Christmas (8 months)

Boop's first Christmas was spent with the Eckelmen in Braintree. The Joneses came down from Maine, and the whole crew had a great time playing games, eating lots and enjoying everyone's company. A few highlights:




















More photos from Christmas here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98765997@N00/sets/72157611797002206/

Less than a month to go until Boop's arrival date!

Baby Shower Fun

Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated Boop's upcoming birth with us! We had such a great time and really enjoyed catching up with everyone!! A few select photos below.


More photos from the shower can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98765997@N00/sets/72157611114586235/

Boop's First Thanksgiving (7 months)

Everyone enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with the Joneses in Maine.

Aunt Alison visits Boop

Aunt Alison came to New Haven to visit Gwyneth and the baby. We went for a nice walk in East Rock park and also visited Gwyneth's office.

6 months

We just hit the 6 month mark - forwards into the third trimester! Baby Boop has been very active for the last few weeks - moving and kicking often. Gwyneth feels great, overall.

Boop Goes to Spain

Gwyneth and Matt spent 10 days in Spain - in the Basque region and in Sitges, near Barcelona. Boop seemed to like all the fresh seafood and pintxos (Basque tapas). Here are some photos:

The Public Demands (5 months)

Per request, here are some photos from today of Gwyneth and Matt, with particular emphasis on the growing baby.

Baby is on the move

After weeks of not being sure if she could feel the baby moving or not, Gwyneth is now pretty sure she can! It's pretty subtle, which is why she wasn't positive at first. You know when you get mild muscle twitches or spasms when you're tired or stressed? She says it feels kind of like those in her abdomen.

Time to get serious

So, we've been puttering along with the blog as Boop has been growing clandestinely, but now that our news and Boop have become more visible, it's time to get serious. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but whenever we tell people that we're expecting, they always ask the same four or five questions:

1. What is the due date?
2. How is Gwyneth feeling?
3. Is your apartment big enough? Are you going to move?
4. Is it a boy or a girl?
5. Have you thought about names?

So, it's time for some answers!

The baby is due to arrive on Jan. 21, and if the event is two days late, Boop will share a birthday with "Grandpa" Eckelman. So, that means we're at twenty weeks now, halfway there!

Gwyneth is feeling great, with almost no morning sickness (and not more than usual sleepiness...) -- Though she admits to no food cravings, our refrigerator quickly filled up with cottage cheese and she routinely gets up at 11-12 at night for a snack. Boop is getting bigger and Gwyneth says she might be starting to feel the baby, but she's not sure.

We're planning on staying in our apartment on Mansfield Street - just have to do some smart furniture re-arranging to make room for the little one. When we talked about the possible need for more space to a Japanese colleague, he laughed and said that our apartment was more than enough for a full family in Japan, so it's all relative.

And for the big answer: Boop is ....... a GIRL! We're very excited to start using proper pronouns and looking forward to years of cuteness and tranquility (because little girls are perfectly behaved, right?) - all the women we know are happy at first and then whisper conspiratorally, "Just wait until she's a teenager..." While the Jones and Jensen clans are used to girls, the Eckelman/Brouhards seem to be ready for a bit more estrogen. Laura (Matt's sister) seems especially happy for company... Gwyneth wants to stress that a baby girl on the way is not an excuse to go crazy for pink (her most despised color) - maybe we should pull for eco-baby green...

As for names, we've not had any serious discussions about it - somehow it still seems too early, and "Boop" is so catchy. Our favorite suggestion so far, though, is Technology Jones (brilliant, Nancy!)

So there's the FAQ - more to come soon!

Ultrasound on August 28th

Second Ultrasound, July 14, 2008

First Ultrasound - June 24, 2008

Gwyneth and Matt upon getting the news - May 21, 2008