It’s been a while since my last update.

As usual, I’m started writing this from 36k feet. Airplanes seem to be my one good source of downtime. Thankfully (or not) I usually spend a good deal of time on them.

Most of my “blogging” efforts of the past few weeks were reading and responding to posts over on Myndi’s site. In case you haven’t seen, she got the news we all wait for in the IF community: a BFP! L and I are so pleased for her. Congrats again, Myndi!

More shots… this time for the dog!

Back on the home front, one of our other “children” has become ill. Our male (nine year old) Min Pin, Harley, was diagnosed with diabetes. So, instead of being free from of needles and syringes, we now have an insulin dependent doggie that requires a special diet and shots twice per day. The good news is that the “training” for us was negligible—we’re shot giving experts. The biggest issues are his need for a very regimented feeding schedule (thankfully my Mom provides great assistance as our schedules are often hectic) and the fact that he can no longer sleep through the night without having to go outside. So, L and I are getting training for the sleep deprivation that will come along with the baby.

Checking out hospitals…

Last weekend, we started the process of touring birthing and delivery centers. We’re looking at two centers: St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and University Community Hospital. I’d personally prefer Tampa General (where I spent many a summer interning with their trauma team)… but Libby’s “for chicks, by chicks” OB/GYN practice only serves the aforementioned medical centers.

Overall, St. Joseph’s seemed alright. It’s a bit farther from the house. They’re very big on keeping the baby and mom close together following the birth. That means the kiddo may never go to the nursery (which is very tiny) unless they’re premature or ill and need to go to the NICU (which is very large and well-equipped as a Level 3 center). It seems like the downside of this is that L won’t have much time to rest following the labor and delivery… of course, I’ll be there to help.

We see UCH on the 14th.

Nursery updates

Last weekend, I also picked up the crib from Babies ‘r Us (pic below from Babies ‘r Us web site). It comes in a HUGE box… I had to rent a truck at the Home Depot to get it. It also weighs 150 lbs. So, lugging it off of the truck and around the house was a fun activity for me, myself, and I. My plan is to set it up next weekend.

This past weekend, I also started “construction operations” in the baby’s room. I’m preparing for painting (a lot of work, as I’m hand painting strips below the chair rail on the wall) and then will be installing the aforementioned (custom built by me to match the rest of our woodwork) around the room. All in all, this work will be more time consuming than anything else.

In search of hauling capacity…

You’ll have to humor me on this one…

I also started to grow increasingly frustrated by the our utter lack of hauling capacity. Libby has a large sedan, which is decent for many objects. But, I drive a small two-seat sports car, which is utterly useless for “practical work” other than shuttling me to and from the airport. Plus, the only way for me to even drive the baby in my car is to get an (overpriced) “Genuine Porsche Child Seat” (otherwise, they won’t deactivate the passenger-side air bag).

So, we went out this weekend and got an SUV that provides a bit more… well… utility: a Porsche Cayenne S. Ok, sure, it falls a little short of earning the title “most practical choice.” But, it is both sporty (with the S’s larger V8 engine) and utilitarian (indeed, it’s larger and has more towing capacity than many other SUVs). Besides, it’s the one way I could justify a second Porsche after spending all of that money on the IVF treatment.

I suppose I’m nothing if not goal-oriented…

I’m writing this on an airplane (surprise, surprise) en route to Minneapolis for a Board meeting tomorrow morning. I think I’ve mentioned that work has been a bit hectic lately. It’s all been good, but I have a lot of responsibilities and feel very obligated to the ensuring the success of my company. One of my closer colleagues (and friends) mentioned that I’ve started losing something of my “easygoing” nature and that I seem more “intense” these days. I think he might be right, which worries me a bit as I’ve always prided myself on my imperturbable countenance.

Anyway, on with the “baby” news…

To start, I’d be sadly remiss if I didn’t mention that my IF buddy, Myndi, had her ET today. So, L and I send her our best wishes, many “sticky” baby thoughts, and much love! I’m really positive and hopeful for her.

I’ve also managed to finally get my rear-end in gear to start preparing the nursery. Last weekend (after returning from Minneapolis), we ordered a crib and changing table from Babies ‘r Us, which is now at the store and awaiting pickup. In addition, we’ve had the first shipment of nursery supplies arrive from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child too. Restoration Hardware stuff is really pretty pricey, but I honestly have a hard time resisting the temptation to get such things because, well, I simply think my daughter deserves to have the best.

