DYLAN JAMES COX HAS ARRIVED! October 14, 2009

Baby Dylan's birthday story is quite a whirlwind, but simply can be described as "eager" as he decided to have a quick and speedy grand entrance into this world.

Dylan James Cox was born at 5:44pm on October 14th, 2009. He was born right on the 37 week mark and weighed a healthy 5lbs 13.7 oz, 19 inches long. His apgar score was a respectable 9/9, which we were elated to hear as he was 3 weeks early.

Here is a time line of the series of events that occurred leading up to his arrival:

Tuesday October 13th:

6:00pm: I meet Matt at Cedar's Sinai for Infant CPR class. On my way, I start to get "cramps" but don't really read into it. Despite these cramps coming and going every half hour, I consider them asymptomatic of getting close to delivering this baby.

6:30pm: my cramps are easily distracted as I have Tom Morelo, lead singer of Rage Against the Machine, sitting in front of me, practicing CPR on our infant dummies and counting out loud with his deep radio voice.

Wednesday October 14th:

3:00am: My cramps start to get even more painful...still a half hour apart, but they are more intense. The pain kept me up between the hours of 3-5am, but simultaneously, our fire alarm is blaring outside for a good hour - not one neighbor is concerned aside from us...
again I don't really read into my 'cramps'

7:00am: as I get dressed for work, I am hunched over my vanity putting my make-up debating whether or not my cramps were in fact contractions. I opened up my labor packet from our birthing classes and read that the early stages of labor details contractions last 20-60 seconds and on average 20-30 min apart...I questioned whether or not I was being really wimpy about my pain and sack up and go to work - I figure I had my weekly check up with Dr. Walden today she can tell me what is going on, and possibly give me something for my pain.

9:00am: I arrive at work and ask my co-worker Diana what contractions feel like. She explains to me that it feels like a "you have to go poop stomach cramp"...the debate in my head continues. I also call Dr. Walden's office to talk to them about my symptoms, and they ask how far apart my cramps were and that I should eat breakfast and do a kick count - nonetheless, I would see them in a few hours and they would check me out then.

9:15am: I receive Baby Center's Weekly email. My "37 week" email talking about Braxton Hicks and false labor pains - I am quick to diagnose myself a wimp and what I was experiencing was totally false labor.

The hours between 10am-1pm: my cramps start to intensify and are about 20 minutes apart. The pain is so bad I toggle between standing keeled over my desk trying to concentrate on my work, walking off my pain, and sitting down in my chair taking deep breaths in and out. I realize at this time, something is not right and consider leaving early to get into the doctor's office sooner rather than later. I messenger Matt back and forth about my pain...specifically talking about if this weren't labor, I am afraid to see what actual labor feels like because if this was 1/100th of what was to come in labor, I am royally "____".

LABOR BEGINS:

2:00pm: I go home, walk Parker in the rain, and take a shower...the pain is really bad and I can barely walk the dog and speak w/out baded breath...I have a pep talk w/ Parker saying I'll see him in an hour and hope these weren't my last moments w/ him as an only child..I pass my hospital bag on the way out and debate, do I take that with my now just in case? I don't.
Traffic is horrendous to Cedar's Sinai (where my doctor's office is located) due to a rainy day in los angeles (la drivers don't know how to drive in the rain) and my horrendous pain is coming and going 15 minutes apart - I accept now I am in labor and do my breathing exercises in the car.

3:00pm: I see Dr. Walden and Leslie her nurse. I tell them both I am in utter pain and they ask if I drove myself there and if I had packed my bag...I reply my husband can pick up my bag if necessary, but don't scare me! They both look at me knowing that my chances of giving birth today were fairly high.

ACTIVE LABOR

3:30pm: as I sit on the examine chair undressed from the waste down, my contractions start to get a bit unbearable - as I breathe through a doozy contraction, my water breaks...EVERYWHERE. all over the floor, all over the chair. I pop my head out the door and tell Leslie "My water just broke" . She comes in to help me as I leak all over the place gushing fluids, I am mortified at this point. She calls Dr. Walden in to let her know, and she comes in and says "looks like we are delivering today, I better cancel my dinner plans tonight"...I grab stacks of tissue paper that they use for exams and shove them in between my legs, but still doesn't absorb the amount of fluids leaking out of my body.

