Dear Peanut

Dear Peanut,

How's it going in there? I heard you got some toe nails so that is pretty cool. Just wanted to tell you how excited I am that you are progressing nicely. I wouldn't have expected less from a child of my loins. Sorry about your mom's voice. I know it can be loud at times and I have tried to talk to her about that but she doesn't seem to be able to control herself. Honestly I am kind of scared you will sound like her and I will have two sets of that loud bellowing to hear. But don't worry. I will still love you.

It appears we are pretty close to half way to your birthday. We aren't prepared, just warning you, but we are working on it. As soon as we get into the new house I am going to make it a priority to have your room ready for your arrival. Do you need a firm mattress or a soft one?

From out here you are starting to make your mom's belly stick out. I will finally get to be the thin one in our marriage, even if it only lasts a few days. Do you dream? I only wonder because if you sleep 95% of the day like these books say you do, what is happening in there? I would guess your dreams are pretty dull since you haven't really seen anything but blackness and the occasional glow of your mom's skin when light hits it. Then again you haven't learned what light is yet so I hope you aren't freaked out by it.

Love you,

Dad

Week 16 UPDATE

My blood work is in, and my glucose and hemoglobin are both normal. So, all is well!!! Just no more juice before doctor visits. :)

16 Weeks

I can't believe we're at 16 weeks already! This week Peanut is the size of an avocado, about 4.5 inches long and 3.5 ounces. Here's what BabyCenter says about week 16:

His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Reading BabyCenter's updates amazes me every week! I can't believe the baby already has toenails!

This week's appointment was pretty quick...no sonogram to get excited about. We did get to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is around 150-152. That's about middle of the normal range, from 130 to 180. It's so exciting to hear the heartbeat at each appointment!

After hearing the heartbeat, the nurse brought in my urine sample results, and the glucose level was a +4. Apparently that's pretty high, so the physician's assistant ordered some blood work. I should have results early next week. I'm hoping the high level is due to my breakfast of choice that morning... raisin bran and cranberry juice. It's definitely the last time I drink juice before a doctor's appointment!

Next month's appointment is the 20 week sonogram, so hopefully we'll have a new picture of Peanut to share with everyone!

Finally!

Within a few weeks of finding out that we were going to be parents, Trinity had already bought two very special gifts for our baby: a Big Bird rattle and a Spiderman shirt. It was so great seeing his obvious excitement in buying these two things for our child, and I couldn't help but be a little jealous that I didn't have anything that meant so much to me to buy for our baby.

I kept trying to think of something to buy, and I definitely looked everywhere I could think of to get an amazing first baby purchase. And even though I found lots of cute baby items, I wanted that first purchase to be extra special. So, I have been looking... and looking... and looking. This past weekend, I finally found it:


When I saw this onesie at Gymboree, I almost started crying. Chalk it up to the pregnancy hormones if you wish, but I was so excited to finally find it! I cannot wait for Peanut to get here, so he/she can wear this extra special gift from Mommy.

The day we found out

I mentioned before that I started a journal about our baby stuff before we had told anyone. I planned on bringing some of those entries into this blog after we announced so I thought it fitting to post this.

January 26, 2010

I'm going to be a Father!!! Holy Shit! The test came in with a nice blue '+' on it and we have been giddy with excitement.

Diana didn't want to take the test tonight. She tried to insist on taking it before going to work but I argued with her until she relented. At 9:45 pm she took a ClearBlue pregnancy test and peed.

She told me not to watch but I refused and it made her laugh. She was trying to hold the pee in until she had the test in position and laughter didn't help.

Within seconds of the test getting wet we were already seeing a light blue cross. Diana cupped her mouth with her free had and I knew. I asked, "Is it positive?" and she just nodded.

I can't believe it happened so fast. Three tries in three days and it took. I thought it wouldn't take long but I didn't expect it his fast. It doesn't seem real.

Needless to say, that night was pretty cool. We were in the euphoric stages of finding out. After laying in bed for an hour talking in awe, I pointed out to Diana that if we had waited til the next morning to test she would have had to take all of the excitement and bottle it down since she would have had to go straight to work.

The only disappointing thing about the night was the realization that I didn't get the gobs of sex I had expected to get in all the trying.

Your father to be,

Trinity

Who's Your Daddy?

I always loved the question "Who's Your Daddy?" because to yell it always meant I was victorious in some capacity. Now it has a different meaning to me. Soon, I will be able to scream it at the top of my lungs and some little person will yell back, "You are!"

In keeping our news a secret all these weeks I started writing in a journal to keep track of the feelings that I had. I plan on transcribing those in at a later date to share with everyone. I made a promise to myself that I would be as involved as possible without letting the pregnancy rule my life. Some fathers are too lax in their involvement during the 10 months that it takes for sperm and egg to become child. Others get a little too involved and go over the top with books, classes, gizmos and gadgets. I am trying to find a middle of the road.

One thing that is helping with that is this book. You: Having A Baby has really helped me learn about how one night of bumping and grinding is turning into my pride and joy. The reason I think I like it so much is that it is simple. It includes illustrations that are not clinical, but instead are easy to understand, it gives an abundance of information without being to technical, and it is kind of fun to read.



I am learning more than just baby stuff too. I now know I have been predisposed to being overweight due to the size of baby I was, I always just assumed it was my love of bad foods. Alright, it is my love of bad foods but there is research that supports that while in the womb I was overindulging and that really can't be something that was my fault since I didn't even know what was going on at the time.

I have also learned a lot about the changes my wife is going through. I looked at her this morning while we were getting ready and knew why her tic-tacs now look more like tums. I also made a promise to myself to never make fun of how tired she is because now I know why. If she wants a nap, by gosh, she is getting a nap. My baby needs it.

I can't imagine what the next 24 weeks are going to be like, partly because I haven't gotten that far in the book. I can say, I look forward to them though.

Your father to be,

Trinity

My Lovely Baby Bump!

A little baby bump is finally starting to emerge! I especially notice the bump near the end of the day. It especially feels much rounder and firmer after eating. I have yet to shop for maternity clothes... I'm holding out as long as possible! For now my belly band is holding up my unbottomed pants, but thankfully all my shirts still fit.

At this point, we'd just confirmed our suspicions that I was pregnant.

1/27/10: 4 weeks

At 14 weeks, I'd finally entered the second trimester and gained 2 pounds (another pound has since followed).

4/4/10: 14 weeks