merry christmas to us.

To celebrate the best Christmas gift we've ever received, we had some incredible photos taken of the little man. Here are a few favorites.















Never have we had so much to be thankful for on Christmas. Still, the amazing few weeks Will has been in our lives have not been without difficulty. On Wednesday he had surgery to repair two hernias, the hardest two hours of my life. After spending the night in the hospital he seems to be well on the road to recovery (as are the rest of us). Will's health makes this Christmas even more special, those quiet moments we share with him in front of the tree even more precious. Our hearts go out to those children and families struggling with illness during the holiday season.

May the spirit of Christmas be with all of you.

what did my arms do before they held you?

William Kevin Moynihan, until now known as Wiggle, was born into this world at 5:23 a.m. on December 7, 2010 and weighed 7lbs 9oz at 19.8 inches long. Named after my grandfather and father, Will is too beautiful for words. I labored for 12 hours, from dusk til dawn, with Colin by my side. It was as peaceful a birth experience as I could have imagined. The contractions were agonizing but the epidural was a dream. After pushing for two and a half hours, my boy was laid on my chest, and the first words he heard were "I love you" whispered softly into his ear.

Here is a picture of Will as we left the hospital:



Now we're home, and the joyful and not-so-joyful realities of having a newborn are hitting us. We wouldn't trade a moment of it for the world. That said, I may neglect "wiggle room" for the next few weeks as our little family adjusts to life with our newest, tiniest member. But photographs and stories await.

d-day

It's come, and I have a feeling it's going to pass: Wiggle's due date. Today marks 40 weeks gestation, and there's still no sign of him. But, he has a deadline. My doctor has decided to induce me on Monday should the baby choose to stay put until then. Still, even Monday isn't a guarantee. Apparently being induced is sort of like flying standby. There may be some more pressing inductees scheduled before me on Monday, and in that case I could get pushed back to Tuesday.

So, when do you think he'll arrive? Will Wiggle wait until Monday (or Tuesday), or will he beat the deadline and come on his own?

sorry, bean.

At the urging of two very special kids in Canada, I've decided to go against Bean's wishes and post the infamous "Captain Insano" shot.



No, Bean does not do drugs nor is she a close relative of ET. She's my beautiful baby and I love her just the way she is.

Still no sign of Wiggle. A week and a half ago he was fully cooked. Now he's just getting crispy!

the last photos

About a week ago, Colin, Bean, and I went up to my Aunt Lisa and Uncle Keith's house to have them snap a few pictures of us while I'm still pregnant (they're the artistic ones in the family). At the time, I was about 36.5 weeks pregnant. Here are a couple of photos from our afternoon together:





Uncle Keith's favorite picture was one of Bean that he called "Captain Insano." Bean didn't want me to include it in this post, and I'm going to respect her wishes.

On another note, Wiggle had an ultrasound on Thursday and the news was good all around. He clocked in at 6lbs 12oz, so by now I imagine he's pushing 7lbs. We got a quick 3D snapshot of his face, but it was tough to make anything out. When I showed my dad the image, he said, in complete seriousness, "It kind of looks like a dog." I will admit I have had the occasional dream where I give birth to a Boston terrier, but I'm pretty sure Wiggle is baby of the human variety.

This post marks the last of the pregnancy photos that will make it to the blog (big sigh of relief!). The next picture you see will be of the boy himself. Come on, Wiggle, we can hardly wait!

fully cooked.

Today, Wiggle has been growing for 37 weeks, which brings us to full term. He could arrive any day now, and I'm hoping he chooses to come sooner rather than later. Let's hear it for Wiggle!

sneak peek

of baby's nursery...

yup, still pregnant.

I’m a planner – always have been, always will be. And when things don’t go according to plan, I’m generally not very happy. So you can imagine my dismay when Colin and I wound up in Labor & Delivery about a week and a half ago. At about 33.5 weeks pregnant, this was certainly not a part of the plan. I was told I was having preterm labor and was hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor and a machine that measured my contractions for one very long and scary Saturday night.

I was, to say the least, stunned. We ended up with perhaps the only male nurse midwife in the world, which would have been fine had he been the least bit comforting or, as it turns out, competent. His favorite lines varied from, “I can’t say this baby isn’t coming tonight” to “oh you’re definitely having this baby within a week.” The icing on the cake was when he told me bacteria was already starting to eat away at the amniotic fluid, so there was no way the pregnancy would last more than a couple of days. When I ran a 99.1 fever the following morning, I was pretty sure the bacteria made it to my brain and toxic shock was only moments away. It wasn’t.