I call Matt to let him know that my water broke, and he needs to meet me at the hospital, but to take his time because it was rainy outside and to not panic.

3:45pm: Dr. Walden examines me and she tells me I am 4cm dialated. She gives me hospital orders and they wheel me across the bridge to the hospital.

4:00pm: Nora, my L&D nurse, who was so sweet and nice brings me to my LDR room #10...my contractions are UNBEARABLE at this moment and I immediately ask for the epidural. However she can't give it to me because she still needed to admit my paperwork and give me an IV. I ask her again 5 minutes later, pleading that I am in a lot of pain, and to please give me the epidural. I think at this time she felt terrible for me and finds the anesthesiologist to please do her this one favor and give me the drugs.

4:00-5:00pm: this hour is a bit blurry but I have flashes of a "newbie" female doctor w/ a british accent administering the epidural (guided by the head anesthesiologist who jokes w/ me, "are you sure you don't want to do this naturally?), Nora trying to position me correctly and holding my hand, Matt texting me as he is stuck in traffic and UTTERLY, UNBEARABLE, PAIN as I am hugging a pillow breathing deeply and begging quietly "just stab me with that large needle NOW". These contractions were very painful - but it's no wonder, Nora checked me and I was 10 cm dialated.

5:10pm: Matt walks in and I start bawling, I was relieved to see him. The epidural finally kicks in after 3 torturous contractions and my legs are shaking convulsively - I also have the biggest sensation of having to "poo" - the anesthesiologist explains to me that this is the baby coming down the birth canal.

5:20pm: Le - tisha ( a very large Queen Latifah resembling L&D nurse) barges in, tells me to turn over gives me an oxygen mask and tells me I am having a huge contraction and the baby's heart beat is dropping. She checks me and can see that "he has hair on his head" and has me start pushing and to "bear down". A bit concerned because Dr. Walden has not arrived yet.

5:30pm: Dr. Walden enters and tells us this baby is coming out now as she can see his head.

5:30-5:44pm She gears up for delivery and has me "bear down" 8 times as Matt helps me hold my legs and Dylan James Cox arrives to this world. Dr. Walden lays our beautiful and adorable blue but quickly turning pinkish baby on me as Matt and I admire him and his large feet :) ... and conversations strike "can you believe we have a baby?"

Dr. Walden comments of a record time delivery. I give a special nod to pilates and walking throughout my pregnancy for this.

Like millions of other parents in this world, this was obviously one of the happiest moments I can record in my life. The whole labor experience was so quick - and it is without said, I am very fortunate to have a fast and efficient delivery. I hope to detail more on Baby Dylan's early life in a few days and pictures will be posted soon.

Love,

Gemma, Matt, Dylan, Parker, and Bubba

Week 36 - Weekly Doctor Appointments

I have officially hit the point of weekly doctor appointments. Dr. Walden did an ultra sound this week to find the position of the baby. All looked good - and baby is dropping. Right now his head is sitting right on the pubic bone - not sure what that exactly means, but he is very low, and a sign that he is on his way to a grand entrance into this world.

For those who know Matt well, you all are aware that he is a very easy going guy and goes with the flow on pretty much everything. However, through out this pregnancy, there are 3 subjects that he has taken a firm stand on:

1) Baby names. No names have been decided, however, any name I suggest is on the chopping block. I relinquish all control here and we agreed that I get dibs on baby #2's name.

2) Baby Bjorn. For those who are parents, you'd know that there are 2 baby carrier options, the Bjorn and the Ergo...both are very good options, however, I think the denim Ergo he tried on in the baby store royally offended him.

3) Giant stuffed animal. Not sure what the appeal was here, but the one thing Matt has asked to purchase with the Babies R Us Gift Card was a giant teddy bear...as you see above - Bubba the Bear. Matt loves the newest furry addition to our family.

Showered with Lots of Love

Amongst the two showers between Santa Maria and LA, we were showered with lots of love by over 70 friends and family. A huge thanks to four gracious and generous hostesses, my mother, Annie, Amanda and Jaclyn who threw amazing and beautiful showers. I can't thank you all enough! I also send my deepest gratitude to all of those who traveled from afar to be a part of our special day. Baby Cox also thanks all of you from the womb for spoiling him like rotten ;)

Our trip to the hospital...for Matt that is.

