What's Santa bringing for Christmas?

It's Anita again. By now, I'm around 18 weeks pregnant. That means the expected due date of MiniMomo is 12/25/09. What a present, huh? The funny part is that my birthday is January 1! I read that only 2% of babies are actually born on their due dates, first-time mothers usually giving birth about a week later. Could this mean MiniMomo might come on my birthday?? :-o

The doctor estimated 12/25, but about.com's pregnancy due date calculator gives another estimate:

Due Date
12/27/2009
Conception
4/6/2009
Pregnancy Test
4/20/2009
1st Heartbeat
5/4/2009
Quickening
7/27/2009
Viability
9/7/2009

The quickening (movement) began about a week earlier than 7/27. It feels like little gas bubbles thumping my belly every now and then. My belly still can pass for a girl who ate a cream puff too many and isn't that recognizably pregnant at this point.

Here's what they say about what happens around the 18th week:

"Mother:
Sleeping may be increasingly difficult now, as your body grows. Try propping yourself with pillows to help you find a more comfortable sleeping position. You might also try doing pelvic tilts before bed, and always urinate before laying down.

If you haven't started yet, try playing around with baby names! Look through your family history, read books, look at combinations for girls and boys. Remember to ensure that the initials don't spell something rude, and never give your kids the same initials!

Baby:
At 20.5 cms or 8.1 inches total length, your baby is growing rapidly. S/he weighs about 7 ounces (198 grams). The bones are continuing the ossification process. The pads of the fingers and toes are formed and the fingerprints are developing as well."

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/pregnancycalendar/p/week18.htm

Yes, we still have no idea what to name MiniMomo. We're so picky!

Father to be..

Throughout my years in America, I noticed how lucky I am to have parents who were and still are there, every step of the way. They thought me so much! How to potty and behave in front of girls (thought they had cooties) when I was young. To pay attention even when a class is 3 hours long in college (2 years in John Jay). To work hard at a job even when the boss is telling you to ship out five thousand dvds(by the end of the night I slept with the dvd of saved by the bell..just joking). They made me to a balanced person.

Being in love is a great feeling. I met Anita (my bunni wunni) the love of my life. When I first saw her she just blew my senses away. A gem to be treasured and adored! What a beauty... I just knew she's the one! I would miss and still do, when ever she's away. My heart just beats for her! I'm proud to say this because I love her!

My parents in the other hand were not supportive at first because she was not Tibetan and they felt I was too young to be married and have a child at the same time. When I heard my parents reaction I was angry because they did not even know what kind of character Anita was and still is, and how much I really loved her. They found out later and was happy for me especially my mother. They still do sometimes miss me for not being their for them. I am the oldest, so alot of responsibilities.

Now I have even more. I still am in awe that I contributed in making a living person. That living person is 'MiniMomo'...We're still confused in names. Along with the name, I have to really step up as a man of the household and a soon to be father, to work hard and overcome. That's what I learned through my parents.

With love

Momo

The Path to Becoming a Child

Hello everyone.

This will be a blog documenting my future child's growth from fetus to baby to child. I am presently 18 weeks pregnant with a baby of an unknown gender (assumed to be male). A name has not yet been chosen for the baby-to-be, so for now we call him (or maybe her?) "MiniMomo".

Here are the main role players in this blog:

Me: My name is Anita, also called Bunni. I am a 22 year old African-American woman originally from Detroit, MI living and working in New York. I enjoy writing (especially comics), learning languages (learning Tibetan now), drawing (I'm rusty), exploring new things, music from all over the world, etc. I am the future mother of MiniMomo and a future Andrugsurba.




Momo: Momo's real name is Tenzing Kunchyap Andrugsurba. Momo is my fiance. He is a 24 year old Tibetan-American born in Nepal to a Tibetan-born father in exile and an Indian-born mother. He was raised in Brooklyn, NY. He is a big hip hop fan (he raps), likes to draw (is rusty like me), enjoys sports like every other guy, very kind if I say so myself, patient, aww....He is the future father of MiniMomo (hence Mini MOMO).



By the way, "momo" means "dumpling" in Tibetan.

Mommy: My mother, raised in Texas but lived in many cities across the US. She is very frank and liberal. She has been 39 years old for a record-setting 22 years now and is the youngest first-born child in her family of 7 siblings.

MiniMomo: I am not brave enough to speak for MiniMomo, for I fear later retaliation in my stomach (I am a victim of intrauterine mommy abuse, which MiniMomo probably does not realize). Thus, it may be best to let MiniMomo speak for himself (herself?). At 18 weeks of gestation, MM has already gained enough power to change our lives. Daily, my eating habits are forced to change, sleeping habits forced to changed, I am at his/her mercy. At this rate, MM may very well conquer the world.

Track MiniMomo on his/her journey from fetus into childhood and how our 20-something lives change with it.