stay till 6 p.m. on Fridays since that's when the tot shows up at the office.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Okay, y'all are making me self-concious.

What now, indeed, Hannah. If you peeps who have done this before have any advice, I'd love to hear it. Specific question: how do I brew up somebody as adorable and wonderful as Mad Mad or Schuyler?

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Speaking of Beautiful Mad, have you evah seen a child who so looked like her mother in your life? That picture of her teeth was so cute it made my heart hurt.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

I think actually that Mad was a supersecret genectics experiment. She's really AB's clone. There's no other explanation.

And Aidan, I no know what now! That's why I ask. But congrats again. I'm really happy for you. (And not the least bit jealous. Nope. Not me! Not at all.)

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Aidan, congratulations! There are no tricks to having adorable children. You just got to teach the fools to ackrite.

Robyn: You know we're just clones of each other, right? Mad Mad is even going to grow up to write a journal, which she'll call mashai.com.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

See, if AB was my mama, I wouldn't call her Mama; I'd call her Mashai.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

I just want to buy my children from AB, and then take full credit for how adorable they are. Can I do that?

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Mad Mad is even going to grow up to write a journal, which she'll call mashai.com.

She will totally call it mathai.com, though. Or whatevermama.com.

I miss that little kid so bad. She is the sweetest. And the craziest. Which is the perfect combination.

My favorite kid story EVER came from Mad Madeline (for whose nickname I take complete and total credit). It's the Six Flags "I AM FIVE!" story of when she started crying about something and AB, in great frustration, accused her of "acting like a five-year-old," to which she responded, of course, that she, in fact, WAS five.

I had to flee the scene, I was laughing so hard.

But back to babies (and, AB, where is Cam, by the way?) - a lady in my office is pg and we are all very loopy about it. She had her amnio a few days ago and brought in the picture from the ultrasound and was telling us all about it and I thought "wow... that all sounds fun, but I'm in no hurry."

Thing is, I should be in a hurry, because I'm 29, and I very much want to have a child, but I am certainly not ready yet.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

Oh, Al, you have plenty of time. I had my kid when I was 34. I didn't think I was ready when I got preggers, but you *get* ready real fast. Then it's all good.

And you know time is ticking away fast when you go in for your yearly exam and the OB/Gyn says "If you're going to have anymore kids, do it NOW."

A few words of wisdom for Aidan: disposable diapers, no contest. Nothing will fit in the last month, don't sweat it. At least 9 people will solemnly tell you "Your life will never be the same." Well, duh. You can never have too many newborn clothes, blankets, or diapers. (My kid was a thrower-upper. I think I did laundry every other day. Also, the newborn size diapers leak like a sieve.) It's true, you won't sleep much the first few weeks after baby is born but you'll get through it. Etc.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

o god, this is so true about Mad Mad and her future journal... Omar and I told AB she should go ahead and reserve www.MadMad.com. But I think I like WhateverMama.com better...

Okay, back to Aidan - and congrats! I am so jealous. I am ready to start having bebes right now. Today.

Well, no, not till the third week of April, but I am ready. I'll be taking active notes here, and filing them away in my mental "When I'm a Mom" folder.

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2001

I may very well buy whatevermama.com for Mad Mad for Christmas.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Ha! That would rock, Lyn.

I feel simultaneously bad and badass that Mad Mad is hijacking the baby thread.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

We're all just waiting for you to whip out your Mama Goddess wisdom, that's all.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

I'll be taking active notes here, and filing them away in my mental "When I'm a Mom" folder.

Me too. Even though each night I faithfully take my Pill of Sin and Decadence in hopes that there will be no unexpected WriterBabies. 'Cause if that were to happen, yes it would be amazing and yes I would work something out, but better for the kid to wait until its father and I are (a) married and (b) financially in some position to cope.

That doesn't stop the baby lust, though.

