Justin and I figured it was about time I joined him on a General Aviation (GA) flight again, in part because it really has been too long (months!) and because we wanted Sprout to log some GA flight hours in utero. Baby Einstein’s got nothing on Baby Earhart, after all! As Justin so eloquently put it, she is now his “youngest Young Eagle of all!”

Anyway, we figured she was ready since she’s become quite the “wiggle worm” inside my womb. I’m afraid NASA probably wouldn’t allow me on their “Vomit Comet” in my present condition, and even if they did, the aircraft would live up to its name. The next best thing, however, were some steep turns in a Cessna Skyhawk glass cockpit equipped (Garmin G1000) single engine aircraft, with Justin at the controls. We three — Justin, Sprout and I — all had a blast, and the weather couldn’t have been lovelier! I have missed flying with Justin, and as with our hiking and cycling, we’re enjoying these prenatal introductions. Someday, we will be able to embarass Sprout by reminiscing about all the things we did with her when she was still in Mommy’s belly.

While on approach back to KSAT (San Antonio International Airport), we mused about the proper attachment method for a child carseat in a single engine aircraft — front seat or back, facing backward or facing forward, etc.? Obviously, there will be many other firsts in our lives before we add “Baby’s First Flight” post-birth to Justin’s pilot logbook, but it pays to think ahead!

GPS ground track from Sprout’s “first flight” today:

See Flickr for map annotations.

Thank you, Justin, for a terrific flight and a superb landing (as always!) To reference Justin’s blog post of today’s events, I too sensed my perspective altered on this flight. How very amazing it was to see the Earth from above once again, knowing full well there’s a new life growing inside of me to whom all of these wonders are, as yet, unknown. We adults take so much for granted; it takes something momentous, like the impending birth of your own child, to make you take a deep breath and appreciate the beauty and meaning all around you.

In related news, Justin and I extend our congratulations to Joe and Julee on the birth of their bundle of joy, Jason Dodd, on October 24, 2006. Looking at their first photos gives us a beautiful glimpse into our lives come April 2007!

Justin, my brother and I, started a silly but fun email thread a couple days ago — sharing geek girl names from Star Trek, Star Wars, The Matrix, and other geeky sources.

So far, here’s what we’ve traded so far:

(Kira) Nerise … Seven of Nine … Kess … Jadzia … Trinity … Leia … Ezri … Elphaba (from the Broadway musical, “Wicked“) … Deanna … Luxwana …

We’re not evil, but some of these are tempting in ways that are wholly unnatural!

For more, visit What to Name Your Baby Nerd.
(Ahem… We prefer “Geek”. Nerds are so 80′s!)

Howdy!

Mom and Dad (Shannon and Justin) said I have news to share with you all, even though I just put on a star performance during my ultrasound yesterday morning (October 26). I must have done well, because Mom and Dad have already dubbed my ultrasound videotape to DVD — I’m already a geek and I haven’t even been born yet! (Hmm… I wonder if I can earn royalties on the performance?)

Anyway, I don’t want to make you wait for the news, so Mom and Dad said it was okay if I told you….
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Are you ready?
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** I’M A GIRL !!! **

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Whew, that was stressful. I didn’t know Mom and Dad would put me to work sharing important news like that so soon. What’s next, I’m expected to design and launch my own WEBSITE?
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Love,

P.S. Mom seems to have jumped the gun so, technically, I guess I already sort of have a website… I just took over hers!

Photos From My “Debut”:


Mom says something called Flickr has full-size, annotated versions of all of these photos, by the way.

Based on Baby’s Estimated Due Date (EDD) of April 1, 2007:

• Baby’s birthstone will be Diamond or, alternately, Opal.
• Baby’s astrological sign will be Aries.
  (Baby’s Mom & Dad are both Capricorn.)
• Baby’s flower is Daisy or Sweet Pea.
• Baby will be born in the Chinese Year of The Pig.
• By this time next year, Baby will be 30 Weeks Old!.
• Baby will start kindergarten in 2012, be old enough to drive a car in 2023, finish high school in 2025, and will graduate from college with the class of 2029, give or take a year. (Eek!)
• See what happened in history on baby’s due date.

I’m not a Photoshop whiz, but I am a geek so whatever I lack in talent I make up for in persistance (ok, stubbornness). When one of my father’s former co-workers congratulated us on our iBaby, this was too much fun to pass up!

The baby in the “ad” is indeed ours, from our 26 October 2006 ultrasound at 17 weeks 4 days.

Here’s the source iPod ad I referred to for inspiration:
idisk.mac.com/kellykthompson/Public/iPod.gif

I used to work with folks who could have made this up so slick you’d be hard-pressed to know it wasn’t a real Apple ad… but my skills were never even remotely on par with theirs.

P.S. And, yes, this evening I broke down and made this onesie on CafePress.

/geek

I’ve finally “popped!” I feel totally huge today. It’s like Sprout’s grown a whole inch in a week! (Not likely, but I have.) I swear I haven’t over-eaten today, but my stomach’s waaay out there! My weight’s just right though; I’ve gained 1 lb. since I last saw my doc… at max, maybe 2 lbs. (I’m too lazy to put my shoes on so I can accurately compare my current weight to my weight at the OB’s office two weeks ago.

I realize a post like this invites a photo attachment.  Mom’s the only one who’s taken any photos of my stomach yet, and that was yesterday with me wearing a very baggy top.  Wearing my maternity tank top today, let’s just say I’ll need a new photo for accuracy.