Savannah and the holidays

Sweet, darling, adorable, pain in the neck puppy Savannah is going to celebrate her second Christmas if she makes it that long. 

Savannah's first Christmas last year.
We had a small tree up on a table,
which kept it out of her reach.

G and I love Savannah so very much, and she is very lucky that we do. Don't get me wrong, she really isn't a bad dog when compared to say all those bad dog movies. She's just really curious, loves to chew, and doesn't know boundaries very well. We're working on all these things though, so it's a process and she's made improvements since day one.

She can sit, knows when to come when she is called, has been trained to go to her crate and rarely has accidents in the house anymore. Considering that she wasn't house trained and barely knew her name when we got her from the Humane Society, we count these as wins. 

Savannah at a little over one year,
and a good twenty pounds heavier
than last Christmas.

However, she still has her moments that make us want to pull our hair out. For instance, she loves books. Well, she loves to chew the covers and pages off the book I'm trying to read. G found her curled up around one of my paperbacks chewing away the other day. He scolded her and apologized to me for leaving the door to the room open that allowed her access to the book. I just shrugged, happy that it was my book and not a borrowed one and a $4 paperback that was easily replaced with a quick Amazon search.  

But her wanting to chew things not her toys does concern me now that the holidays are here, mainly because we want a big tree this year for Christmas and I don't want her to destroy it. Did I mention Savannah loves to chew sticks? Sigh. 

We're breaking her in semi-slowly. This morning I brought out a stocking to hang above our fireplace. It's one for her that has a bag of dog treats and a toy in it. She's been curious, sniffing around at it and bumping it with her nose. We've told her to leave it and she's been good about walking away. I'm hopeful but not yet optimistic that the tree will survive. Maybe the size will intimidate her. Maybe she will survive to see the New Year. We'll see.

Like to Move It Move It

I recently hit the 23 week mark with my pregnancy and all leading up to the second trimester I waited to feel the baby move. Since learning I was pregnant, I've been on alert for any subtle change, any strange or unfamiliar feeling.

The foot that's lately been kicking me.

The thing about being pregnant is that you get stories from people all the time once they learn you are expecting. There are lots of books, magazines, Internet articles - all wealths of knowledge and input on what you should and shouldn't be feeling.  The problem with all of this is that if you've never felt something before then how do you truly know what you are feeling?

I've felt flutters, a quickening feeling, twinges, sharp bursts of not really pain but not comfortable things - and then, just yesterday, two undeniable kicks to the left side of my abdomen. Those happened early in the morning and made me smile. All the other little movements like the things I call drops, which I can best describe as a sensation similar to how your stomach feels when you come down a roller coaster, that sort of quick drop feeling or the twinges and tingles and such - whatever those are can be dismissed. But two quick kicks, that's a movement for real.

Regardless of how much of what I'm feeling is really my baby moving around or me wishing it to be so, I'm also discovering that this experience with Jack in my unique one. Yes, other mothers have felt similar movements, but only I have felt the way Jack moves around. And so only I can describe it. This is my experience alone. Wow. That's strangely a bittersweet realization. There's so much of this I want to share with G, with everyone who is going to love Jack. But with this, the best I can do is try to find the words to explain the feelings. And even then I know I'll fall short.

It's the moments like this, when I'm sitting in a crowded room or all alone, and then I feel him move. That little flutter, quick drop, or the kicks that make me realize how special all of this is. It's still overwhelming in the best possible way.

A Face to a Name

Good news - the pregnancy is proceeding as should. Bad news, or rather a downside to this is there's no need for the more than average, insurance accepted scans.

All this means that for most visits to my doctor we do the usual check-up of weight, height, and so forth and then listen to the baby's heartbeat through a fetal monitor. 

First trimester Baby Knight

Our first image of Jack was way back in August when we didn't even know more than there was a small heartbeat and a life forming. By the time the second trimester rolled around, we at least knew that he was a boy but still had no idea what he looked like as he developed. 

We saw Jack on a Tuesday in the afternoon. It was exciting to turn the corner into the tech room instead of going straight down the hall to the vitals room. Jokingly I asked G if he had a chair handy as I climbed on the exam table. Our tech room has a big monitor right across from the table for an easy view. G and I settled in and then there was the semi-cool jelly applied on my abdomen. G started out holding my hand, but as soon as the first images of our baby popped up on the screen he was on his feet and standing right below the monitor. 

And the first thing we saw - well, let's just say our baby quickly removed any doubt that he was indeed a boy. The image made us laugh and set the course of the exam off on a good note. The anatomy scan is just as it says - a chance for the tech to look over the baby and take measurements and such to make sure the baby is developing as should. 

Jack's tiny little face

As the scan proceeded, G and I watched in awe as a baby first seemed content to stay in one spot and he was probed over. We saw his heart beating and then the individual chambers of it. We watched the values opening and closing. It was fascinating. There in front of us was not only the outward image of our baby, but the insides of him. His little bones and developing brain. So amazing and surreal. 

After a few moments of being poked about, Jack did in fact get restless and started moving around. He started to roll and shift and draw up his legs and hands. We saw a perfect image of his little foot that looked just like those ink prints you see made of newborns' feet. 

The best part of the day was one of the last photos our tech captured of Jack. He rolled around for a bit but then started to settle back down. As he did, he drew up his hand toward his face. It's the sweetest image and a little glimpse of his forming personality. I look forward to seeing how much of those movements continue on after he is born.