One of those test you actually want to score negative
A few days ago, we went in for the Nuchal Translucency Screening (NT Screen), and guess what? YOU PASSED! What does that mean? Well, this test basically rules out any major risk that you may have Down Syndrome, chromosomal abnormalities, as well as any major congenital heart problems.
This test consisted of two parts: the first being a blood test your mom had to take the week before, and the second being another ultrasound. Not only did this allow the doctor to rule out major health risks, but it also got us another look at you!
12 weeks and counting!
Yeah, nothing too fancy here, but the good news is that you're looking healthy, and you've got all your arms, legs, toes, fingers, etc. While watching the image of you on the ultrasound screen, I couldn't but help think about how blessed your mom and I are. I worry everyday that a complication could arise, but at every turn, God has answered our prayers and has proven to us that we are not in control...that he has the ultimate say and God-willing, will speed you along to a healthy birthday!
I had an odd epiphany the other night while gazing at our Christmas tree. It was getting late and we just spent the whole night wrapping gifts. Your mom went off to organize some pictures, and I just stood there in the silent living room, admiring our tree.
I was looking at each of our family ornaments. As you'll come to find out, your mom and I have a yearly tradition where we add an ornament to the tree that contains one of our photos from that year.
As I passed through each of the ornaments; each one signifying a year gone by in our lives together, I realized this Christmas would be the last of its kind for our family. I couldn't but help think of the years to come, where the silent calm of this room would no longer be. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying though, what I'm trying to convey is how excited I am for the years to come! I miss that feeling of waking up on Christmas morning as a kid, and seeing all the new presents underneath the tree; the excitement as I beg my parents to start opening gifts already. I miss that because I miss being a kid, but I know that with you and possibly more brothers and/or sisters on the way, that this allows me to almost live vicariously through you. I'm excited to see you experience things for the first time, and how we'll almost be experiencing it anew as well; both as a parent, and with you.
This Christmas season will have its last silent nights for a while :)
Check out your very FIRST gift!!! That's right...a Star Trek Onesie!!! LOLOLOL! Super high fives goes out to my favorite power couple, Chris and Michelle Daggett for such a thoughtful gift!
Thank God it wasn't a red shirt!
Being an 80's kid, I grew up watching Star Trek (The Next Generation), and have probably seen every TNG episode at least 5 times each! Aside from the drama, action, and romance on the show...at its core, it's a show about human nature. It gave me hope that a better future is always out there; that if we just inspire to be more than what we are now, we too can do great things with our lives.
I'm very excited to see what type of person you'll become, because between your mom and I, you'll have every opportunity to explore what you want to do in life. And I know that whatever you choose, you'll be GREAT at it!
Your mom has been carrying you a little over 10 weeks now, and you are growing fast! We had our first ultrasound appointment today, and got our first look at you! So far, you seem to be healthy, got all your limbs, and you have a healthy heartbeat! You even put on a little show for us by moving your arms and legs, I still can't believe it!
I might have to change this website to "Dear Gummi Bear"
We were able to hear your heartbeat, see you move, and now have confirmation on your estimated due date... July 7, 2013!
We still don't know if you're a boy or girl, but we've got another checkup and ultrasound in the next few weeks, and we're hoping to find out then. Reality is really starting to kick in now...especially after seeing that image of you on the screen. I honestly can't praise God enough for what a wonderful gift he's given us that is you. Love, Dad
So it's official...YOU ARE A GIRL!!! Well... as official as the Chinese Gender Chart (from thebump.com) shows, LOL!
Yes, it says congrats "mama" but I ran the test. I find it offensive that thebump.com would assume I'm the mother :P
The site says this chart is about 90% accurate in predicting genders. Who am I to doubt my ancestors who made this? Haha! Actually, I think we are still about a month or so away from finding out. We can honestly say we don't have a preference in your gender. But we do have a sneaking suspicion that you may turn out to be a girl. Your mom is in no rush to find out what you are, but I REALLY want to know, so we can start getting things prepped for you...I am a planner after all.
Your mom had her first appointment at Kaiser Hospital earlier this week. I was told I didn't need to go to this one, because it was a preliminary type appointment where they took her blood and urine samples, and made her fill out a bunch of paperwork. Something Kaiser mentioned is that it can now test the unborn you to see if there will be any genetic defects. Gotta admit, I found that kind of cool at first, but then thought it through a little more...
The first of many pamphlets
What if we did that test, and we did find something? Does that mean we'll love you any less? No way! They gave us a pamphlet to review, to help us better evaluate if that should even be an option for us. It asks us questions if there is a history of mental illness or any other serious diseases. There is nothing on your mom's side that raises any red flags; but admittedly I do not know much about any serious illnesses on my side of the family. As far as I know, I'm fairly healthy...and other than being called "retarded" a few times, I don't think I have any mental illnesses. There is some risk with this procedure, but it does give couples the peace of mind that they will have a baby, free of serious illnesses; but if something is found, it helps us and the doctors prepare for any complications that may arise. We don't have to make a decision immediately, but we do have to let them know in the next few weeks, because certain tests can only be performed in the first trimester.
