Happy Holidays!

Jan & I took Freja to our 30-week ultrasound appointment today in the hopes that she would get more excited about the baby if she got to actually see her. While she was somewhat interested in the ultrasound machine, the baby, not so much. And so it goes.

For our part we were happy to see the baby growing just like she should be, see that heart beating and little hands & feet showing off coordinated punches & kicks. Our doctor tried to get a good 3-D ultrasound picture, but the baby kept her fists up close to her face most of the time. We were able to view a couple of 3-D pictures - enough for us to decide she looks just like Freja! - but none were really worthy of posting here.

We are having our family Christmas this Saturday because Jan had to go up to work yesterday. So for now, no pictures of Freja tearing through the stack of presents - but coming soon. Here is a little snippet of her singing along as she reads a favorite new (library) book, Frosty the Snowman. Over & over & over again.....! I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing that little voice singing. Love.

Sledding!

Sledding!  We got a new sled for Freja.  This was her first day playing with it.  She doesn't seem to like walking through the snow but she loved the sled and going fast!

Snowing!

Today's video clip shows me going in to get Freja up this morning. It's usually a funny & entertaining time for her, as she is well rested and in a great mood. She will just jabber away in there until we go in to get her, no matter how long she's been awake or what condition her diaper is in. She was pretty excited to see all the snow this morning as you can see!

In baby 2.0 news, our still-nameless TBD is moving so much these days, it's getting harder & harder for me to get a good night's sleep. She moves throughout the day too, but it's about the time I'm ready to go to bed that she delivers the big punches & kicks. Our next check-up is next Wednesday, and Jan & I are both eager to see her again via ultrasound, something we haven't done since the 20-week mark.

I'm currently at 28 1/2 weeks pregnant. Wonder what else Freja Junior is up to?
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Happy holidays to each & everyone of you!

Snow Day!

After a very dry and warm start to the winter we've finally gotten some snow here in the Roaring Fork Valley. At long last, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! With the snow came a huge change in temperatures, with highs near 50 last week but only in the teens today - and the low supposed to be below zero tonight. We'll all be bundled up from here on out and hoping for more snow that we can go out & play in. Freja loves seeing the snow fall and getting to play in it too, so much so that Jan had a hard time getting her back inside shortly after this photo was taken this morning. No Daddy, I want to play!

In other news as most of you know it's been a busy week in real estate for the Koorn family. We found a house we love in Carbondale and are hoping to move in around February 1 - giving me a month to settle in & unpack before the arrival of baby #2. Our townhome is officially on the market as of Tuesday, and since then we've had six showings with more to come this week. I'm already in pregnant-hypernesting mode, and started packing things up yesterday in anticipation of the big move. I suppose it's nice to have so much to distract me from all the energy I've been putting in to baby names, and of course just being pregnant in general.

I'm 27 weeks pregnant now - one more week to go then I'll be in the third trimester! Tick tock.
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Bedtime is happy time

Here is Freja getting ready for bed last night. Yes, she stayed in her cupcake PJs all day. Maybe her mom also stayed in her PJs all day. Don't judge.

Guest Post: Uncle Arie!

Guest Post here, Uncle Arie reporting live from the Colorado Koorn homestead, where I have spent the most delightful week eating turkey and leftovers, catching up with the family, and chasing little Freja around the house.  I had not seen her since February, and in the intervening months she somehow acquired two of our species' distinguishing traits, namely speech and the ability to walk upright.  But never has Homo sapiens performed either activity as charmingly as my little niece.  After a couple shy moments when I first arrived, she began to lead me around her domain, pulling out her favorite toys in turn and handing them to me, naming them one at a time: "drum," "Legos," "ball," and so on.  Then it was on to her books, and then to the window, and a brief spell with my smartphone (which she is clearly more adept at than I), and then back to her Legos for round two of the circuit.

Freja also proved an enthusiastic guide at the park and in downtown Aspen, and she had me running hither and yon (no, not you, Jan) and stooping to investigate every leaf and stone and friendly doggie along the way.  She has an inexhaustible supply of energy and smiles, and she continually amazed me with her awareness and understanding of what was said and done around her.

I should mention that there were big people here as well this week, and I trust they will forgive me for the short shrift they are given here, being that they are all as understandably enthralled by Freja as I am.  Jan and Kelly were perfect hosts, somehow finding time to catch up and go hiking between parenting, cleaning, and cooking a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  It was great to see Mom and Dad in their new roles as Gramy and Grandpa, and even more to see Jan and Kelly obviously enjoying being parents, and doing an amazing job of it to boot.  Thank you all for a wonderful week!

On the Move!

Gratuitous Freja shot - didn't want to leave her out of this post! Here she is sporting her new winter coat on her way in to the Basalt library on Monday morning.

For the past few weeks I have been feeling the baby move here & there, and about a week ago Jan finally got to feel her move too. I really should have him writing this week's blog post to give you his POV. Little Secondi is on the move lately, still no big kicks or punches, but definitely doing somersaults (and using my bladder as a trampoline) at all hours, day & night. You might think since we are BTDT (been there, done that) parents-to-be that it's no big whoop, but it's still very exciting & reassuring feeling her ongoing activity.

For week 23 - How your baby's growing:
With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking cat meowing or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double. (Yipes!) You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb!