The final countdown

There is a possibility that I will be getting induced this coming Wednesday, April 16th. This will be one week ahead of my due date. Basically the doctor no longer feels comfortable with my borderline high blood pressures and feels this might be best for both of us. I was initially sad about the thought of "forcing" the baby out, but I do agree that it's the safest thing at this point. I'm just happy we made it this far.

So this is potentially our last weekend together as a couple. As of next weekend we'll be parents! Though we're excited as can be about the baby I have to admit I feel a little anxious about the upcoming change. We've been a couple for nearly 12 years and now the dynamics are going to change for ever. I am sure it will be for the best but I know that it will take some time to get used to it. My husband is not worried at all at this point, which makes me think he's in for a rude awakening haha!!

I forgot to put up a link to my shower pics. Here they are: shower pics.

My shower was on Sunday, March 9th at a restaurant in my old neighborhood in Manhattan. It turned out very well, thank God. I had been stressing out about it since I ended up having to pay and plan for everything myself. Friends of mine from all my social circles were there: my close friends growing up, girls I went to grammar school with, high school friends, college friends, friends from my old corporate job, musician friends, church friends, my current work friends, and of course, relatives. It was great to see their enthusiasm for my baby. I guess it helped that we waited over 6 years after getting married to finally go for it.

I will know for sure tomorrow whether or not I am getting induced on Wednesday. I have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning for another NST (non stress test) and a cervix check-up. I've been getting occasional mild cramps so I hope that at least something is going on so that the induction has a better chance of actually working.

At first I felt like I wanted only my husband there but now I do want my Mom there too, though I will prohibit both of them from standing anywhere but at my head. It's not that Mom and I are not close, it's more that we have a sort of reverse relationship where I was a parentified child who always had to be strong for her. I wanted to have the freedom to be weak if the pain got to me and I am unable to do that with her around. But now I realize that I don't want to be weak and that I actually need/want her there. We're trying to figure out the logistics because my parents don't have a car and I will be deliving in Connecticut and now my Dad is having 6 dental implants placed on Tuesday. Oh well, we'll figure something out.

Thursday and yesterday were revisit weekend at Columbia's medical school. Revisit weekends are an opportunity for accepted students to meet their potential classmates and to get a feel for the school. The schools try really hard to sell themselves. I had a great time (though I was exhausted by the end of it) and feel much better about the school now. Though it's the school that makes logistic sense for me because it's walking distance to Mom, I had concerns about it in the beginning. The bureaucracy there is still a pain, but most of my other worries have dissipated. They showed me an initial financial aid package which is decent enough that it would be possible for me to attend, but I will still wait on the other two schools to see if there is some bargaining I can do. Also, I do want to attend Cornell's revisit in May to make a final decision about where I really want to be.

I can't believe that as of late Summer my life is going to be so different as I will be a Mom and a medical student. *gulp* Oh yes, and hopefully I will be an oboe student again at that point. Yay!

It's a girl!!

Yay! My nascent maternal instinct was right: my baby is indeed a girl. We both feel very happy and blessed that everything is in its place and she is as healthy as she can be. Mommy, on the other hand, may need to be put back on the beta blockers because my pressure and heart rate have crept up semi-alarmingly. I will see my regular OB and my cardiologist next week to see if they agree with the perinatologist.

Here are some 3D pics of her:


She looks like she's singing here instead of yawning:

Big day tomorrow

Tomorrow is our "big ultrasound". That's the one where they check the anatomy, including the private parts. I have to admit I was very impatient about finding out the gender at first. My slight preference differed from my husband's. But as the weeks have dragged on by (it's been 8 weeks since we've peeked at the little one) I am becoming more anxious about the health of the baby and no longer care about the gender. I mean, sure, I want to find out but whatever slight preference I had is mostly gone. Partly, I am worried because I am 20 weeks and haven't felt any consistent baby motion. So I am just praying that when we look tomorrow that everything is in place and that my baby is just peaceful (not "lazy" as Mom put it hahaha).

