Thump, thump, thump ...

I heard the baby's heartbeat via our doctor's tummy amplifier this morning. Doctor Clawson says that Cletus' heartbeat is strong and right on target for where it needs to be at this stage. Little Cleet is 4 months, and 1 week old. He is moving around a lot and the doctor says that it could be any day now when I'll feel his little arms and legs making contact with my belly. My friend Diane has advised to be on the look out for faint little kicks that feel like a single piece of popcorn popping in your belly. Diane is expecting her own little munchkin about a month before Cletus is born. Aunty Sandy is expecting a sibling for two year old Brandon in a few months as well. It's going to be so nice for Cletus to be born with an instant circle of friends.

We can expect our next ultrasound in 2-3 weeks. Hopefully by this time Cletus' will reveal if **he** is truly a little "he-Smith" or a little "she-Smith" : )

Happy Easter, circa 1978

Random thoughts ...

I worry when ... I'm at an intersection and I see a cop pull up behind me.
I stop worrying when ... I look in the rear-view mirror and see the cop picking his nose.

Happy Easter Everyone !!!

Another update from "Cletus the Fetus"

Aloha family and friends

It's Cleet the Feet and I'm here to give you my 4 month review. I am approximately 4 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 ounces in weight. While I'm really only the size of a avocado, Mommy thinks I'm much bigger because her pre-pregnancy pants no longer fit. According to the docs, in the next three weeks, I will be going through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling my weight and adding inches in length. My lower limbs are developing, my eyes have moved toward the front of my head, and my heart is now pumping 25 quarts of love each day. My big milestone of the week is that I'm growing toenails!

Mommy's appetite is strong and I remind her to eat every few hours or so. My favorite foods seem to be lemon yogurt, spinach dip and toasted english muffins ... mmmm mmmm good.

All is good in the hood for now. Stay tuned.

Love,
Cletus the Fetus

Bella Band

Are you pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant? Well if you are ... I highly recommend (if not insist) that you go out and buy a Bella Band.

Don't wait for your second trimester to start. Don't wait for a sale.
Heaven forbid don't be like me and envision sewing multiple bands in various shades of black, khaki and blue so that they will match your pants. Go buy one. Put it in your junk drawer and shut the door. Its day will come ... trust me.

I am not sure why I waited. I think I envisioned having so much time to sew, nest and surf for one online that I just kept passing them up in the stores. I am at the point in my pregnancy where I am in denial about my size and resentful that my regular pants are too tight. Stuff just doesn't fit me right now. My materinty pants are too big and my regular pants are too tight. My waist changes daily !!!

On Thursday, (my birthday no less) I had to wear a summer weight, light as air, thin as a t-shirt type skirt to dinner because none of my real clothes fit !! The outdoor temperature was probably between 45-50 degrees that night. Since I have become obsessively vain and hypersensitive about the shape of my body, I didn't feel like throwing a big jacket over a cute skirt so I teamed the skirt with a thin black cardigan that only buttons on the top (the last 4-5 buttons make the sweater pop open when I sit). Suffice it say, while I was frigid as an ice block, I looked somewhat cute and "slim" as my outfit was all blank and everyone says that black makes you look thin : ) Don't tell Rob, but I had goosebumps on my belly, boobs and arms ... my toes felt like they would fall off ... yeah I had to wear sandals to match the skirt.

BTW, I know when Rob reads this post he's really gonna flip out because he hates the fact that I am in denial about my body changes and my maternity pants. He is not a girl tho ... he does not look like a cow who is carrying 50lbs extra just by simply putting on a maternity outfit. Maternity blouses make me look like I'm sooooo much bigger than I really am. For some reason, I am growing bigger in places that are slightly abnormal. The area under my boobs have expanded at the same rate as my lower waist ... I look like a can of soda. Maternity clothes make me look 50 times more pregnant than I really am.

I need a bella band. I know. I'm going out to buy 2 or 3 as soon as the stores open today. Crisis averted (for now).

