Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Kickin' like Bruce?


Who says that a kick in the face has to hurt? This morning as I was getting ready for work, Enz woke up to watch the news and she told me that the baby was awake and that she was moving around like crazy. I wanted to feel the movement, so I put my face on her belly. As I waited, I said to the little peanut, "c'mon kick papa in the face" and sure enough, she planted one on me! Now that's not to say that it packed the same effect as a kick from Bruce Lee, but it was just a cool feeling to get such a quick response! Judging by the impact and velocity, I'd guess that it was a spinning heel kick....

Monday, November 27, 2006

A little anxiety never hurt anyone



This weekend we finally got to work on the baby's room, and what a chore it was! After deciding on the exact placement of the border, we started painting the walls. We agreed on a "smoky" lavender for the top color, with a gray for the bottom color. Once the gray went up, Enz wasn't too thrilled with it. In fact, she kept insisting that it looked blue, almost like a blue-gray. We thought that maybe her mind would change after a second coat, so then the lavender went up while we waited for the gray to dry. That was an instant hit, and she fell in love with the color. After talking about how she was disappointed with the gray, she ended up going to the store and picking up some green paint to accent the lavender. We had originally discussed having green in the room, but thought the gray would make the lavender "pop." We should've stuck with our original concept.


Needless to say, the painting was complete late Sunday afternoon. WHEW! All that's left to do is the border, but we're planning on hand painting that in the next few weeks.

Since it was still early, I decided to assemble the baby's crib. The instructions were a little confusing, but I was able to pull through. As the crib came together, Enz watched patiently. That's when it hit her. Seeing the crib being assembled made the lightbulb come on in her head-we're really having a baby! It's true, and I think at that instance it became very real to her. She had a mini "anxiety attack" but kept it under control. Maybe it finally hit her that there's no turning back? I'll admit, the realization hit me a little more last night, especially since the baby's room is near completion.

So we ask ourselves the eternal question: Are we really ready for this? Hehehe, as ready as we'll ever be I guess!

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Peanut at 26 weeks


How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Gobble Gobble!

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for the wonderful blessing we have growing inside Enza's belly, our families, our friends and our health. We hope to continue to have good fortune throughout the coming years!

This morning, as we began our holiday season by playing a Johnny Mathis Christmas cd, Enz felt our little peanut "waking up" with some serious punches and kicks. So serious, in fact, we figured we'd be able to actually see the movement beneath her skin. As I pulled Enza's shirt up to expose her belly, WHAM, the little peanut fired off a visible shot right above Enza's belly button. WHAT A TRIP! After the initial shock wore off, we sat there and watched as the little peanut continued jumping around to let us know that she was awake with us. What a memorable way to begin our holidays!

And on a side note, both the Phins & the Canes won their games this Thanksgiving! Woo-hoo!!



Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Second guesses?



Here's a thought Enz & I have been entertaining this last week. What if we're really having a boy? How would things change for us now that we're in the mindset of having a girl? Enz said that this is a "girl year" since she and almost all her friends that are currently pregnant are all having girls. We'd love to have a little boy too, don't get me wrong. I'd have my second little shadow, the first being Marino of course! And Enz is great with little boys, you can see it when she interacts with our nephews. The thought that our sonographer was wrong with her "analysis" last month is fresh in our heads. Maybe it's because everyone else is having girls? Or maybe it's because Enz is carrying her belly differently? Regardless of the outcome, we're just thankful that we've been blessed.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

. . . s t r e t c h . . .




As we progress well into the sixth month of the pregnancy, Enz has noticed a change in the baby's movements. Before she'd feel as if our little peanut was kicking or punching, every now and again she'd get startled by the force our little one would put into these kicks. After our last appointment, Enz mentioned that the baby is still pretty active, but now she has incorporated some new movements in her repertoire! She said it feels like the baby is stretching, and at times it feels like she's pushing on Enza's belly while she's stretching. Interesting. We have yet to "see" the actual movement, but I'm sure it'll probably trip me out just a little bit!

Monday, November 20, 2006

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Peanut at 25 weeks


How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Final monthly appointment

We had our six month appointment yesterday, and if this experience didn't feel quite real yet, it did right after we spoke to the doctor. Enz & the baby are making great progress as the time just ticks on by, so that was a relief, especially with the flu going around. The doctor told us that we'll have just one more monthly appointment before we start meeting with her every two weeks. Enz & I looked at each other, with possibly the same thoughts going through our minds-every two weeks?! Oh boy, how fast has this been?

Monday, November 13, 2006

Hips don't lie?

So according to Enz, no matter where she is, whenever the song "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef comes on, the little peanut gets moving. She can be in the car, or in the chair working on a patient. It seems that no matter where she is, and this song starts playing, the little one goes to town! Not the best song to get groovin' to, although Enz does like it, but it just goes to show how our little peanut is affected by music. Sure, classical music gets her started, and even trance will get some movement out of her; but I guess this song must be da bomb while in the womb. Who knows?

