Intro Doctor's Visit

Taylor had her first doctor's visit today.

This was just a preliminary visit so that our general practicioner, Dr. Winniger, could ask a few questions and do some basic check-up procedures. I didn't need to go to this one because nothing baby related really happened. Taylor did tell me that Peanut is closer to 7 weeks than the previous 6 we thought.

We now have scheduled an appointment with our new OB at the hospital we want to deliver at. I requested this Monday afternoon off for our first REAL pregnancy appointment.

Jacob's Hundredth Day

Today was Jacob Buzzard's 100th Day ceremony. According to Korean culture, you celebrate when your child reaches this milestone. A party is thrown with gifts of gold rings and bracelets given to the child (as an investment, since gold never loses value).

We had to maintain quiet about the pregnancy because, well, Koreans like to "talk." Taylor says there is a lot of gossip and since EJ's dad is the pastor of the church her mom attends, word may spread quickly. We don't have anything against anyone, we just want to keep the news mum for now.

After the 100th Day ceremony, we went to Woodfield Mall, where Taylor purchased a maternity bra at Mimi Maternity. Her first pregnancy purchase. Tim and I exchanged thoughts about where I am in the pregnancy world and how he felt at the same time. It is nice to know someone who just went through the same thing. EJ is there for Taylor to relate to, as is her sister. Plus, they are good resources to get baby supplies they never used!

And tomorrow is the big Doctor's appointment! Next update soon!

Telling Taylor's Mom

Today we celebrated Chinese New Year with Taylor's mom. Apparently, Koreans celebrate CNY as their New Year as well. We also decided to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday today instead of February 2nd so that we could all be together. On the way there, I asked Taylor how to say "pregnant" in Korean.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I wanted to be there to tell EJ and Tim, and you just told them. So I said I wanted to call your sister so i could tell her, and then you called her. I would just like to be there when we tell important family members."

Taylor scoffed at me and said I would be there when we told her mom.

So, my brother-in-law Jae and I are working to put together some cabinets and hook up my MIL's new television (well, not new at all, but that is another blog entirely) when I hear a yelp and crying coming from the kitchen. I didn't even bother to see if someone was hurt. I knew my wife had once again told someone the big news while I was in another room.

Kinda pissed me off. It is my news too, doggonit! I told her I am going to have to leave her at the airport so I can tell my parents before she blurts it out!

Too Many Questions

Taylor told me I was asking too many questions the other day.

I cannot help it! I have a myriad of things flowing in and around my brain about this pregnancy. I forget sometimes that Taylor has never done this before either, so she is just as clueless as I am. I need to remember that even though she is a woman, these feelings and changes are not inherent. It is hard to comprehend, as a man, that the mother doesn't automatically know EVERYTHING. I mean, is that too much to ask?

We have started buying books and magazines. I started getting flashbacks to the huge piles of wedding magazines we used to have.

The horror.....The horror....

Las Vegas

I got this email from my father today:



Alexander,
Well I lied to your Mother. She thinks I am taking her to Vegas on 26th,27th, and 28th. She asked me why we weren't leaving on Saturday and I told her I had a one day meeting in Miami. So we are all set for your surprise arrival.

Love,
Dad


I called my mother and she has a company outing in Vegas that weekend. Great, now she is excited to go since she has never been. My parents were supposed to go on 9/11, but for obvious reasons never made it. I hope this double surprise will make up for it.

Pregnancy for Dummies

We watched this DVD tonight. Two discs and 3 hours later, I think we still have questions. Lots of them. There are still so many possibilities to encounter and overcome, I don't know where to begin. I have questions purely from the male point of view. I understand how the body changes, but it is not the same until it is your wife having the baby. I am making a copy of the DVD and may have to rewatch portions of it further down the line. Thank God there was no video of an actual birth in there. I am not ready to see that.

Bad memories of the photos of me being born. I still don't know why my parents put those in a photo album. When I looked at them as a kid, I could not figure out why I wasn't coming out of my mother's stomach. What is that hair? Why am I bloody? Where on the body is that opening? All questions a child should never have to answer.

The Visit

Taylor and I agreed that telling my parents will be a surprise. We only want to tell close people until everything is OK'd by our doctor. We don't want to jinx anything. We already contacted my dad a few days ago to arrange a surprise visit to my family down in Boca Raton, FL on the weekend of my birthday, February 26th. He is arranging the flight and no one else in my family will have any idea that we are coming! And then, POW! My Dad is gonna get a second surprise!

This is going to be so great!

Expecting

We have confirmation. We are having a baby. Frightening. I am truly in shock. I mean, we were trying, but I never expected it to happen so quickly. Unbelievable. January 14th, early in the morning, the test was positive. Taylor woke me up and, in a half lucid daze, I saw the little digital read-out: pregnant. It was surreal. I could not believe it. I had not felt that surreal since my wedding day. I knew it was real and I knew I was happy, but something about it just did not sink in. Every other person I know, friend or family, who has gotten pregnant has felt real. But when it is you it doesn't seem possible, like for some strange reason we are the first people to experience this in this way. We told a couple of people, close friends Tim and EJ and Taylor's sister and her family.

We are waiting until after the confirmation doctor's appointments before we tell our parents. We want them to have the surprise. Plus, since my family is out of state, I want it to be in person. They will be so happy. This is going to be the best experience of my life. Our life.

The Peanut

Our friends Tim and EJ referred to their child as "pumpkin" before he was born. Now, he is Jacob and they don't call him pumpkin at all.

Since it will be a while before we know the gender of our little one, we have decided to refer to it as "peanut."

Nice, genderless, cute, and similar in size and shape to where our child actually is right now.

Our little peanut.

Test #1

Positive

Photos

Images