Hey everyone,

So almost one week ago, back on September 21st, I was at work and started feeling some pains in my stomach. I know, I know, many fathers-to-be experience sympathy pains and it's completely natural but what I was feeling was not natural at all. After dealing with the pain all day on Monday I figured it would just go away with a good night sleep and some much needed rest. But when I woke up on Tuesday morning and it didn't get any better, I knew something was up. For those of you who know me well, you know that I'm not one to make a doctors appointment very easily but for some reason this day was different. When I was a kid, I swore that I had Appendicitis and my dad rushed me to the Urgent Care only for the pain to go away as soon as we got into the parking lot. So with that thought in my head, I went online on Tuesday morning and typed in "where is your appendix located?" into the search term. When the search results came back and said that the Appendix is located in your lower right abdomen, my heart kind of dropped because that is exactly where the pain that I had been experiencing was located.
With that, I made a doctors appointment immediately. When the doctor told me that I needed to go to the ER right away because he couldn't accurately diagnose my condition I was immediately worried.

So with that news, I headed to the emergency room and called Gemma to let her know. She was obviously very concerned and went to meet me at the hospital. It was a typical ER experience, a lot of waiting to even get into the hospital and then when my name was called they hooked me up to an IV and put us on a stretcher in the middle of the ER, not a great spot to be located as we were pretty much in the heart of all of the traffic. I thought that I would go in and they would be able to let me know what was going on immediately but I found out that I would have to drink a Crystal Light type mixture so that they could do the CT Scan. The only problem was that I was only allowed to drink one cup every 20 minutes and I had to drink about half a gallon, or at least it seemed that way. After about 2 hours, I finally was able to get the CT Scan done and after another hour of waiting, 5 hours in total at that point, the doctor came over to me and said, "yep, it's definitely appedicitis and we're going to have to get that thing out tonight." At that point, a part of me was relieved that it wasn't something more serious, but the other part of me was extremely nervous knowing that I would need surgery immediately.

They finally put us in a room in the ER and said that they would try and work me into the operating room schedule that evening but it would probably be a couple of hours. With that, Gemma asked the doctor if it was okay to go home and pick up some of my stuff and to take the dog out and the doctor said that she would have plenty of time. Yet, after she was gone for 15 minutes, one of the doctors came into my room and said okay it's time to go, we have an operating room ready to go. Of course, I was not happy at all because I really wanted to be with Gemma before I had to go into surgery. So I called Gemma to let her know, told her I loved her and did the the best job of stalling I could. They took me up to the operating floor and I spoke to the anesthesiologist and about 20 minutes later I asked what the deal was and if we were going to get this show on the road and the nurses said that they were waiting for my wife because I told them she was on her way back. So I bbm'ed Gemma and she was just outside the operating hallway, she was able to come in and that made all the difference in the world. It felt so good to be able to see her before I went under and I'm so happy I stalled and the nurses were so understanding. What came next wasn't my favorite but I don't remember a ton. I remember getting wheeled through the operating hallway and into the room, I scooting onto the operating table and they strapped my arms and legs down and put about 20 warm blankets all over me. They put a mask on my face and told me that it was oxygen and to breath deeply but there was no way that was exygen. The last thing I remember was telling them that I was still awake and then I was out.

When I woke up, I was in recovery and Gemma was there, I don't remember much of that conversation except she said I was officially drugged up and said some pretty hilarious things. From recovery, they took me up to my room and I went to bed for the night. Gemma came to see me in the morning and after a rough morning of pain and pain killers, I was able to leave the hospital around midday the next day. It's been about a week and the pain is getting better and I'm feeling stronger everyday but it definitely was a pretty tramatic experience. The good news is that it's over and it's taken care of.

So that's the long, drawn out story of why we made a trip to the hospital last week but not for the reason that everyone expected:) I just wanted to say thank you and I love you to my wife for being so supportive and so calm during the entire ordeal, she was by far the calm one out of the two of us and her strength really helped me get through the whole ordeal. Well I'm sorry for the novel of a blog but there was a lot to explain and it was a crazy situation. Hopefully the next time we make a trip to the hospital it's for a much more amazing reason:) Talk to you everyone soon.

