11/52 - Small Things

Now that the big news is out, everything else seems small! But small is good, too.

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Anders lost another tooth! This one has been loose for a while, and... well, we'll let him tell the story.

The tooth fairy always leaves a note. (But she doesn't always leave one this creepy.)

The teeth he lost last July have been replaced, just in time.

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I made a thai curry soup recently. When I poured the last of my fish sauce into a bowl, I heard a "clink" as something solid tumbled out. I fished around (pun intended) and pull out what at first appeared to be a piece of glass. But a quick lick confirmed that it was actually a salt crystal! We used the opportunity to reinforce the idea of crystals and crystal structure with Anders.

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Anders is still really excited about having a sibling. He has been telling his friends and teachers, particularly in the last week. When one teacher asked him if he was excited, he responded:

Yes, I'm really excited. Because sometimes at home, I get lonely.

He has taken to giving the baby hugs and kisses, by proxy through Corinne's belly.

Thanks for all of the support and shared excitement!

- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ??

Big Reveal

We've been working on quite a few large projects, including a new heating system and a major thinning project in our forests. But this project tops¹ them all.

Yes, that is what you think it is. This August 20th (give or take), we will be a household of 4!

This has been a long-term project for us. Back when Anders was around 2 years old, we decided we would go for our second (and final) child. A couple years after that we saw our first specialist. Then we did two rounds of in vitro fertilization in Portland. Then we did two more rounds of IVF at one of the foremost centers on the procedure in New York City. We finally had success using an egg donor, and here we are. We are excited!² (BTW, we have lots more information on the processes involved and would be happy to talk with anyone who is interested.)

Now is a good time for a Fight Club moment where we revisit situations over the last 4 months in light of new information, such as: why Corinne isn't learning skiing with us; why she is drinking masala chai instead of lattes; and that when I went to NJ for a week in January, she had to self-administer all of her IVF-related injections. Go, Corinne!

With the IVF and egg donation procedures, we conducted lots of genetic and chromosomal testing to ensure a healthy embryo. One of the outcomes of the testing is a highly reliable answer to the question of gender. We won't be surprised this time! The doctor has known the gender since before the embryo was implanted, but we weren't ready for the information at that point. So we had her write it on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. Now that we're past the first trimester, it's time to find out.

We wanted to do something fun to find out. So we took that envelope and gave it to a local baker with instructions to make cupcakes with an appropriately-colored filling: pink for a girl, blue for a boy. We picked up the cupcakes on Friday, and Saturday afternoon we sat down to take our first bite of what our future holds for us.

I know you are all anxiously awaiting the results. So, without further ado...

That's the photo we sent to our families on Saturday evening. Not nice, I know - but fun. :)

Here is the video of us finding out - for real - what's coming in August. Enjoy!

Watch this video on YouTube
or in the original post

- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ???

¹ I just can't bring myself to use the word trump.
² ...although we occasionally have doubts about introducing a disturbance into a well-oiled machine.