Two more nights in the hospital, two steroid shots to mature the baby’s lungs, multiple doses of medication to stop the contractions, several near-panic attacks about the IV in my arm and one very reassuring ultrasound later, I was able to go home. And here I sit, albeit on bed rest, 35 weeks pregnant.

And while I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, I can’t say it was all bad. Now I know just what to expect when I go to the hospital for the real thing. I know my husband won’t leave my side except to refill my water and grab takeout for dinner. I know there’s nothing like a good nurse. I know that my parents will do anything to support us through this journey, day or night. I know that at 33.5 weeks the baby weighed 4lbs 10oz, which, coincidentally, is what I weighed when I was born. I know that despite the shots and IVs and monitors, I was in a place where miracles happen.

And sooner or later, we'll meet our little miracle too. According to his plan, not ours. And that's just fine with us.

test drive

At our Newborns 101 class, they suggested you let your dog get acquainted with some of your baby purchases to help prepare them for the big change. This may or may not be what they had in mind:



Big sister Bean has also generously tried out the bassinet (it rocks back and forth!), the crib (more blankets, please), and the bouncer (now that thing is confusing). And while it's still up for debate whether or not she knows there will be a new addition to our family soon, she has received her fair share of kicks in the butt while sitting on my stomach (yes, she still tries to sit on my stomach). I think it's the start of a beautiful relationship.

l + c = w

As his due date approaches, I can't help but wonder what the little guy is going to look like. There are actually various websites out there where you can upload a picture of you and your partner to see what your kids might look like. I don't think I'm going to take my chances with a digital mix of our facial features.

Here's what I looked like as a baby (yes, they're both me):



And here's Colin:



Luckily for both of us, things improved in the looks department as we entered our toddler years.

Me:



Colin:



That last one is an all-time favorite of mine. Who do you think Wiggle will look like?

it's raining, it's pouring

My close friends from high school, Molly and Steph, were gracious enough to throw me a baby shower at their apartment this past weekend, and they did a fantastic job. It was the first baby shower I've ever been to, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I think it was a success. Not only did my little sister fly in from Boston for the occasion, so did Dana and Swenson, my roommates from Boston College. It was so special to have such wonderful friends and family gather to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Moynihan. He will be blessed with so much love in his life, not to mention lots of beautiful women.

Here I am with the amazing hostesses,



and posing with my stash after the festivities.



It was fairly traumatic trying to take that picture. Let's just say that if you take a picture of a pregnant women from the wrong angle and in the wrong light, you might miss the curves, and she might end up looking like a big purple blob. And that might make her want to cry.

Finally, here's one of Dana trying out the new Baby Bjorn:



It's hard to tell, but that's Bean's stuffed penguin hanging out in the Bjorn. Since Bean has a slightly unusual habit of sucking on her stuffed animals, it didn't smell too pretty, but Dana was a trooper.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of this awesome weekend!

3 pounder with cheese, please

After two failed attempts to see his face in a 3D ultrasound, Colin and I have accepted the fact that Baby might be a little camera shy. That, or he's as stubborn as his dad. I'm leaning towards stubborn. He's facing upside down and inward, and apparently it's a very comfortable spot to be. The ultrasound technician measured him at today's ultrasound, and at 29 weeks he's a whopping 3lbs 1oz, a little ahead of the game. That's my big boy. Here's a lovely photo of an arm and ear, his "don't look at me" look:



When I first saw this image on the screen, I thought to myself, "Katie, is that you?" However, any resemblance I saw to his aunt at this point is probably just wishful thinking. I guess it's kind of fun that he's saving one surprise until the very end.

home grown

I have a good excuse for the lapse between this blog entry and the last: we bought and moved into our first home. It's a two-bedroom condo in Chicago's Lincoln Square, a neighborhood filled with trees and babies and dogs. We still have our fair share of moving in to do, and for now the unpacked boxes have taken up residence in the baby's room. Sorry, Baby/Wiggle/Kid. Here's a look at the place so far:







And here's a look at me so far, at (almost) 28 weeks:



I needed to hug Bean for moral support in this one. I swear she's not as miserable as she looks. In fact, she had just eaten some delicious macaroni and cheese.

kids having kids

This article from Wednesday's New York Times Magazine highlights what a topsy turvy time the twenties can be for some of us.