Matt

Who's nose does he have? - 33 weeks

I think all signs point to the Filipino side of the family :)

We had an ultra sound at our 30 week mark and so far, all looks well. He was being very stubborn and shy with his arm covering his face - and had hiccups during our session. The good news is that he is facing the right direction - head down, back is lining up toward my left side and legs are projecting towards my right - thus the constant kicks and discomfort on my right side.

At the time of the ultra sound, Baby Boy Cox weighted 3 lbs 15 oz....which the doctor projected we were on track to have an 8 pounder at the time of 40 weeks! Holy smokes! Of course, I discussed with Dr. Walden my concerns of birthing an 8 pound baby - but we agreed that as we get closer to the time of delivery, if she finds that he continues to grow at this pace, we can discuss my options.

Matt and I started our birthing classes early this week and let's just say that it freaked me out..A LOT! They showed us a birthing video of 3 live births. To say the least, my reaction was jaw dropping - while another women was laughing hysterically in one corner and another preggo (due to deliver in 3 weeks) was bawling...at least I am proud to say I wasn't the one crying.

7 more weeks to go....and No, names have yet to be determined.

26 1/2 Weeks

It's been a while... however, nothing really new to report on the baby front aside from stronger and bigger kicks. The belly has grown significantly since the last blog and the clothes have become very limiting. Mornings are a struggle and playing the "what fits today?" game has been a blow to the ego .

I must say the baby boy has been quite a traveler (this explains why we have been missing in action). Matt and I went to Palm Springs for our three year wedding anniversary and it was a scorching 120 degrees. Fortunately wading in the pool, coupled w/ my virgin miami vice and rocking my Liz Lange swim suit, kept the body temps manageable.

Last weekend we drove up to Monterey in honor of grandpa- to- be's milestone 60 years. A perfect weekend getaway full of family times, good food, golf & spa. Looking forward to a year from now where the baby will have the opportunity to watch Tiger Woods on daddy's shoulders at the US Open in Pebble Beach.

Tomorrow...we head to the Big Apple for my last market trip before the baby is born.

This boy is a kicker...23 weeks and growing

So over the past 4-5 weeks, the baby has started to kick, punch, squirm, and do all of the other funny things that babies do when they're hanging out in their mommy's belly. Well for the first couple of weeks, he either was getting bashful when I was around or I just couldn't pinpoint the feeling because I didn't feel him kicking.

However, over the past week I've started talking to him more and more often. I would talk about anything such as sports and how I think Ron Artest is going to ruin the Lakers...yay!!! and how Andy Roddick played the match of his life against Roger Federer and still lost, or I would read to him from the 45 baby books that currently reside at the Cox home, or I would talk to him about his crazy future big brother.

In any event, as soon as I started talking to him more and more, he started kicking like crazy and I was able to really feel it. It was the coolest feeling in the world...and then last night I was talking to him and I put my hand on Gem's belly and said "give me a kick little man" and the second after I said it, he kicked my hand...it was awesome. Anyway it's been really amazing feeling him grow and seeing Gem's belly grow.

And without further adieu, please see the first baby kick video, look to the left of Gemma's belly button, it happens quick...

The Name Game - 21 weeks

Coming up with boy names has been quite challenging.  We had a list of girl names ready to go - Ella (a combination of our mother's names) being our #1, followed by Sophia and Olivia. However, the boy names have not come easy.  

Our challenge stems from finding the right name that goes with 'Cox' as well as eliminating any chance of grade school teasing. For example, Harry Cox or Tanner Cox (I'll stop there to keep this G rated), but if you really think about this, the list is endless.

Anyhow, we do have a couple of names in mind, and will probably determine which name to go with once we meet him.  However, we are always open to feedback!

In the meantime, my 20-21 weeks have been pretty amazing. The baby's kicks and punches have been more frequent and pronounced. He's growing quickly and the bump is getting bigger and bigger by the day.  My pre-pregnant, deep innie belly button is right on the cusp of popping out. Dressing in the morning has been quite a challenge as some things just don't fit like they used to, and jean options are getting narrower by the week. Overall, I am happy to say that I have passed the half way mark - and we are elated to start the nursery decorating!

  

It's a...