-Mommy Smong

P.S. Here's a happy note ... my boobie growth has finally evened out. When my boobs first started to take on weight, the right boob seemed to be growing at a faster rate than the left. (I am not dreaming this, Rob confirmed). Not sure why I seem to grow at an uneven rate but I'm even now so it's all good.

- Always nice to end a post on a happy note : ) Have a good weekend.

Best holiday ever !!!

Easter is coming !!! Easter is coming !!!












Yippee !!!












Aren't I just so cute ...

I'm sooooooo happy !!!!!

Last night ... for the first time in MONTHS, I slept pretty much the whole night through. I kinda vaguely remember getting up to pee but I must have fallen asleep right after I got back into bed because the next thing I remember was hearing the sound of Rob's alarm. Yippee !!!!!!!!! Sleep is wonderful : ) I know I can't expect to get much sleep once Cletus arrives but ever since the start of my pregnancy, I've been sleeping in 3-4 hours spurts. I get up to go to the bathroom or to eat a snack and then I lay in bed for hours tossing and turning.

The second trimester of my pregnancy has been soooo good : )

My appetite has returned, my nausea is pretty much gone (knock on wood), and I only get heartburn when I eat crazy foods or take my fiber pills without enough water. If my sleep pattern stays on track I think I'll start feeling right as rain in no time.

Does anyone want to run a marathon with me? I'm feeling so good right now, I think I'll sign up for two : ) Katie Holmes ... eat my dust.

Me again ... here I am at 13 weeks

This is a picture of me and my big ole head full of brains. This pic is a side view of my head. It's kinda hard to tell but my jaw is on the lower left, near my thumb.

Which thumb you ask??

The one I'm sucking on : )

Yup, just like my mom, I am a total thumb sucker. Some day down the line, Dad is going to have to cover my thumb with cayenne pepper, lemon flavored nail polish or some kind of duct tape.

I wonder how you really break kids from a thumb sucking habit???

In this picture you get a really good view of what my side profile looks like. Isn't my nose just sooo cute !!! I have my mommy's nose, it's flat and wide.

In this pic, I'm practicing my dance steps by doing the running man. If you look closely, you can see an outline of my ribs and spine. Nurse Beth says that it's a good sign that I move around and am so active at this stage. She and Doctor Clawson were pleased with what they saw during this ultrasound.

Until we meet again ...

--Cleet The Feet

And the saga continues ...

More friendly bits regarding how different my hubby Rob and I are ...

Today as we sat in our doctor's lounge, waiting to take yet another ultrasound, Rob and I find ourselves looking around the room. Since he's quiet, I know he is being just as snoopy as I am, so I ask "what are you looking at?"

Rob's reply ... "ohh nothing I guess. When I'm in a new room, I like to take a general look around ... check out scenery ... where the emergency exit is ... imagine what is behind door "X" ... sneak a peek to see what the forms on the table are for. Nothing special ... what are you looking at?"

Chrissi's dumbfounded reply ... "What am I looking at? Dude screw the emergency exit, didn't you just see the lady that walked past us? She was wearing a knee length black dress and ankle length black socks. The dress was something a Marketing chicky would wear to a board meeting and the BLACK SOCKS ... well geez ... why is she wearing socks? The socks were slouchy and faded. They didn't match her dress or her overall look. Why would anyone wear socks with a dress?? Where did the socks come from? Do they go under some kind of boots? Where are the boots? I wonder if the ultrasound lady gave her the socks to wear during the procedure? I have my own socks. I DO NOT want to wear used socks during any procedure. Ghod I hope she comes out wearing boots."

Back to Rob ... "ohhh did a lady just walk out of the room??"

My Uncle is Famous !!!

Attention fellow foodie friends and fans ... my Uncle Kirby made the front page of the Honolulu Advertiser's Dining Out Section. Here is a link to the full article. Congratulations Uncle Kirby !!!