AROUND TOWN

OH BOY, IT’S A GIRL

Just prior to flying to California for the Holidays, we went for our second ultra sound screening where we saw little sprout doing her thing – kicking and waving. The 16 week ultra sound is where we got to find out the sex of the baby. Rather than find out then and there, we had the ultra sound technician write down the sex in a card that we could open on Christmas morning for a wonderful present. Well, we couldn’t wait until Christmas morning, so we had my grandma open the card during Christmas Eve dinner to reveal we are having a BABY GIRL! We are thrilled and totally surprised. Nate is one of 9 males in a row on the Ellis side. His cousin, Caroline, broke the male chain some 19 years ago, however, we couldn’t help but think the Ellis male gene was all too prevalent. Our baby girl will make the 2nd girl in a row on the Ellis side – so perhaps we are seeing a new trend! At Christmas we were also delighted to hear that my brother, Jamie, and his girlfriend, Katherine, will be having a BOY three weeks before us. Grandma Bonnie was thrilled to get one of each!

On a not-so-positive note, the ultra sound revealed that I have what they call placenta previa, where my placenta is covering the cervix. Placenta previa can be marginal, partial or complete. I unfortunately have the “complete” version, which is the worst of the three and means the placenta is completely covering the cervix. From what I understand placenta previa is a fairly common occurrence and in most cases as the placenta grows it will move away from the cervix on its own, giving the baby room to be delivered the old-fashioned way. We are crossing our fingers this will happen. If it does not move on its own I will have to have a C-Section delivery, which I sincerely hope is not the case. The doctor will monitor its position as my pregnancy progresses. In the meantime, absolutely no strenuous exercise and no heavy lifting. So…the next 4 ½ months I will be taking it easy… taking care of me and our girl.

Today we had our 18 week check up, and our girl looks like she is doing just fine. She is about 5 ½ inches long – about the length of a bell pepper – and weighs about 7 ounces. I have not felt her moving yet, but Dr. Henry says I probably will by next week. Can’t wait!

WEEK 16 – AVOCADOS AND SNOW

We have now hit the 4 month mark. Time is moving so quickly! Week 16 was greeted with the largest snow storm I have seen to-date in NYC. Saturday brought about 12-14 inches of snow to blanket the streets with perfect white powder. We got outside in our boots Sunday morning to explore the winter wonderland and buy a few last minute Christmas presents.

View from our bedroom

Hudson River Park

As for the baby, it is now the size of an avocado. It may be coincidental, but we happen to eat avocado twice over the weekend because the Chelsea Market (TT) had some fabulous looking ripe Haas variety flown in from somewhere warm. Anyway…my reading tells me that I should brace myself for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks our baby will double its weight and add inches to its length – hello maternity clothes. Right now its head is more erect than it has been and its ears are close to their final position. The little sprout even has toenails. Crazy. As for me, I am feeling fab and am excited to head back to California for the Holidays. We have our second ultra sound on Wednesday, just before we fly out. Rumor has it we will find out at this appointment if it is a boy or a girl. We plan to have the technician write it down the results in a card so we can save the ultimate surprise for Christmas morning. I’ll keep you posted. Happy Holidays and safe travels!

I WISH

This morning on my way to work, I looked up as I passed a Starbucks to see a slew of winter-ish slogans in the window. The one that stuck out to me read, "I wish grown-ups could remember being kids (TT)." Looking back I remember thinking the same thing and all the things I would try to remember when I became an adult. Things like:

• Its okay to go play in the rain, even if I get a little wet
• A mid-night snack is always fun
• Staying up chatting at a sleepover is expected, even if I am grumpy the next day
• The world just sounds better with music in the background
• Most drinks taste better out of straws
• Grass stains aren't the end of the world and are evidence that I played hard
• French braids rock
• Always add extra cherries wherever possible
• Cleaning my room can wait until tomorrow
• Travel size hotel shampoos from adult trips make bath-time extra special
• Nylons are uncomfortable and nerdy
• Car games make the road trip go faster
• Build forts
• The best time to swim in the ocean is in the late afternoon, when it is almost time to go
• Ocean swims are the best with dad
• "Life's not fair" is not what I want to hear when I'm upset
• Sitting on wax paper while going down slides makes you go super fast
• Babysitters are cool - parents should go out alot
• Things that are a slightly dangerous often make for the best adventures
• S'mores
• Sleep outside in summer time
• Adults should save adult clothes (particularly dresses) for kids to play dress up in
• A little sand indoors never hurt
• Bubble bath
• No one is to old for hide-and-seek
• The more Christmas lights the better
• Bike riding is a vehical to freedom.
  
  I am sure there are many more things I thought over the years, but no longer remember. As I am about to become a mom, I hope I can look back and remember what it is like to be a kid and put myself into his/her shoes. Life as a kid is magical - remember to be a big kid at heart.

WEEK 14

So today marks week 14 for the little sprout. I thought I would post a pic of my progress, since I am now beginning to show. It is getting tougher to dress for work, which means I will likely break the news very soon to my boss (rumor has it she is on to me anyway)! According to my pregnancy books, our baby is about the size of a peach. Sprout is beginning to practice inhaling and exhaling motions in the womb that send the amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs. Our baby’s arms have reached their final proportions to the body and it is easily testing out its newly found reflexes. As for me, last night was my first episode of heart burn after an over-indulgent dinner at the Spotted Pig. I probably should have skipped desert, but the banofee pie (banana-toffee) was way too tempting and delicious.

READY TO ROCK

This past weekend we made our first baby purchase. We found this antique grandfather rocker at a vintage furniture warehouse behind the naval yard in Brooklyn. We thought it would be a perfect addition to our living room and the perfect piece to rock the baby to sleep. After a little clean up with my favorite wood miracle, Nanchez solution, our rocker is ready to rock.

RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS

Well…rainbows at least! The only unicorn we saw was on the crust of the apple pie (courtesy of a cookie cutter ) at Thanksgiving Dinner thanks to Celsea and Carly. The beautiful horses are a few of Diane and Michael’s Arabians. After a long walk around the property to help burn off some of the leftovers, we ended up in the pasture to feed the horses some carrots. Pictured above are Kim and Ron Vandenburg (TT’s) and below more of the Thanksgiving crew…

THE ADVENTURES OF NATHAN, CATHI & SPROUT

This Thanksgiving we have something extra special to be thankful for. Baby Ellis will be making his or her debut on June 5th and we could not be more thrilled! Truly the best treasure we could ask for. After 12+ weeks, we happily announced the news on Thanksgiving to our friends and family. We had our first ultra sound on Monday and so far our little sprout appears healthy and quite active. Nathan and I were both surprised to see the little one flailing its little arms and legs and doing Bruce Lee karate chops as well as sucking on its fingers. Amazing. Here are our baby's first pics.

DAY ESCAPE

It was one of those perfect fall days where the sky is a crisp blue and there is a chill in the air but not so cold you have to bundle. Nate and I decided to take the Subaru for a minor exploration to find some hiking trails outside of the city and possibly catch the last of the fall foliage. Just 45 minutes outside of NYC we found this incredible spot called Harriman State Park (TT). There were deer, gorgeous lakes, and best of all fresh air. We hiked about 5 miles, had a picnic lunch in the sun and refreshed our soles. We missed the best of the leaves, but enjoyed it all the same. Next year we will plan a hike for the 3rd week in October - gorgeous!