So Gemma and I went to the Doctor's office yesterday to get the 2nd trimester screening and also where we were going to hopefully find out the sex of the baby if it cooperated. After getting there 25 minutes early, as usual for us:), we were in the waiting room for maybe 3 minutes when they called us in and we went into the exam room. Within another 2 minutes, the Doctor was there and we were off, the ultrasound was going and we were looking at the little one again. It was so amazing to see the growth spurt in just under 2 months since the last time we were at the Doctor. And then it happened, the Dr. looked at the screen and said that we were having a baby BOY:) It was such a surreal feeling because you wait to here those three little words but you completely underestimate the feeling and emotions you experience when you find out. More importantly, all of the measurements and pictures looked beautiful and as you can see from the picture of the little man up above, he's got a pretty good looking little right hand:) Gemma and I are so excited and want to thank everyone for all of the prayers and support. Although she's going to be outnumbered 3 to 1 in the Cox household now there's really nothing like the love between a baby boy and his mommy, believe me I've seen it with the mama's boy that is our beast Yorkie. So now it's time for the fun part, the shopping, the painting, the baby proofing, the registering, the teaching our dog how to not attack small plush animals or babies, the classes, and most importantly...what we're going to call this little man. I've been getting requests from many and there's a lot of great choices so stay tuned for the naming news coming shortly hopefully:)

19 1/2 weeks

On occasion, I can feel very faint taps from the baby. Especially after big and hearty meals, it feels like a goldfish is swimming in my belly...it's unreal! Unfortunately, Matt has yet to feel the baby kick - but I am really hoping in the next couple of weeks he will be able to feel 'TBD' Cox.  Speaking of which, we are scheduled for our 20 week ultrasound this week and hope to finally find what the sex of the baby is. I just pray and keep my fingers crossed for signs of good health. More to come later.....

Donna Martin Graduates...from the hospital

Nowadays, I cry frequently. Occasions of happiness, sadness, madness, etc. Tears of joy (Matt’s surprise blog below), and most recently, tears of fright. This is obviously symptomatic of increased hormone levels as I was not a big crier before.

Case and point. I watched an episode of "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood” where they documented the birth of their 2^nd daughter, Stella. It was quite detailed in that they had cameras rolling throughout Tori's C-section. Even though this was her 2nd go around, she was in tears throughout the episode because she was scared of the birthing process. Instantly, I was emotionally connected with my old 9-0 buddy. Once they laid Donna Martin on the operating table and that canopy went up, (see above photo) I began to cry from the same anxiety. I gave one hard look at Matt and said “There’s no way I can do that”…

I realize once the moment occurs, I will do anything to get the baby out…but the thought of bearing a child is scary. I admit, this anxiety stems from a low threshold for pain and a fear of hospitals. But I just have to constantly remind myself, millions of women give birth, and if nervous nelly Tori can do it (twice) I can do it too.

Almost 19 weeks

So it's pretty late right now, well pretty late by our standards nowadays:)  It's around 11pm and tomorrow Gemma will hit the 19th week mark, I know, it's going by so quickly.  And I know that this blog is dedicated to telling all of you about the baby and its progress and hopefully there will be some pretty big news next week when we go to the doctor, but I wanted to take a moment and talk about my beautiful wife.  

I just wanted to say that I couldn't be more proud of her and how she has taken this pregnancy in stride.  Obviously we are so blessed to be given this opportunity and we can thank God enough for that but going through pregnancy is a big change for most people and it can be a rough go around for some.  Well...she has been a absolute trooper.  First of all, she looks amazing...glowing...if that's how to describe it.  For those of you who know Gemma, and I think that's everyone, her skin pretty much glows all the time but I think it does even more now:)  Second of all, I can see the maternal instincts coming out already and I can't wait to see her as a "mommy" because I think she's going to be such a caring and loving mom to our beautiful baby.  And finally, she has been such a supportive and loving wife throughout the entire process, even volunteering to do dog duty when I have late nights at work.  And for those of you who know our dog Parker, that can be quite a chore at times:)  I guess I just wanted to say a big "thank you" and "I love you" to her for being such a strong person and for doing pretty much 99% of the work throughout this process.

...and I promise she's not standing behind me right now, in fact she's been in bed for about an hour:)  Talk to all of you soon.

M.

What will he or she look like?

For fun, I went on one of those "morhping" web sites to see what mine and Matt's baby would look like.  I do not suggest this because the results hold absolutely zero resemblance to either of us.

