Daily Archives: December 6, 2005

I’m at 20 weeks as of today – halfway there, assuming I go to full term. According to the BabyCenter.com email I just got:

By now your baby is about the size of a large sweet potato, and a creamy, whitish substance called vernix caseosa is starting to cover his skin. This coating will protect his skin from weeks of bathing in amniotic fluid but will most likely disappear by the time he’s born. Your baby is swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system.

Can someone explain to me why all the pregnancy resources compare fetus size to edible objects? I want to have the baby, not eat it. Sheesh.

Ultrasound tomorrow, about which I am irrationally trepidatious. I’m sort of afraid they’ll look in there and see something with horns or only half a head. Like I said, irrational. But hopefully we’ll have a picture or two to share!

Scene: a malt shop. The Nephew is sucking down a chocolate malt with his usual focus and absorption. As the brain freeze sets in, the Nephew pauses, looks up, and says,

“Man, that really hurts me in my solar plexus.”

(And the sick part is that he can actually tell you where and what your solar plexus is.)

Scene: later that night, the Nephew is showing off his spelling skills, and challenges Mr. Squab to spell “metamorphosis” (this is the Nephew’s spelling word par excellence). Mr. Squab, who is more of a creative type than a speller, flubs the word. The Nephew has two responses to this:

First response: “It’s a good thing you’re good at video games, because you sure aren’t good at spelling.” (This results in a conversation about different people being good at different things, along with some discussion of what the Nephew isn’t good at.)

Second response: “Uncle Squab, I’m going to give you a goal.” (I swear to god, that’s verbatim. He really talks like this.) “I want you to know how to spell metamorphosis in three months. I’ll help you!”

Can anyone be more condescending than a seven-year-old? The little snot – I sure do get a kick out of him.