Monday, April 25, 2011

20 Week Ultrasound

Our 20 week visit came quickly and let me tell you there are few things in my life which have ever created as much excitement as this visit. To date, our visits have been great. Everything has gone smooth and Jellybean appears to be right on track with development. The 20 week ultrasound is one of those visits that you always remember, as it's the first time you get to see your baby and the human features he/she has developed. It's also the time when you can eliminate the use of he/she and determine once and for all if the nursery needs to be painted pink or blue.

Finding out the sex is one of those very interesting topics. My sister recently had a baby boy, and she and her husband decided not to find out the sex, opting instead to be surprised at the moment of delivery. I was never a very big fan of doing this, but I must say that finding out on the night of the delivery was a very exciting moment for everyone. My brother in law texted me from the delivery room, "Boy." At the sight of this I let out a scream which had much of the hospital staff scurrying around the make sure that everyone was okay. Needless to say, it was awesome.

Having experienced this through them, Amanda and I started to see the benefits of waiting and, as we neared that fateful 20 week visit, both of us were convinced that we would be able to hold off on finding out. Within a week of the visit, we were starting to change our minds. We're both fairly nosy people, so it really wasn't suprising to me that we were breaking. The night before the visit, we were ready to know and both very much okay with that. The morning of, Amanda was still not 100%.

I was ready to find out and I think she was too. As we sat there in the ultrasound room Amanda was telling the technician that we want to find out, but she was still toiling with the decision. At that moment, Amanda looked at the screen and asked, "Is that a little sack?" Ready or not, we are having a boy and couldn't be happier about finding out.

Our US tech was great. She took dozens of pictures and made sure that we took each one home. It's amazing how small he is, but at the same time how much he looks so human. We saw legs, arms, fingers and toes (10 each) and even a little nose. It's hard to believe that we still have 20 more weeks of growing. Everything checked out great as far as development and we are feeling extrememly blessed and very excited for all that is to come.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Pitcher of beer for one, please...

There are a wide range of things which guys will naturally feel guilty about during the course of a 9 month pregancy. We don't gain weight (or at least don't have an excuse to), we don't have to eliminate the foods we love, we don't get hair in places where there shouldn't be hair, etc etc. One thing I feel most guilty about in our house is my continued love affair with glasses of wine, pints of beer, and the occasional snippet of vodka, as my beautiful, pregnant wife sits by my side drinking water and orange juice.

Let me preface this entry by first admitting that our entire relationship was founded on alcohol. We met at a bar where we were both working at the time. The first night we ever worked together, Amanda got off around 9pm and proceeded to get absolutely hammered which led to 3am phone calls from her asking if I wanted to "make out with her". Throughout the years that we've been together, beers, wine, and vodka have been staples for us on any given night of the week. Nothing compares to a nice glass of wine while watching a bunch of fatties try to lose weight.

Needless to say, these inebreiated times have changed. One of the first big adjustments we had to make was cutting alcohol out of her life. Obviously something that is easy for her to do given the circumstance but still a big change. Especially since I am not joining her sobriety. Now don't get me wrong, I sympathize with my wife and I feel for her as she is forced to give up the things she loves. But, as I am so often reminded, I'm not the one who is pregnant. My desire to have a glass of wine (or 3) at night has not subsided even with the loss of my drinking buddy. She has made it very easy for me to continue things like that, though. There's never any guilt or pressure to resist some wine or a beer and she's mentioned that it actually makes her feel more comfortable for me to stay in routines like that.

I have tried to adapt a little bit. For instance, when she and I go out to eat, I rarely ever order any alcohol with dinner. While I like to think that she appreciates this, one of the big reasons for doing so is to cut down on the needless money spent on alcohol at a restaurant. By not ordering 2 beers at $5 a pop we can save a little bit here and a little bit there. It's actually quite amazing what a bill looks like with no alcohol. It's kinda nice.

At home I try to have one or two nights a week where the wine stays corked. It helps me to refresh the system and remind me that I don't have a problem and I think it also does make Amanda feel better, too. At 18 weeks she has not had any alcohol, and doesn't really ever want any either. She's been told that a glass of wine now and then is totally fine and I think that glass will be against her lips sooner than later.

Monday, January 10, 2011

12 Week Doctor Visit, The Re-Re-Re Confirmation

It appears as though convincing Amanda that she's really pregnant is going to be an ongoing effort throughout the 9 months. There are two things playing a role in this which I've mentioned before, 1) Our previous miscarriage and 2) An overall lack of symptoms for Amanda. Her conviction is peaked after each doctor visit and gradually begins to wane as the weeks wear on. Needless to say, by the morning of the 12 week appointment Amanda was wondering if her belly was empty.

Not sure if I have mentioned it or not, but our doctor's office has four doctors that we'll be working with, any of whom may be the one that will ultimately deliver our baby. Our first visit was with Dr. Karen King. She was great and we epxected nothing less for our 12 week visit. Oddly enough, we met with Mrs. Doubtfire that morning. Okay, maybe not really, but she was very British and had the most soft spoken voice ever. She was just as nice and attentive as Dr. King and once more reassured us that we chose the right place to help us through our first pregnancy.

During our 8 week visit, a swab of Amanda's baby shoot was taken to test for various things. The sample was compromised and could not be tested, so another swab was to be taken during this visit. Normally, I would excuse myself but for whatever reason Mrs. Doubtfire was able to convince me that if I simply stayed at Amanda's head I would be just fine. That wasn't entirely true.

Perhaps it's just me, but I really don't think there is a situation that could be any more awkward than looking at a woman looking at your wife's vagina. Especially when it's Mrs. Doubtfire (or at least Mrs. Doubtfire's skinnier sister). I suppose as a woman, when another woman sits down between your spread legs, looks at your Mommy button and says, "Hmmm, lovely" that's good. For me, it's just another moment that I'll chalk up as uncomfortable. Funny now, though.

The obvious crucial element to this visit was to check on the heartbeat. Mrs. Doubtfire pulled out a nifty piece of equipment I would simply call a Little Heartbeat Checker Thing. Fits in the palm of her hand and allows all standersby to hear the heart. Needless to say, this is something that needs to be sold at Best Buy for the purposes of calming a nervous mother to be between doctor visits. It was coated with goo and pressed firmly against Amanda's stomach. And now we wait...

As the husband of a nervous wreck mother-to-be, I only wanted one thing; to hear the heartbeat and to hear it instantaneously without delay. It's amazing how quickly the mind can race and wander in a matter of ten seconds, after which time we still didn't hear anything. As the doctor poked and pressed my eyes stayed fixed on Amanda, who I could tell was growing more and more nervous with each passing nanosecond. Within my own mind, I couldn't think about anything other than hearing a heartbeat. There are no calming methods or consolation techniques which can be applied to an expecting mother after an unsuccessful search for a heartbeat.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was more like 45 seconds, a heartbeat. And a strong one. It truly is a sound I can listen to all day long. Instant relief for us both. Mrs. Doubtfire called it quite strong (168), and once again Amanda can perch atop her mountain of confidence that everything is going smooth. The two of us were left to collect our things and before exiting the room we embraced in relief and joy.

12 weeks in and I can't say that I have ever experienced such a wide range of emotions in such a relatively short period of time. As we enter the second trimester I'm sure we'll face even more. Names, nursery decor, and answers to millions of questions we haven't a clue about are sure to ensue. Stay posted.