Is it me, or does the boy (left picture) resemble Brangelina's 2nd adopted boy, Pax?  

Living Arrangements - 18 weeks

I just hit the 18 week mark, which means, we are T-2 weeks until we find out the sex of the baby. We're so excited yet anxious at the same time. These mixed feelings stem from facing the reality of the situation:  once we find out the sex, everything becomes more real. All of the planning and execution of where the baby is going to eat, sleep, change, ride, etc must be figured out within the next 5 months!!! For those that know me well, I'm a planner, and these type of things need to be planned out FAR in advance, and if I am put in a situation where I need to rush...the anxiety levels tend to rise.

Deep Breaths.

So within a short amount of time, Matt and I must figure out 2 tricky situations: 

1)  Where can we find a cost efficient, yet safe & reliable family car?

we can surely count any GM automobile out and a mini van is simply out of the question

2) How are we going to turn our guest room into a nursery?

Let's elaborate, what on earth are we going to do with the treadmill, the bed, and where is Matt going to put his clothes? Please see the attached photo, we are open to suggestions here.

The "Boyfriend" Jean

For those women who are currently pregnant, I have to suggest my latest staple in maternity wear: the "Boyfriend" Jean.  The latest fashion trend that stirs up a lot of controversy.  Many straight men hate this look because it is so unsexy and unflattering. However, I must say, this trend is unbelievably comfortable and casual. I love them and hope this look lasts a little longer!

Biggie Small - 16 weeks

According to baby center, during the 16th week, I should "Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double weight and add inches to length... [the baby is] about the size of an avocado".  

Into the 2nd trimester, my 'evening' sickness has dissipated, and my cravings have gone from salt to sweets. Candy does not suffice now a days - more like baked goods such as cupcakes and cookies satisfy my cravings.  I have regained my energy so I have been exercising with caution a lot more. Although, I can't help but feel like a cripple during pilates class.

I certainly am starting to feel the baby's growth spurt. I officially busted out the maternity jeans (a special thanks to Annie for lending me hers) and big moo moo dresses are always the best wardrobe choice.  What's really crazy, in the morning, my stomach has a relatively small bump - but by the end of the day - my stomach balloons (please see photos for reference). By the next morning, the stomach deflates and expands again through out the day.

  

Carnivore

After contributing 30 viles of blood in the last four months, it was determined that I am Anemic.  

This was no surprise to me as I haven't eaten red meat since 1999. Prior to this, I was a huge meat eater. I mean, I grew up in Santa Maria  - home of the famous tri-tip BBQ, cow meat was unavoidable!

The story of my 10 year red meat sabbatical isn't too intriguing.  I was studying abroad in Italy the summer of 1999. The summer during the war in Kosovo and also the time when John Kennedy Jr. and wife Caroline died in a plane crash.  Simultaneously, there was an epidemic case of salmonella in Italy.  My roommate at the time, who will remain anonymous, was stricken with it (twice) amongst the three months we were there.  We were in beautiful Portofino, having our very first authentic Italian meal. Her choice was veal - and boy was that a very bad choice.  Without being too graphic, let's just say there was projectile involved at the table.  After witnessing such atrocity, I refused to eat any sort of meat the remainder of my study abroad. I lost ten pounds while in Italy - a very untypical situation.  Even upon my return to the US,  I couldn't bare the smell or sight of red meat.  

Flash forward 10 years later, anemic and jeopardizing the health of the baby.  As a quick anecdote, I had my re-initiation to a carniverous diet - an In N Out burger.  I did this at the start of my long three day weekend, just in case I needed to keel over and die.  However - the experience surprised me and it tasted so delicious. No sickness at all invloved! I continued my new endeavor and the following day, devoured a filet mignon at Matt's graduation BBQ. Next, on my to do list, Mr. Cecil's Ribs. I really hope this helps both mine and the baby's iron deficiency.

3D Ultrasound - 12 Weeks

Today Gemma and I went to a special ultrasound technician/doctor to test for all sorts of "not fun" things, but it was SO worth it when we were able to see our baby in 3D.  First of all, it was amazing to see how much the little one has grown in a month since our last ultrasound.  Gemma had eaten some sugar just before we walked into the doctor's office and the kid was bouncing off the walls, so active:)  We were able to see the baby in full view, watch it suck it's tiny thumb, and listen to the heartbeat.  I swore that I saw the baby's face and it looked like Gemma but she thinks I'm crazy.  Anyway, at the end of the appointment, the technician handed us a DVD, which I thought was a CD Rom of all of the still pictures but it turns out that they had been recording the entire ultrasound and we were able to watch the whole thing when we got home.  