You know, everyone keeps asking about our baby's future, if I want a boy or a girl, what type of birth we want to have, etc. What I keep thinking of, is what my lifelong friend John Romero would always say when I asked him about his first child, and that he just wanted a "healthy" baby above all else. I didn't realize till now (his son is now 6), how important that is. We want so much for you, but what it really comes down to, is that I just want you to be born healthy, and the rest we can work on...together.
Look at your mother, hard at work with her new prenatal workout DVDs! I helped pick them out...via Amazon of course.
Before you came along, your mom didn't workout much, and I've been encouraging her to be a little more active. We did some reading and found that the better shape she is in, the easier you're going to come out, and the more healthy you'll be! She still needs a little extra encouragement every now and then. Not only is she turning food into a human, but her body is trying to compensate for the rapidly increasing weight; so she's a bit sore all over. That pic shown above was taken when she was feeling nauseous, tired, and cranky...but she still pulled it together to get in a good 10 minute Pilates stretch!
If you haven't figured it out by now, or if by some reason my career of choice has changed....I'm a planner by trade. So, in order to be good at what I do...I have to put in some research, especially on things I don't know anything about. So I bought this e-book to get started:
The news of your arrival becomes more and more real everyday, got to make sure your mom and I are prepared for the big day!
So how did we share the news with all the family? Well, we wanted to do a little something clever for your mom's side of the family because they were the ones who were anticipating your arrival the most, and cause we knew they would be the most emotional about it. Your grandma (lola?) Jackie had been praying about it ever since your mom and I got married, and your titas Kirs and Krystle bring it up every so often, so we wanted to make it a pleasant surprise for them :)
We found out the night of November 10, 2012. Your mom had been joking around that she was "late" for a few weeks, but we figured that was typical because she just stopped taking her "pills". We picked up a 3-pack of the digital E.P.T. (Early Pregnancy Test).
Gone are the days of a plus or minus sign I guess; these tests clearly spell out "PREGNANT" on its LCD panel. We were going to Maui in a few days, so we wanted to know if she was prego, that way she could avoid any alcohol or dangerous foods on our trip.
Admittedly, it felt a bit awkward buying those tests, and when she took the first test... I felt like I already knew what the answer was. After reading "PREGNANT" on the test stick, I honestly didn't know what to think. I knew we needed to take a real test at the hospital, but after some online reading, we found those EPTs rarely ever give false positives. So the morning after, your mom took the other 2 remaining tests. The 2nd one came up with an "ERROR" message (peed on it too much she thinks), and the 3rd one, "PREGNANT". There was no denying it now, but we went to the hospital that same day to test again and confirm the results. I felt like we were trying to officially verify the inevitable news, but realistically you were already on your way, and so the planning had to start...NOW.
Telling Grandma
Of all the people, the first person on my list to tell was my mom. So I called her up, made sure she was sitting down, and let spill the beans that she was going to be a GRANDMOTHER! She was ecstatic! It had been a while since I heard her laugh that enjoyably. Already you are making people smile, and you haven't even come into this world yet. Telling the Titas
Your mom joked with your tita Krystle about a week prior in regards to being prego. So tita Krystle had been texting mom, making it VERY clear she wanted to be there when she takes her first prego test. Since Krystle missed the first real one, we pretended your mom couldn't figure it out, and invited both the Kirs and Krystle over to "help out". Your mom showed them the faulty 2nd test showing the error, and so they both were frantically reading the instructions to make sure your mom will be doing it right this next time (lol).
The plan was for her to head in the bathroom (pretending to take the test), then head out and give each sister the actual positive tests...and here were their reactions:
(Kirs' initial reaction makes me laugh every time)
Telling Lola and Lolo
Your mom wanted to tell her parents in person as well, and we also wanted to capture their reaction on video. As I said before, your lola has been praying about your arrival...publicly I might add. How I love the seemingly random prayers before a meal, "Father God, thank you for this food, and the jobs we have to pay for it; and also for Kim and Hai to have a baby soon". LOL, sorry, I digress. Anyways, the setup here is that we had just met up with your grandparents in Maui the following day, and your mom was pretending to take a picture:
Its amazing how much joy you've already brought to the world, and you're not even here yet.
As I write this, its been about 2 weeks since we found out the wonderful news that you are on the way! I honestly cannot express what's running through my head right now...as its all a mixture of emotions and thoughts that are just a jumbled mess. Maybe I should start off as to why I'm calling you "blueberry", well...as I'm sure you'll come to find out, your mom and I love to disagree on everything...so we haven't narrowed down very many names yet (also cause we don't know if you're a boy or girl yet!). But in the first day of realizing that I would become a father, I spent 5 minutes online to become a master of prenatal anatomy, and surmised that you are the approximate size of a (drum roll please)...blueberry! So there you have it, your parents have labeled you a fruit. At least its a cool blog name :)
Kidding aside, I've always used writing as a release, and to help sort out my thoughts. So I figured it would be an awesome way to share with family and friends what your mom and I are going through before (and after) you are born. I'm hoping by the time you're old enough to read this, that I haven't changed much, but if I do...you'll get a glimpse of how things were before you arrived, how your mom and I are so excited to meet you, and how the world is so eager for your arrival :)
