Checking out the new crib

Hello. Here's the first words from the new dad. Melisa and I were coming back from the movies this afternoon and decided to stop in the thrift shop. We found this lovely little bassinet that we thought would work out just great for us, so we brought it home. It feels like a sturdy construction and it has rolling and rocking features. Little by little, the house is feeling more baby-ready. I thought I'd share a picture with you, and our two babies Molly and Lil' Joe wanted to help as models.

Tomorrow, I'll be celebrating the feast of the Visitation of Our Lady to S. Elizabeth. The event is recorded in Luke 1:39-56. Having heard that her older cousin Elizabeth (who should be beyond child-bearing age) is six months pregnant, Mary goes to visit her in the hill country. We know that babies begin to hear in the womb at about 20 weeks. When Mary arrives, Elizabeth feels the baby kicking and says that the sound of Mary's voice is giving her baby cause to jump for joy in the womb.

May 12th: Week 13 Sonogram

This sonogram marks the first time the nurse used the wand on my tummy. The ovarian cyst gets in the way and makes it more difficult to see the baby. In this picture, the baby is doing a handstand. To me, it kinda looks like an alien. We were a little disappointed with the picture, but the important thing is the baby is healthy. The baby's heart rate was around 155 bpm. That was healthy too. Our next sonogram is on June 9th.

April 22: Week 10 Sonogram

This sonogram was a delightful experience. You could actually see the baby wiggling around. He looked as though he was dancing. It was nothing short of amazing. I joked that his dancing reminded me of Billy Crystal doing the "white man overbite" dance in "When Harry Met Sally." The baby's heart rate was 175 which the doctor said was healthy. So good so far. Look at that little frog butt! Too cute! I loved watching my husband as he watched the monitor. He's going to be a great dad.

March 25th: Six Week Sonogram

Initially we had a sonogram at five weeks, but the nurse and doctor couldn't see anything. The reason is because I couldn't remember the first day of my last period. So the nurse guestimated and well...it was wrong. So we were asked to come back the following week and lo and behold there was an image of our baby. To me it looked like macaroni and cheese, but hey cut me some slack. I an art major not a doctor, Jim.

All in all we were very happy to see that little squiggle because the OB, when we saw him at week five, tried to prepare us for any outcome. That means, he told us, there was a possibility that a miscarriage had occurred. Geesh, thanks for that one doc. That whole week I was crying and was so terribly worried, but luckily, things did turn out for the best the following week.

Now there is one other thing that must be addressed. It isn't so great, but here goes anyway. At week five during the first sonogram, the nurse discovered a cyst on my right ovary. What? She wouldn't talk about it and told me the doctor would go over it with us. We were mortified. Ovarian cysts, as it turns out, are very common, but up until that day I'd never even thought about it. My mother never had any and I never knew anyone who had one either. The cyst I have is 10 cm which is roughly the size of an orange. To make a long story short, the doctor basically has a "wait and see" approach to the situation. To me, that stinks, but I understand there isn't too much that can be done. Since then, I have had three painful incidents with the cyst. The last one was so bad, I had to go to the emergency room (I can't tell you how wonderful it was to wait five hours for a sonogram). During my follow-up OB appointment the next day, the doctor explained that the cyst rotated. That torsion or rotation is what created the pain. He prescribed some pain medication and during the next four days, I finally was back to my old self.

March 6th: We Learned We Were Pregnant.

At the time this picture was taken, I was shaking with joy. My husband ran and grabbed the digital camera and snapped away. Now we have the picture, what's next? We called our general physician the next day and set up an appointment with an OB.