A Joy Shared is Doubled

The title for today's blog really comes the joy of sharing the blessings of having children with those around you. Last night we had dinner with Ton and Cynthia, our closest friends here in the peninsula. They are just reaching the end of the first trimester with their baby, and thus far everything has been very good. We continue to pray for them as well as our own baby, but for them this has been a much longer journey. They had difficulty for many years getting pregnant, and after several attempts at infertility treatment, finally have this young baby in their lives. With Mimi and I a few months ahead, it is just awesome to share this experience of becoming parents with them. I'm looking forward to our kids playing together and sharing their lives. How exciting is that.

Mimi is doing well but definitely getting larger. She weighed in at 134.5 lbs, her highest weight as of yet. I wonder how much she'll weigh at the end of the 9 months. Her belly is pretty much out there and in the evenings we try to rub some lotion as to keep the skin tender and not too dry. She is so funny when she wants to scratch that belly. Last night I saw that she took her toothbrush and started scratching her belly. That was the best sight so far. She also has felt increased heart burn, is not able to eat as much as before since the baby is pressing up against her stomach, and will also have difficulty sleeping. I know I can never really appreciate the physical pains that she is going through since I am not carrying the baby, but that all just sounds like a sickness that just won't go away. I'm very thankful for the sacrifice she is making and the physical labor of love that she is showing for our baby girl. What can I saw, this Mimi is a strong cookie. She still works, is moving along as normal, and is going to attempt doing liver transplant rotation next month, during her third trimester. I think that is gutsy. In the same respect, I hope that those who precept her will give her a break and go a little easier on her. My biggest worry is that Mimi works herself so hard that she begins to have preterm labor contractions and we end up a little premature. In the end though, I know God is in control, and if that is how He desires our little girl to join our world then He will make sure everything goes just right and according to His good and perfect will.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this last time, but Christina had her little boy, Jake Edward Giacomin. Evelyn past her due date and should have Thomas any day now. Annie had her little boy Eric early. Eunice had her little girl late. She was a week late and larger than expected. All our pregnant friends are one by one having their children. Our turn will soon come.

In the mean time, we have lots to prepare for this little girl. We've got to get the room ready, start figuring out when my parents will come, and ensuring that we have all that we need to welcome this little girl into our home and lives.

One more thing, we've been praying for Mimi's job. She has gotten some good leads, at CPMC, Kaiser, medical groups in the East Bay, and some other smaller groups. We just can't figure out what is the best option. Unfortunately, on the peninsula there are not that many openings. There were, but they were recently filled.

So that just about sums up where we are today. Till next time...

Entering the Third Trimester

I think this is the start of week 28. I'm amazed how fast time is flying. Pretty soon, our baby girl will join us in this world and life will be very different. Things have also been quite busy lately, hence, the lack of postings since August. September just flew by. To bring things up to speed, Mimi is much bigger now entering the third trimester. She is having some difficulty with acid reflux, sitting, sleeping, and overall feeling a little more worn down due to the added weight of the baby. At last weight she was, I think, 132 lbs. She is definitely growing.

Evelyn has now left work as she is approaching the two week mark till when Thomas is born. My sister had her baby, Jake, so there is a new nephew in our family. I'll have to get a picture from her soon. There are many others out there who are pregnant, and some pregnancies are going more smoothly than others. Of the many pregnancy women we know, Charmaine and Zeena are the two who are on bed rest. I forgot there was also Annie who is also on bed rest. Their complications have precluded them from working, which must be very difficult. I do thank God that Mimi has been able to do all the normal things that we often take for granted. Even just getting up and going to work is a huge thing, even though there are times when we just don't want to do it.

Our baby girl is doing well. Mimi had an appointment with Dr. Yee last week and all seemed well. They did an ultrasound and everything was on schedule. Every night I try to put my face to her belly or at least my hand and feel our little girl moving inside. For some reason, it brings me great joy to know that she is doing well. Last night, in the middle of the night, Mimi was tossing and turning and I put my hand on her belly to feel the baby. I myself was half asleep. Despite my groggy state, I could feel our girl kicking and moving around and there was a sense of peace that swept over me and I fell back asleep.

We've also been very fortunate to have friends and family support us with the items to care for our baby girl. We got the crib from Joe and Lisa. We got the bassinet from Jenny and Jason, along with many other items too complex for my little mind to describe. We got the glider chair from one of Mimi's nurses at the hospital. We even got a ton of good clothes from another one of Mimi's coworkers. Even Maria gave us a car seat for when the girl is at least 1 years old. The only major thing we have left is the car seat and the stroller, both of which my parents have indicated they want to purchase for us. All in all, we're very blessed.

So now let's talk about weight, and not Mimi, but mine. In the past few months, particularly after my shoulder injury, I have been gaining weight steadily. I say to myself that it is sympathy weight as Mimi eats for two, but when the pants got so tight and I could feel my flab coming over the belt, I knew that I had to do something about it. At my lowest while working out, I was down to 166 and recently I was as high as 174. That is an 8 lb difference. Remember when I listed Mimi's weight earlier at 132. She started at 112 and that is over a time of 6 months. My 8 lb weight gain was over a time span of 2 months. How crazy is that. Well, for the record, I'm trying to loose it and get in better shape so I can carry my daughter and take her on walks with me.

I guess that is about it for now. We've got some learning to do in the next few months. A little less than three months until the baby arrives. We're looking forward to her coming. At the same time, I must admit that I am a little nervous. I guess I look at it like this, about a month prior to the birth, I'll buckle down and start studying what to expect during labor. It is exactly how I deal with presentations and stuff like that. I need about a month to prepare and then I get it done.

So till then, we continue to pray for continued healthy development of this baby and the continued strong health of Mimi. I also pray that in this troubled times of economic hardship, this girl will have a good strong life and things will improve for America.