Doctor Update!

Pray for Dom. We went to the Doctor's office yesterday and she has had headaches for the last three weeks consistently. They vary in intensity, but it is really tough to get through the day with them. We were hoping that they would end at the first trimester, but no relief yet.

The Doctor's were great and we got to listen to the heartbeat of the baby which was really exciting. The doctor recommended a number of things for the headaches, but I can't imagine how frustrating it is for Dominique given that there really isn't much that she can do for them.

We just keep praying and hope that everyone is keeping us in their prayers as well.

From Depression to Joy in a Few Moments

This was an incredible experience this weekend:

For some reason I was in a funk. Snapping at people, impatient, rude... my usual self some would say, but I had no idea what was wrong.

Well, Dom tried really hard to make me laugh and finally told me just to listen to the baby. So I put my ear to the belly and before long both of us were laughing hysterically.

It was a really cool moment when I realized that we were going to have a child and anything that would upset me really made no sense, whatsoever.

Parenthood is kind of cool.

So I did a digital close up of the baby's sonogram and LOOK! Not only is it a boy, but it is a hydrosyphalic! And it is proof positive that I HAVE PASSED ON THE MET GENE! 

Fear and Trembling...

Now this was interesting.

In the last weekend, I had a distinct feeling of fear in regards to the birth of "the kid." You see, I think in a number of areas I put a lot of pressure on myself as to what I need to provide and yesterday I had an overwhelming sense that I would not be able to provide it.

What if I can't give the care the baby needs?

What if I can't give the time the baby needs?

What if we can't get the house the baby needs? (does the baby NEED a house?)

What if I can't get the education the baby needs?

What if I can't relate the faith to the baby?

What if I go crazy before the baby is born and end up drooling on myself? At least we will have something in common.

So at the end of the day I simply feel this tension inside. That I must do everything I can to NOT fail my wife, my child, our family. That is probably a lot, but I look at a chart and 13 weeks is really close to 40. Closer then 12 and closer then 68. Almost half.

God bless Dom because she just listens to me and then smiles and tells me that I will be a great dad. I mean, our dog is normal, right?

Dom is feeling a little better every day. Yesterday she woke me up with a cup of coffee under my nose and started cleaning the closets in the house. It was way too early for me to get up, and she soon got tired after it was over and went back to bed. But I had already had coffee so I couldn't sleep.

Now THAT is drama!

From the "Pregnancy Calendar"

Size
Your baby is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long, the size of a medium goldfish. She weighs about one ounce.

Development
Your baby is shorter than a finger, but her face is already showing individual features and characteristics! Her ears are now developed enough that she may be able to hear when you sing, hum, or talk. And her vocal cords will form this week - soon she'll be able to sing back.

Reprinted with permission from Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth. Copyright 2004 by Sandy Jones, MA and Marcie Jones, MA. Used with permission from Barnes & Noble Books, an imprint of Barnes & Noble Publishing, Inc.

12 Weeks!

Ok, so we are a third of the way through.

Dom has put on about 5 pounds. I have put on 15.

Is that supposed to be right? It seems to me that the man develops his paunch at the first pregnancy, not at marriage. This is why:

1. I get stressed out about the pregnancy. Will I be a good father? Will I make the right decisions? Are all my chromosomes in good shape and did they get there?

So I eat.

2. Dom wants food. All the time. To keep down the naseau it is good that she eats, however we are not home a lot because of our ministry at the church and our jobs. So we stop at fast food. I may not be hungry, but I am there.

So I eat.

3. Dom is eating and starts to smell something she doesn't like, so she gets sick. She has a plate full of food left.

So I eat.

4. I go shopping for food. I buy as much healthy stuff as I can. But then I wander into the chip aisle and there is soda, beer, chips...

So I eat.

The end result is that I am showing more than Dom is.

THIS CANNOT CONTINUE!

So I am now changing my rule:

1. When I get stressed out I run. It may be in place, it may look stupid, it may be sweaty, but I am going to try to substitute physical activity for eating in stressful situations.

2. When Dom eats, I won't unless it is meal time, and I will only eat what I can fit on the FIRST LAYER of the dinner plate. (You can fit a lot on a dinner plate by simply piling it in layers.)

3. If Dom gets sick and can't eat a meal... it goes in storage for later.

4. I will only buy what I will consume at a meal. And I will only drink water. And coffee.

I am on a new plan...

28 weeks: 28 pounds lost!

With this new plan, I pretty much figure to train myself for the endurance challenge that is children.

Long time, no update...

I apologize for the lack of updates, but basically this is what has been happening in our lives:

1. The Pope died. Now, I know that this is in everyone's life, but working for the church makes this a little crazier. There was a parish mass on Monday, the fourth, and then on Tuesday the diocese called and asked us to play the music for the diocesan youth mass to celebrate the life of the pope. That was Thursday night and we were preparing like crazy. Friday morning, we got up early enough to see the funeral, but it was because we were flying to Dallas for the weekend.

2. Justin in "Tartuffe." He was brilliant. We spent the weekend with the Lemieuxs -2 (Kyle and Teresa) in Dallas to see Justin. He was really great. Very impressive. We also got the opportunity to see my friend Todd Wilson, his wife Joanna, and their daughter Julia. He has a beautiful family. You may know him as one of the guys in the wedding party. We flew home last night on American Airlines. We also received a lot of tremendous gifts from Grandma and Grandpa so the whole trip was a wonderful time.

Tomorrow is the end of the first trimester, and we have our next doctor's appointment in two weeks. Dominique has been experiencing headaches every day and it has been really difficult for her. Sometimes drinking a Coke will help as the caffeine is usually a good solution, but it is a difficult cross to bear right now if you combine it with the nausea which we hope will end this week.

Well, it is back to the old grindstone and we are looking to our next big goal... buying a house!

We hope to meet with a mortgage broker this week so keep us in your prayers.

Baby Showers

Dom went to two in two days and as a result I think that she is getting to think more and more about this pregnancy.

Although I don't know how you can think MORE about a pregnancy if you are a woman. I mean, to me it would be on my mind all the time. It's not like it isn't around you. I am thinking about it all the time and I'm not carrying the child.

In any case, she is getting really excited about the whole thing and it is really fun to watch.

A Side Effect

Interesting to note that this pregnancy, at least for us, has caused us to start praying together a lot more. Honestly, it was a struggle for us before the pregnancy because we tended to get busier and busier and in the end you shrug off even that which is dearest to your heart in order to sacrifice for "the greater good."

This week we have been taking time to pause before we go to bed and go through this prayer book that Dominique received for her birthday. In it there are prayers for most every situation a mother would find and we say the prayers that apply: marriage, safe pregnancy, etc. Even though our commitment to this has been small at this point, it is one of my favorite parts of the day.

It's amazing the balance we have to strike as humans in our lives. In order to thrive, we must be balanced in our lives, which leads to success in one area, which leads us out of our balance. Almost the same circle that the Israelites found themselves in thousands of years ago.

How many times do we have to refocus ourselves to what is really important? How many times does God have to gently call us back to His heart? Seventy times seven apparently.