"It has a good beat and its easy to dance to."

Since the predicted date for the birth of our child is nearly upon us, we do not want to lose the chance to preserve photo opportunities or other natal things we might like to revisit when we are old and gray. I am referring to things like pictures of, in Dr. Leland's words, the now "mostly pregnant" Heather. We have saved many sonogram photos and regularly listen to the the baby. This weekend, Heather and I recorded the baby's heartbeat with the acoustic fetal monitor.

A baby's heart doesn't sound at all like an adult's heart, which is much slower and the sound of the individual heart valves is more clearly evident. An unborn child's heart sounds more like a very rapid drumbeat. I am not entirely satisfied with the sound quality, so we will possibly make another attempt today. The biological actions that influence the sound quality are numerous, and include the baby stirring or nutrients flowing between Mom and infant, even the sound of food absorption. It is a bit peculiar and yet awe-inspiring, the life we have created, with God's hand helping us along.

I read that the baby can somehow savor the distinction between sweets and salty foods, but since nutrition isn't introduced by mouth, that seems weird and yet, quite wonderful to me. Another thing, since the seventh month, the baby has been able to open their eyes (Grrrr. That is grammatically so incorrect since we are expecting ONE child, but I hate to say "his or her" which Heather will tell you drives me nuts. Still, we don't know if we are having a boy or a girl so I will have to allow myself to mangle the language at this time). The baby has been able to see bright light for a few months, too. That reminds me of how you can shine an intense light at your hand and see bone structures. In our baby's case, being in cramped quarters, so to speak, any bright light is subdued, especially for still-developing optic nerves. Irregardless, we regularly say, "Hello in there!"

There is so much going on here. It is all very exciting for us. Heather is a bit more tired and sore lately. I think that the baby isn't going to wait much longer, and that will be a relief, though of course, Heather is a bit apprehensive about the intensity of labor. Who can blame her? Still, she is strong and says many other women have gone through it so she can do it, too. Heather has a good attitude about everything. No wonder I love the woman. =)