The pregnancy was pretty uneventful. I didn't experience any morning sickness (yeah!), but the bathroom became my best friend every half hour or so.
The evil corporation called Babies r Us guilted us into buying everything in the store, from essential stuff like bottles and clothes to you're-bad-parents-if-you-don't-get-this-item such as a diaper wipes warmer and a microwaveable bottle sterilizer. Josh has more toys and clothes than the both of us combined. Our friends threw us a wonderful baby shower and just about everything on our registry was given that night.
We've built a house in North Austin - Scofield Ridge Subdivision - and moved in May 2002. That's our present to the baby. We have a nice neighborhood to take him in the stroller, and many of our friends live nearby.
We decided on the name Joshua after looking through tons of baby name books. We allowed our families to vote on our list of three names and Joshua won. We chose "Doan" as a middle name because we wanted a Vietnamese name that began with a "D." It's pronounced "D'won."
This journal page is a bit long, but many of you have asked me to share my experience with you, so I hope this fills in some of the details.
Click HERE for belly pics! For the Birth Story, click HERE.
Here's a timeline of the major events in our lives since July. I'll update this page when anything new occurs:
- July 15, 2001: I'd been feeing "weird" for the past couple of weeks and have been joking with Duc about feeling pregnant. While getting ready for the Depeche Mode concert that day, I remember that when I saw them in concert the last couple of times, I had to endure a lot of second-hand smoke - you know the kind I'm talking about. I took a Clear Blue Easy test just before I was supposed to leave to make sure the "weird" feeling was all in my head. Well imagine our surprise! Needless to say, I canceled my concert plans and spent the rest of the night reading about my new-found present.
- July 24, 2001: I tell my mom the news after my first doctor's visit. My ears are still ringing from her screams of excitement.
- July 31, 2001: Duc and I see the first image of our baby on the ultrasound. Wow! It was so awesome to see Lima Bean move around whenever we see its little heart beating. The ultrasound tech tells me I'm in my 7th week of pregnancy and that my due date is March 14, 2002. Duc's birthday is March 24 so he'll get an early present.
- Aug. 30, 2001: We hear the heartbeat during a visit to the doctor. It sounds like a train chugging along really fast. I'm buying clothes that are two sizes larger - but no maternity clothes yet. I don't have any major cravings but I have an aversion to poultry products. I just don't want to eat chicken and turkey anymore. And I loved eating chicken!
- Sept. 10, 2001: Literally overnight, I have a growth spurt. I wake up every day, try on clothes that fit just a week ago and then throw them into the "Save for Next Year" box. I buy my first maternity capri pants that evening. They're sooo comfortable!
- Sept. 26, 2001: During a visit to the doctor, I hear the heartbeat and get a surprise - kicking sounds! My belly has grown to look a little more pregnant. I've only gained 5 pounds since July, which is right on track for a healthy pregnancy.
- Oct. 4, 2001: I'd been feeling the notorious "fluttering" in my stomach for the past few days. The kicks are weak and I barely notice it. After keeping his hands on my stomach night after night, Duc finally felt a faint kick. Our little Lima Bean is going to be a strong soccer player.
- Oct. 25, 2001: At 20 weeks, you usually go in for an ultrasound to make sure the baby is growing and everything looks OK. And getting to know the sex of the baby is an added benefit. The ultrasound was an awesome experience! All the movement I'd been feeling is shown on the TV monitor in the room. I saw the baby move its mouth, make a fist, move its hand and generally squirm inside me. The technician also showed us a close-up of the heart . We saw the four heart chambers pumping away. Toward the end of the ultrasound, the technician moved the instrument to his legs, and as plain as day, there was a little knob in between his legs! We're having a boy!!
- November 2001: Duc and I always end our day "playing" with the baby. I lay down on the bed and Duc puts his hand on my tummy and talks to the baby. Josh usually responds by kicking or rolling around in my belly. It's weird how we can entertain ourselves for hours just by talking into my stomach.
- January 2002: Well, I'm at the homestretch. Josh had a huge growth spurt; and I have the stretch marks to prove it! He went from kicking and swimming in my belly to just being able to move his limbs and squirm in me. I can feel his legs and arms move up and down. I haven't been able to see anything protrude out but my belly regularly makes waves and can knock off things laying on top of it. My doctor says he's about 3 pounds. Even though he's not even out of me, he's the most popular person amongst my single friends. They've all felt him kick and rubbed my belly for good luck.
- January 19, 2002: I woke up that morning with my back aching more than usual. It was becoming more painful and unbearable every minute. Most of the pain was in my lower back region. I called the emergency hotline and told the doctor on duty my symptoms. He suggested that I goto the hospital so he could check on me. At the hospital, the nurse said that I was effaced a little bit but wasn't dilated. Effacing is when the cervix begins to thin out, preparing itself for birth. I also had a urinary infection and was experiencing contractions. The doctor gave me some medicine for the pain and I was back at home about 6 hours after I checked in. The pain, however, did not go away until the next afternoon. We don't know exactly what caused the sudden pain. The baby might have turned himself into an awkward position and rested around my lower back region. We had a little scare that day. It totally put us on baby mode knowing that the next time could be the real thing.