Of course, it wouldn't be my life if there were not at least some drama. My husband took tomorrow off early on but found out just a couple of weeks ago that his departments HUGE annual meeting is, of course, tomorrow. Since he's their network and audio/visual person he ideally should be there, but won't because he will be with me at Greenwich Hospital. What they offered to do was house him in a hotel room in the City tonight so that he can set up the stuff tonight and early tomorrow morning, go up with me, and then go back in in the afternoon. Being a native New Yorker who never could afford to live in the posh areas I could not pass up the opportunity to sleep over with him so I am taking the train down and meeting him in a few hours. We'll have a nice dinner, play some final baby name games, watch heroes, and then sleep.

See you all tomorrow when I'll hopefully have some good news!

*drum roll*

Hi everyone!!! Without further ado I would like to introduce you to someone:



Yes, it is a baby . . . a baby that's living inside of me for now.

Now for a little interview:

When did you find out you were pregnant?
On August 12th. I had no clue when we left for CA but by the end of the trip I was starting to feel "weird". I was frequently feeling queasy while in cars and I never suffer from motion sickness. Then on the plane ride home I became aware of a hyper sensitive sense of smell. It was as though I was in a cabin of dirty people LOL! The first thing I did when we got back home was take a test. Blood tests the next day confirmed that I was less than 4 weeks which meant that I'd have to wait 8 weeks to share the news!

When are you due?
My due date is April 22, 2008. I will be 13 weeks tomorrow.

Was it planned?
Since the beginning of the year I had been more open to the idea than usual. However, MCAT preparation proved to be very stressful so I deferred any thoughts on the matter until after the test. Then my mother-in-law came to town for 2 months which further delayed things. She left on July 15th, the day after my 33rd birthday. I spent much of that day feeling that yes, I was finally ready. I knew that the timing was tight because of everything else going on. The funny thing is that while I was at the San Diego zoo I was so touched by the way the animals took care of their young and I was overwhelmed by a feeling that having children is one of the main reasons we're here on this Earth. So after that I really felt like OK I'm ready. Little did I know that by then my little bean was already there.

How does your husband feel?
He's ecstatic beyond words! It's quite endearing. In fact if I had known he wanted a baby this badly maybe I wouldn't have waited 6 years!

Will you still go to medical school?
Yes, the plan has not changed. In fact, I am happy to report that I have 3 interview offers so far, including one at my top choice school! My first interview will be this Wednesday. The timing worked out as well as it could have considering that I waited until July to start trying. With the baby being born in April I will have 4 months of staying home with him/her before school starts. I am very excited about everything that is going on right now. I finally feel like my life is no longer on pause and that it is going in the right direction.

Who will take care of your baby while you're in school?
Though for a while I was afraid she wouldn't agree and would go back to DR, my mom is on board with taking care of her first grandchild. We just told Dad this weekend (we had to wait because we were afraid he'd tell everyone too soon) and he's even more excited. My mom lives in Manhattan which works because I will likely be going to school in the City. In fact, I may even be walking distance from her depending where I end up getting in.

Will you find out the sex?
Oh yeah, baby. We love technology!! Some folks say that there are few good surprises in life, but trust me, that second faint line on that pregnancy test was enough of a surprise to last us a few years.

How about the oboe?
I've been on a little hiatus due to a scare about 10 days ago (ended up in the ER but we're all ok). However, I just got the ok from the doctor today to resume playing as long as I feel ok while doing it. I'll take it slowly and probably not go for more than an hour at a time (which isn't really an issue lately since I'm so busy). I'm still trying to work out my schedule at work so that I can get out early on Tuesdays for those orchestra rehearsals. I should be able to play 3 of the 4 concerts this school year.

How have you been feeling?
Mostly ok. I have been VERY VERY drowsy most of the time but that is starting to get better now. I have also been mildly nauseous but do not actually throw up. I've gone from being someone who enjoys most foods to the world's pickiest eater. One day I like something, the next day it makes me want to hurl. The one thing that I can no longer stand to even smell is coffee! Can you believe it? I have tried it 3 times since I found out (including my favorite Starbucks recipe) and each time it has tasted vile. I'm looking forward to entering the second trimester in a week. Apparently I will get my energy back for three months. YAY!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Now that I am not sleepy all day I will once again try to be better about updating.