No wonder when I found out I was pregnant I felt more like sixteen than twenty-seven. That, or it could have been Colin's sudden obsession with the MTV show "Sixteen and Pregnant."

due to popular demand...

... I am posting new belly update pictures. My mom told me I was brave for doing so, and I agree. Anyway, here it goes.

22 weeks



and (almost) 24 weeks



Clearly, we've done some growing. A few other shots do the belly more justice, but I look like a weirdo in them so they didn't make the blog cut.

The Kid is listening to Spoon on his Lullabelly as I write this. That's my new name for him lately - the Kid. I hate to say it, but at times "Wiggle" gets old, and sometimes "Baby" seems a little too soft and cuddly. Nope, ours is a grass-stained, mud-loving, down and dirty tornado of a kid-to-be. With rosy cheeks and a halo over his head, of course.

down in mexico

To celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, Colin and I headed down to Mexico for a week. There was a promotion when we hosted our wedding reception at the Omni Parker House in Boston last summer - seven free nights and days at the Omni Cancun. So off we went on our last tropical vacation as a twosome (at least for the time being).

Here's a picture of our view of the ocean:



And one of us on our last night there.



No one got sick, hurt, or robbed - all signs of a successful trip. And, it turns out virgin margaritas are just as good as the real thing.

it's me, wiggle!

Hi! Today I had my twenty week ultrasound and we learned lots of things about me.

I can wave my hand,



I'm very handsome,



and I'm a boy! Look, there are my boy parts!



I'm also very healthy and I like to move around a lot. Daddy thinks I'm going to be a great skier. I had the hiccups today. I keep trying to suck my thumb but I'm not sure where my mouth is yet. Don't worry, I'll find it.

That's all for now. See you at 30 weeks!

better together

It happened! Wiggle kicked me. He was dancing to his song of the moment, Jack Johnson's "Better Together."

It's true, we are better together. Listen to Wiggle's song here.

anatomy of a bump

Here comes the inevitable baby bump post. Like it or not, it's time to unveil the journey of my belly.

12.5 weeks: Wiggle, is that you?

16 weeks: Beer belly or baby bump?

17. 5 weeks: Okay, that's definitely a baby bump.

19 weeks: Holy cow.

The first half of my pregnancy is coming to a close. We've survived the good (hearing Wiggle's heartbeat and seeing his little face and body on ultrasound), the bad (fatigue), and the ugly (throwing up all over my car, throwing up in a parking lot, throwing up everywhere else). As we begin the second half our our journey, we're grateful for every day that brings us closer to meeting our baby. Goodbye to the first 20, and here's to the last.

wiggle like.

"Social science may suggest that kids drain their parents' happiness, but there's evidence that good parenting is more fun and less work than people think."

Click here to read Bryan Kaplan's essay from the Life & Style section of today's Wall Street Journal.

big sister bean...

turns five today!

Look at how far she's come. From guinea pig...



to real dog.



Happy birthday, Bean. We love you.

all sorts of journeys

In early April, right after we found out I was pregnant, Colin and I grabbed Bean and headed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for a few days by the ocean. It was just what we needed to absorb the news and plan our next step. We stayed at the lovely Wentworth by the Sea, a historic hotel that we had visited a few years before.



Bean and Daddy had a talk about little Wiggle...



And so did Bean and Mommy.



We took lots of walks, watched lots of movies, and even shared the news with our parents. We also began to plan our eventual journey from Chelmsford back to Chicago.

Meanwhile, Wiggle was on a journey of his own,

from blob (6.5 weeks)



to baby (14 weeks).




Look at how far we’ve come.

what's a wiggle?

At some point in high school, inspired by the word “poliwoggle,” one of Colin’s friends began calling him Coliwoggle, which was eventually shortened to plain old Woggle. It stuck, and, for better or worse, for the last ten years Colin has lovingly been known as Woggle among his closest friends. In a burst of creativity, our dear friend Bob suggested Woggle’s unborn baby be called Wiggle.

And so, here I am, fifteen weeks pregnant with Woggle’s Wiggle. And that’s what (and who) this blog is about.