Gabe weighs around 10.5 oz. and is about 7.2 in. crown to rump. He will begin to fill out over the next few weeks. Fat layers form throughout his body. These layers will eventually keep him warm and insulated once outside the womb. Soft hair, called lanugo, covers his body, too. His eyelids are still closed, making him appear like he's sleeping, but frequent wiggles will let me know he's awake. I may also feel Baby hiccupping. Those jerky motions I feel in my belly are a result of little lungs practicing the important task of breathing. Although my placenta provides nearly all of Gabe's nourishment, he will begin to absorb small amounts of sugar from swallowed amniotic fluid. This week, his bone marrow starts making blood cells — a job done by the liver and spleen until this point.
This week was our last week of school, and now we have a 2-week break. Wisconsin is so COLD, this week having wind chills in the -20's. Seriously, that's just not right. The snow doesn't seem to cease for long here either. We're supposed to get 6-10 in. through Fri. afternoon. Renee arrives Fri. evening and stays my entire break, until 1/5. She, Rachel, and I are going to downtown Chicago for the day, Saturday, as it has been my tradition to take my French students there for the past 4 years, and I just love Chicago at Christmastime. It's supposed to be 20 degrees, which I can handle after WI's weather this week. Sunday, we're celebrating Christmas with my family. Monday evening, we're headed to IL to stay with Joel's parents, go to Heather and John's Christmas party, attend 3 Christmas gatherings, and hopefully visit a few friends. It'll be really nice.
Gabe is a mover and a shaker, as you know. Stella's now calling my belly button Gabe. When we say, "Where's Baby Gabe," she says, "belly button," and puts her finger there. She waves to him and gives him kisses, too. I don't know how much she fully comprehends, but I think it's cool she understands the concept even a little. My belly seems to be getting bigger. I feel like I'm carrying higher, but everyone kept saying I was having a boy because of how low I was carrying. Maybe I just remember the very end of my first pregnancy, when Stella had just dropped. Who knows??? Stella had croup this week, and thankfully my mom and Joel stayed home with her and took care of her. She was back at the sitter's Thurs. and is recuperating. Poor baby.
In other news - we are beginning the long process of Joel going into agency by asking questions, finding out when/where preliminary meetings will be, and investigating where we would like to live in the US. Awhile ago, we printed off a US map and crossed off many states that are absolutely not an option. That included most of both coasts, except for the southeast. Choosing where to live in the future is a daunting task. Feel free to share your opinions about different states with us! Joel had lunch with the WI Agency Recruiter Thurs, beginning the quest. At the earliest, Joel and I would move late summer '09 for Joel to be appointed Jan. 2010. The latest would probably be moving in the beginning of 2010. This is all under the assumption that Joel will be approved to be an agent. There are profiles he has to do and some interviews. We'll keep you posted.
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I have always wanted to name my daughter Lily since I was a kid. It's my grandpa's mother's maiden name...actually spelled Lilley. Josh doesn't like it because he says it won't be a good name for when she's a teen or an adult but I told him Lily is an old fashioned name.
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