Don't feel self-conscious, Aidan. If anything, we childless ones should be feeling self-conscious, for being so weirdly steeped in baby lust.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Ah, baby lust. My sister-in-law is due in January, and she's only 25 and I'm hella jealous. My New Year's Resolution is to get pregnant in '02. Keep us updated on how it goes Aidan!

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2001

Okay, here's the first of the progress pictures. My due date is June 28, BTW.

Of course I am biased but I think that for such an early ultrasound (week 10, day 5) you can really tell it's a baby. I am going to try and finagle another ultrasound at my Jan. 2 appointment because by then I will be almost 15 weeks and I'm still not showing AT ALL and I've lost a little weight. I am wearing regular jeans today and they aren't tight or uncomfortable.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Awww! Lil' Lily looks almost comfortable.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

My due date is June 28, BTW.

Woohoo! A Cancer. And if LilyJack holds out for 2 more days, I'll let him share my birthday.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Aidan, that baby is obviously going to be the most beautiful baby ever born. So smart, too!

So Happy For You!

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Are you saying my baby has a big head???

;) I'm kidding of course. I think (I hope) it's just the position it's laying in. But a friend of mine already COMMENTED on my baby's big head and I had to break it down for her. She's had a Charlie Brown head since way back so I'm not TRYING to hear that crap from her.

It will, of course, be a GENIUS. But not because of its big head!

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Babies (and fetuses) have big heads. It's just the way they are.

I went through a period with my son when he was about 3-4 months old where I kept staring at his head thinking "It's so big!" I noticed the same thing with my nephew at that age.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

I think at 10 weeks, they all look like aliens.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Heh. That makes me think of Gilmore Girls. "Big Head want dolly!"

-- Anonymous, December 18, 2001

Little update -- I had my 15 week OB appointment on Wednesday. They measured my stomach and listened to the heartbeat. The baby's heart rate was 154 bpm! If you believe the old wive's tales, that means it's a girl. My next appointment should be exciting, I'm having an ultrasound that they will videotape and if they can determine it, they'll tell us whether Big Head Alien Baby is a girl or a boy!

By my next appointment I'll be halfway through this ordeal. Halfway to being someone's MOM. That still blows my mind.

-- Anonymous, January 04, 2002

I had my ultrasound yesterday afternoon. You wouldn't believe all the stuff they do, measuring the leg and the arm and the circumference of the head. They can even check the kidneys and show you blood profusion with that thing! There are twelve parameters, and my baby measured normal in every one of them, yay! She weighs .71 pounds right now with 20 weeks left to go.

And yes I said she. It's a GIRL!

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002

Aidan! Congratulations all over again!

Wonderful, wonderful.

The lady in my office that's pregnant brought in her ultrasound video and showed us all that stuff you're talking about. The baby was shaking its fist at us!

You must be so excited. Miss Junior is doing fine and on the way!

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002

Yay! So does this mean it's Isabelle? Lillian?

So exciting.

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002

It's so funny, the computer gives measurements as due dates based on what's normal for that due date. All the measurements were on target and turned up my due date except the head, which is the correct size for a due date of June 19, 2002 (confirming what we already knew, that my baby has a big ole head). My husband joked that I'll be giving birth to her head on June 19, and the rest of her on June 28.

Some things she did on the video:

1.) Moved her mouth quite a bit like she's already talking (hopefully not crying) in the womb. She is obviously my mother's grandchild.

2.) Posed politely for several minutes during the sex-determining crotch shot.

3.) Stretched, kicked, and crossed her legs Indian-style. No fist- waving, apparently she'd rather gesture with her legs.

So far we're still hanging in with Lillian Jane, after T's and our two grandma's.

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002

Oh, Lillian Jane. So pretty! Good to hear she's doing well.

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2002

Bumping up . . . Aidan, we're at T minus ten weeks and counting, right? How are you and Lil' LilyJane doing?

-- Anonymous, April 15, 2002