Although 24 is one of my favorite shows and definitely gets my heart racing, 15 minutes of watching this video was so much more exciting than all 6 seasons of 24 combined.  I can't really describe the feeling of seeing our little one jump around and show off for the camera...definitely not camera shy:)  The next 3D ultrasound is scheduled for 20 weeks, which seems like an eternity right now, because that's where they'll be able to tell us the sex of the baby:)  So start placing your bets on a little Cox or Coxette.  

Ciao - Matt

Belly Shots

My 11th week has been a little rough - so I'll just post pictures of my belly and spare all the details.

The Woes of the 1st Trimester: 8-10 Weeks

Many new mothers claim that the first trimester is the hardest, and I am the first to hands down and praise "Amen".  I miss wine dearly.  A nice bottle of Wild Horse Pinot Noir is something I dream about.  Happy hours are just not the same, and I feel that my social skills are not up to par, and just don't feel fun any more. Plus, the idea of being the DD for the next year does not thrill me either.

I have been some what fortunate (knock on wood) so far with my pregnancy symptoms.  I experience the typical boob swelling, bloating, bitching, and excessive sleeping.  I haven't experienced morning sickness, but every now and then I am stricken with evening sickness. On these days, at around 4-5 pm, I start to feel really nauseous and just iick.  Even after a long work day, the commute home makes me car sick.  But this only occurs in the evening which I am at least thankful for and not feeling sick through out the day.  This feeling can be best described as a really bad hangover - and the best solution I have to offer: sleep it off.

I crave salt all day long.  Pre-pregnancy, I was more of a sweet tooth kinda gal. Nowadays,  I yearn for potato chips, McDonald french fries, and high sodium Ramen soup. 

To date, I have gained about 3 pounds. The pregnancy books I have been reading "Your Pregnancy" and "What to Expect when you are Expecting" claim that most women don't typically gain a whole lot of weight, and in fact lose weight due to morning sickness. These authors start to make me feel really bad about myself, so I stop reading and just look at the pictures.   No sign of any bump, but my jeans are starting to feel a little snug - everything fits with the exception for the waistband. But nothing like a nice flowy tunic top to mask that unbuttoned jean.   Also, leggings with dresses or bohemian tops give added comfort, particularly towards the end of a bloaty day.

The First Ultrasound - 7 weeks

This is the first official doctor appointment to confirm the pregnancy.  Dr. Walden has been my OB GYN for the past two years and her compassion combined with being up front and detailed made her a great candidate to deliver our future baby. Not to mention she was a young doctor who was a part of a very reputable medical group, within a very reputable hospital, Cedars Sinai.  

As she starts the ultrasound, she discloses a fun fact that sets my heart racing "1 out of 5 women who test positive with a pregnancy test do not necessarily have a heartbeat" or in lay man's term "you ain't always pregnant even though you have a positive pregnancy test". We don't say a peep or share eye contact, but I know instantly, Matt and I are thinking the same thing "oh shit".

Luckily, we see a strong heartbeat - emphasis on one strong heartbeat (twins run in both of our families).  Words can't even begin to describe what the experience is like seeing your baby's first ultrasound. It is unreal to see that there is some human life form that was created and is living inside of me! I hate to sound like a stereotype, but it truly is a miracle.

The Big 3-0

The Big 3-0 was a milestone birthday that I always envisioned going out with a bang...however, when I found out that I was pregnant two days prior to my birthday dinner with my closest friends - that certainly made a change to the game plan.  My excuse for not heavily drinking (a typical occurrence while present in a social setting) was because "I have been so sick for weeks, that I started taking some Z-pack antibiotics to get rid of my cold"... I later find out no one bought into my virgin cosmopolitan prop.

Two Pink Lines

POSITIVE is what the two pink lines indicated on the home pregnancy test.  Parker was the first to witness my excitement as I started freaking out with joy and astonishment.  Matt soon came home an hour later when I announced the news to him...we were in agreement - "am I really pregnant?"