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Peanut at 24 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Tennis shoes in a dryer


Peanut's movements are becoming more frequent and noticeable. We can't quite see them just yet, but as she moves around, I'm able to feel the movements with my hand on Enza's belly. It kinda reminds me of when you put tennis shoes in a dryer-that thumping noise as the shoes get tossed around. That's the only way I can describe it, especially since Enz says the feeling inside is indescribable... Happy Friday!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Thanks

Thanks guys for making this "fun" for us, or should I just say me, huh guys? You know who you are.

Enz & I thought we could put this together for our future daughter to look back on later so she could see how things were prior to her arrival. If it makes me "soft" in your eyes, then it's all good, whatever.

Take your pot shots at me on a different forum, cuz now y'all made me feel like an ass for sharing this experience.

Monday, November 06, 2006

AFC East or West?



Just thought I'd prove a point regarding the little one. I thought that she'd be kickin' like crazy this evening during the Raider/Seahawk game, especially since Enz is a Raider "faithful." Well, not only did the Raiders get shut out, but the little peanut remained "quiet" throughout the game. Perhaps it was because Enz was feeling a little under the weather. Or could it be that she just didn't find the game very entertaining? Ha ha ha! Looks like she's already made her choice-football wise!

Hogan Knows Best


As we wound down our Sunday evening with a little bit of family television viewing, we ended up watching a few episodes of Hogan Knows Best-ones that we've missed since I was out of town. Not to sound redundant or anything, but during one of the shows, our peanut had a little kicking fit, one that even I was able to feel! Talk about something new and different, she was going to town.

On this particular episode, the family went on a cruise to celebrate Hulk's 53rd birthday. Brooke was on stage and sang her rendition of Happy Birthday to her dad, and that's when Enz felt the kicking begin. I guess it's true that peanut is really into music. How cool is that?

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Finally...


So we were watching the Miami/Chicago game this morning, and of course the Miami defense was playing an awesome game! I was going ape-$hit because the Phins are having one crappy season. Well it seemed like every time the Phins would execute a great play, and I'd go crazy in the process, our little peanut would kick or move in mommy's belly. When I jumped for joy on an interception, she would kick. When I screamed at the tv because of a penalty, she would kick. Now that's not to say that she's a Miami fan, although that probably wouldn't be a bad thing =) But according to babycenter.com:

"Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb"

Maybe our peanut was just being a little cheerleader? Or maybe she was just reacting to her silly daddy going crazy for this particular game? All we know is that she was enjoying her time awake with her family this lazy Sunday. And needless to say, the Miami Dolphins finally picked up another win this season. Go figure!


Saturday, November 04, 2006

Peanut at 23 weeks


How your baby's growing: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Thought of the day

I was speaking to one of my best friends last night, just choppin' it up about things, talking about kids and what not. We were thinking about our "clique" from back in the day, and how pretty much everyone has kids now. What's more fascinating is that a great majority of the guys had daughters first. That being said, CONGRATULATIONS to Craig & Brandi on the recent birth of their daughter Sofia! I hope I got the spelling right! May she bring you endless joy and wonderful memories!!!

Well it's obvious that I'll be the next one to add to the list of "daughters first," which seems to be the trend. A lot of people say its "payback" for a guy to have a girl first, but I see it more as a blessing. As Derick and I continued chatting, he said it best:

"A little boy can make a man feel like a father, but it takes a little girl to make a man feel like a daddy."

Of course, I'm not a father just yet, nor do I have a son, or a daughter for that matter, to base this statement on; I just thought it was an awesome quote, one that I probably won't forget. At this point I'm overwhelmed with emotion over the thought of being a father. I can only imagine what it'll be like once that time comes, and looking at the calendar, it's right around the corner!

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Daddy's home...

I never really gave much thought about having to travel for work and be away from my family. In actuality, I never had to travel until recently. I was working on a project in San Diego for the past 10 days, which is why this blog hasn't been updated much in the last couple of weeks!

The thought of being away for just over a week wasn't too bad, I mean sure, I missed Enza the most as well as our "little" pup. And yeah, I missed the home cooked meals, my own bed, my own car, and even my own bathroom. And it's true, our baby isn't born yet, but being away from her, in Enza's belly, really did a number on me. For the last ten days, I wasn't able to rub or talk to Enza's belly, just to make that special connection with our baby. I didn't realize how tough that would be. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it will be once the baby is born. In all honesty, I don't know how people do it. How can they be away from their families for so long without it affecting them?

While I was away, I would chat with Enz every night, and before we'd get off the phone, she'd place the phone near her belly just so I could get a little "one on one" time with my little girl. I don't know how much of an impact that made, but it meant the world to me to be able to communicate with her just to let her know that I was missing her.

I'm glad to be home! It was the best feeling to see my beautiful wife greet me at the airport. The look on her face can't be described with words. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful soul mate, and I can't wait until our little one joins the family! Even though I was only gone for a short amount of time, Enza's look has changed dramatically. I couldn't wait to see her and how different she's become. What a trip! And now that I'm home, I realize that there's a ton of things to do, with so little time to do it in. Day by day it becomes more and more of a reality to the both of us, and it'll all be worth it in the end!