L is spoiled rotten by me. Annie (my “doggy daughter” and “pretty, pretty princess”) is spoiled rotten by me. Now, they’ll just be another lady with me wrapped around her little finger. Go figure.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been reading baby books…

And, I have to say little comes as a real surprise. Indeed, I think I have pretty good instincts for what should and shouldn’t be done with little ones. So, it’s nice to see in print that my ideas are roughly on the mark.

The biggest “issue” that I’ve rethought is our ideas about travel without the baby. We’d planned to take two big vacation per year… one with and one without the little one. However, it seems that leaving an infant / toddler for a prolonged period (even with a very familiar family member) could be traumatic. As such, I’m really starting to rethink my position… not to reduce our travel plan (perish the thought) but to bring her along on more adventurous trips at a far earlier age. Crazy? Probably.

Today was another first…

For the first time today, I was able to feel the baby kick through L’s stomach. How cool! I know this will sound stupid, but it’s actually difficult for me (as a man) to really “get” that there’s a living human inside my wife. Oh, I understand it intellectually (I do have a Ph.D. for goodness sake—so, I’m ostensibly not an imbecile)… but it’s a little difficult to really feel/imagine. It’s actually amazing when one sits back to contemplate it.

Finally, a name will be forthcoming soon…

We actually have/have had a first name picked out for a really long time. We’re just working on finalizing the middle name… so stay tuned! The announcement may come as early as next weekend.

Yesterday, we had the 20 week “anatomy” ultrasound. It’s a fairly extensive, in-womb check-up, involving the measurement and examination of many different body parts. All in all, I found the experience fairly spectacular to witness. Although, sometimes, I still struggle to fully comprehend that it’s “real.” I’m not sure if that’s a function of infertility struggle or just simply the routine clueless-ness derived from having a penis.

In any case, the baby is doing just fine and right on schedule.

Here are some pictures…

The classic profile in womb:

The baby sucking on its thumb:

The downright amazing (and, might I add, highly cute) 4D face image:

Boy or girl?

This was a real challenge to determine. At first, L’s bladder was a bit too full—obstructed view. She went to pee. Back on the table and jelly-bellied once more, the baby stuck out its tongue (literally) and then crossed its legs. The technician tried poking L’s belly… wiggle, wiggle but still crossed legs. The technician had L recline on her side… still crossed legs. After 10 minutes or so, she gave up and said that we’d try again after the visit with the doctor.

So, we returned to the ultrasound room about 30 minutes later. The legs were still crossed. And, now the hands and umbilical cord were down there too! No luck.

Finally, the tenacious technician suggested a trans-vaginal approach because the baby’s bottom was close to L’s cervix. Insert probe. Look carefully (because of hands, and feet, and cord all in the way).

SCORE! No “frank and beans” present. We’re having a little girl!

This is a big week. On Tuesday, L will reach week #20… the theoretical half-way point on this journey called pregnancy.

Friday will also be interesting. It’s the first ultrasound since the initial one at the RE’s office. In theory, we’ll learn whether or not we’re expecting a boy or a girl (yes, we… or at least L… wants to know). For the record, I don’t have a strong preference. If pushed, I think I’d probably say that I hope for a girl. But, really, I’m just hoping for healthy and happy.

More news to follow later this week…

I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that until the proverbial bun is closer to exiting the oven expectant fathers have almost nothing to do. I’m not saying that L’s pregnancy has been dragging on forever… only that it’s pretty boring siting in the parking lot at Fatherland waiting for the gates to open. I think it’s one of the reasons—in addition to a lot of travel and work responsibilities—that I haven’t posted a lot on the blog lately. There’s really not a lot to talk about. Pregnancy-wise everything has been (blissfully) normal and uneventful.

In some ways, it’s a lot like the waiting to start IVF. Once the plan was in place and the treatment paid for, we pretty much just sat around and waited for the games to begin. My (online) friend Myndi, who’s getting ready to start an IVF cycle, was commenting on this the other day.

So, here we are: standing around in the kitchen….

She’s waiting for her dough to rise. For my part, I’m waiting for the cinnamon bun to get a little closer to done before I start making the icing and putting on the coffee.