It's crazy...

Since the dawn of time, women have carried babies and given birth...but I really don't know how they do it. I like to think that I could tough it out, but I'm not so sure about that. I wondered about this last night as I listened to Linda puke up her guts... Seems she had gotten a really bad case of heartburn... But all the ailments that go along with pregnancy...I really don't know how women do it...and then go about their daily lives. After throwing up several times last night and this morning, Linda continued to get herself ready and went to work. Maybe I'm just a wuss when it comes to throwing up. I hate vomiting. I haven't thrown up in years. Granted, the times I have tossed my cookies, including the last time I threw up in 2006, was usually alcohol induced... But those were my drunk-party-days years ago... When I do throw up...I'm down for the count. I'm out of commission for the next several days...and going to work is the farthest thing from my mind. And Linda was never really a puker either...but during this pregnancy, she has puked and cried more in the last 7 months than over the entire 16+ years I've known her.

Anyway this past weekend was another great busy one. Linda & I met up with some of my family to celebrate January birthdays, and also exchange some Christmas presents...all in mid-February. Long story, but Kansas City has gotten probably the worst winter I can remember and after having to reschedule due to weather...and me getting pink eye another time...we finally met up last weekend at Ameristar Casino. Had a great dinner at their Great Plains Cattle Co. restaurant. Then Linda, me, my sis Shannon, aunt Ginger, and cousins Dee & Doo hit the blackjack tables. I haven't gambled, or really even set foot in a casino, since my Vegas bachelor party over 4 years ago...but Linda & I made out well. We each decided to take $100 for gambling, and after 6 hours of playing, we left with and extra $31! Not a bad night, right? And my biological mother and future "Nana" Vada, future aunt Shan and Ginger all were able to feel Evan bounce around! I'm glad they were able to feel that. That's really one of the neat things about pregnancy... We just need to get together with my dad and sister so they can feel too!

Sunday was Valentine's Day... Linda & I actually celebrated a bit early this year. Last week, Linda got a pedicure as part of her Valentine's Day from me... And she got me two great books from Amazon; The Baby Bonding Book For Dads: Building a Closer Connection with Your Baby and Why Do Babies Do That: Baffling Baby Behavior Explained. Both are quick reads and had some great info! But we both have never been huge Valentine's Day celebrators...for the simple fact that 'holiday' seems to be so commercialized as THE one day when you're supposed to profess your love to someone. Linda & I do that everyday. We don't need a holiday to tell us to love one another. About 99% of the time, we say "I love you" at the end of every phone call, text message, email and saying good night to each other. It's sad when you see a couple that never says it to one another...and when they do, it's on Valentine's Day or their anniversary or a birthday or whatever.

So 33 weeks means that Evan weighs a little over 4 lbs., or about the weight of a pineapple. He has also passed the 17-inch mark, in fact he might grow up to an extra inch this week alone! He is rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. Evan's brain is still developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he will be able to control his breathing with sucking and swallowing. His immune system has also developed as well... He also now keeps his eyes open when he's awake!