Cora Lei

Cora Lei is expected to join our family by Nov. 27, 2012. The ultrasound August 6th confirmed that our little bun is a girl. Cora is a very active fetus right now. She's acrobatic and busy. I can feel her flipping around and kicking out right now! She must know I'm talking about her. It doesn't really matter what time of day it is, but it seems her favorite time for kicking is late afternoon when I want to rest.

Here is Cora's ultrasound picture. She's lying on her back, head to the right and her little arm above her chin. Her growth is right on track. (So is my belly! I finally get one!)

About the rest of the family:



Len is progressing wonderfully on the drums! I'll sneak a recording one day during his practice sessions. The good ones are rare because our neighbors aren't exactly understanding that practice should be everyday. Right now, he's only able to practice on the weekends while the neighbors are away. We got some lessons on DVD for him that he's enjoying. Yesterday, he reported that he was able to figure out a drum beat from one of our anime themes! I'm so proud!

Laura is increasingly anxious about watching three children at once. Yesterday our friends let me keep Jayden P.  Even though I had another mommy friend with me (thank you J9), three kids on an outing was definitely more of a handful than I anticipated! Just the logistics involved going in and out of a place baffles me. (I know she reads these, so Rachel, I'll be spending LOTS of observation time with you and your three. Just saying.)  My girls and I spent a great park day with Rachel and crew last week. I do feel very blessed to have so many mommy friends.

Emily has begun her gymnastics classes. She's had two successful sessions. They stretch and dance, jump and do somersaults. She's still not comfortable jumping through the soft-blocks pit, but she does have a great time. She's gaining weight and muscle, and so far, I'm eager to show off her progress to the nutritionist. Her suggestions to put that weight on Em are truly working! We're also having less food fights. In terms of how she's handling Cora, Em likes to tickle my belly and then listen for Cora's laugh. I do think she's feeling insecure about losing time with mom and dad. She started climbing out of her bed again, so we've put the gate up to encourage her to stay in bed so she'll fall asleep. The past week has been better. For her birthday, Len and I are considering taking her to a movie with just Mom and Dad. It's hard to believe she'll be four in two months!

Elizabeth continues to be oblivious to the fact mommy's tummy is growing. She is, however, developing wonderfully! She uses words like "Whassat?", animal sounds, and hand signals to ask for help. She can answer some yes/no questions with a head nod. She can point out many things in pictures, fit shapes into a sorter, and of course, get into SO much mischief! For example, this morning she spit out her cup of milk while I was cleaning out the car. I come back in and she's covered in milk along with the floor. The amount of mess in proportion to the amount of time she had to make it was astonishing! It's a good thing she's cute and cuddly. She gives sweet kisses and hugs. Len and I didn't realize that when we pick her up, we gave her some comforting pats on the back, so now, that's what she does too. It's endearing.


Thanks for checking up on us! I hope we can talk to or see you soon!