Baby worries

As we enter into the final few weeks of the second trimester, it has become clear to me that my darling husband and I are not always on the same page where our offspring is concerned. He has browsed the pregnancy book and oooh'd and awwww'd over the tiny clothes and new color of the nursery, and he has comforted me when I randomly burst into tears and cooked and cleaned when I have had no desire to get off the couch. We are virtually identical in beliefs, values, and family goals. But while I'm fretting over preterm labor, gestational diabetes, and the intervals between and intensity of Jr.'s movements, my husband is primarily concerned with... my belly button.

When Nick was a little boy, his older brother told him that if you pushed your belly button hard enough, your legs would fall off. This led the dear man to become extremely unsettled by the idea of "outie" navels. After all, most of us are protected from the horror of watching our legs fall off by our innies, which would have to be actively sought out and pressed. An outie could initiate a self-destruct sequence just by leaning up against a counter. Therefore, in his mind, innie = safe, outie = sudden loss of legs.

Fast forward 23 years to about a month ago, when I, having heard the legend of the belly button many times but never having realized the terror with which my husband has lived, showed him my much shallower navel and informed him that it might pop out before the baby arrives. My pregnancy so far has been pretty easy. Maybe three total days of nausea, a few minor backaches, some fatigue in the first trimester. Nick has handled the food aversions, complaints of dry, itchy skin, unspeakable bathroom-related issues, and general physical expansion like a pro. He has valiantly stood by my side in the Target baby section, holding the scan gun while I dithered over bedding colors and travel systems not once, but at least three times. But, at the prospect of my innie being outed, the poor guy went ashen.

His brother's myth, while no longer believed, is still "a contributing factor" in my husband's belly button psyche. While he does not believe my legs are in any danger, he is afraid that if my belly button pops out, it might get accidentally sheared off, which would unravel my whole internal arrangement and result in all my internal organs spilling out onto the floor. He realizes this is at least highly unlikely and probably impossible. Until the Mythbusters test it, however, he will remain concerned.

Right now, directly behind my navel is a placenta and a sealed-up uterus. But what if my belly button pops out and doesn't go back in after the baby comes? Will my weakened abdominal muscles herniate out, the leaders in a charge soon to be followed by my spleen and whatever else is lurking in there? I read the section in What to Expect that assures the worried parents-to-be that "your belly button should revert back to its regular position a few months after delivery". The book even suggests Band-Aid-ing it down if its outward appearance truly bothers you. Nick was relieved; he had been thinking tape and I caught him eyeing the stapler the other day. But then... "Should? Should revert?" He has two questions for the doctor at my appointment today: 1. Will it go back after the baby comes? and 2. If it doesn't, is surgery an option?

I, on the other hand, am fascinated by this pregnancy symptom, as it is one of the few that is not painful, scary, or gas-inducing. I discovered last night that if I press lightly above and below my navel, it pops out like those googly-eyed stress balls and then immediately shoots back in. I was thoroughly enjoying this new toy, and, forgetting Nick's phobia, went to show him my new trick, as he usually is enraptured by such things. He shrieked and hid under a pillow, yelling, "No! No! Put it back!" He looked rather sheepish when he came back out of his pillow fort and insisted on checking that things were back to normal before he would go to sleep.

In short, I have a wonderfully supportive husband with whom I am greatly anticipating parenthood. I'm just not sure he's going to go near the baby until the cord dries up and falls off. And in the meantime, we pray the baby has an innie, or his father will be sheathing it in bubble wrap every day of the poor kid's life.

Advent Devotions - The Jesse Tree

Isaiah 11:1 - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

This [no longer in print] set of devotions for the season of Advent stems [hee hee] from those words of Isaiah. The series of 29 Bible readings (designed for the longest-possible season of Advent) begins with Creation and goes up through the Nativity, focusing on God's promise of a Savior in prophecy and the lives of OT heroes of faith. We have often doubled up on some of the shorter stories to accommodate a season shorter than 29 days, and it is also possible to simply reference one story in another if time is very short (ie, in a classroom).

Each daily devotion has a Bible reference, a hymn suggestion, and a specific symbol to portray the story. My family has little felt ornaments for each symbol (pictured below), but you can print off pictures or omit the symbols entirely and still be edified by the journey from sin to Savior. The series is designed to start on the first Sunday in Advent and continue through Christmas Day.

Our Jesse Tree, with ornaments

1. (First Sunday) The Jesse Tree 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Isaiah 11:1. Hymn 23. Symbol: Jesse Tree banner or stump.
2. The Birth of Life Gen. 1:24-28. Hymn 237. Symbol: world
3. Adam and Eve Gen. 3:1-24. Hymn 378. Symbol: apple and snake
4. Noah and the Flood Gen. 6:11-22; 8:6-12. Hymn 429. Symbol: ark
5. Father Abraham Gen. 12:1-7; 13:2-18. Hymn 439. Symbol: tent and camel
6. Isaac and the Ram Gen. 22:1-14. Hymn 435. Symbol: agnus Dei (lamb)
7. Jacob and his Dream Gen. 27:41-28:22. Hymn 589. Symbol: Jacob's ladder
8. (Second Sunday) Symbol of Prophecy Isaiah 9:2-7. Hymn 47. Symbol: (advent) rose
9. Joseph and his Coat Gen. 37:1-36. Hymn 17. Symbol: coat of many colors
10. Moses and the Law Exodus 20:1-17. Hymn 286. Symbol: Ten Commandments
11. Blessing of Aaron Numbers 6:22-27. Hymn 332. Symbol: hand of benediction (two fingers)
12. Samuel and the Word of the Lord 1 Sam. 3:1-21. Hymn 283. Symbol: oil lamp
13. David 1 Sam. 16:14-23. Hymn 360. Symbol: harp
14. Symbol of Shepherds Psalm 23. Hymn 436. Symbol: shepherd's staff
15. (Third Sunday) Wisdom of Solomon 1 Kings 3:3-28. Hymn 4. Symbol: crown
16. Elijah and the Raven 1 Kings 17:1-16. Hymn 414. Symbol: raven
17. Elisha and Healing 2 Kings 5:1-27. Hymn 564. Symbol: hand of blessing (hand with dove)
18. Isaiah Isaiah 6:1-8. Hymn 11. Symbol: scroll
19. Jeremiah Jer. 31:31-34. Hymn 279. Symbol: Bible in heart
20. Nehemiah the Builder Nehemiah 13:10-22. Hymn 9. Symbol: church
21. Angels Hebrews 1:1-14. Hymn 35. Symbol: angel with candle
22. (Fourth Sunday) Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke 1:5-25. Hymn 13. Symbol: altar
23. Virgin Mary Luke 1:26-38. Hymn 24. Symbol: lily
24. Magnificat Luke 1:39-56. Song of Mary, p. 57. Symbol: Mary
25. Birth of John the Baptist Luke 1:57-80. Hymn 16. Symbol: baptismal shell
26. Joseph of Nazareth Matt. 1:18-25. Hymn 14. Symbol: carpenter's tools
27. Symbol of Bethlehem Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1-12  Hymn 66. Symbol: Star of David
28. (Christmas Eve) Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-20. Hymn 54. Symbol: manger
29. (Christmas Day) Christ our Lord John 1:1-8. Hymn 47. Symbol: Chi Rho

Back to the blogosphere...

Apparently the last time I had anything to share with the wide and wonderful world of the web was October of 2009. Since that last post on cpl-ish.blogspot.com, I've gotten married, held four different jobs in three different states, and joined the throngs of similarly-lived friends who are currently or recently expecting babies. Nope. Nothing of note.

Google is adverse to the idea of letting me use my new (as of two years ago) email address on the old blog and is similarly disenchanted with letting me simply delete those ramblings of angsty, college-me. Maybe someday I'll be glad to have that electronic diary. But it is not this day. Since everything in my life has changed so radically down to my corrective lens prescription in the last three years, perhaps the time has come for a new attempt at blogging. Meh. We'll see.