Gifts From God

I told a friend that my wife and I were expecting our first child, and he responded with these verses:

1. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
2. Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
3. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

I am not a Bible scholar. Its been many years since I “studied” the Bible, but here goes:

1. I think the first one means that if one is a righteous person, your children will be blessed and will never go hungry.
2. I think the second one means that if you have faith in God, God will be good to you.
3. I think the third one means that children are like “arrows”, and if you have a lot of children or arrows, your children will defend you when you are old.

I’m taking this to mean (unless the Lord or someone tells me otherwise) in a nutshell:

1. Be a good and righteous parent and love your children because your children are a gift from God.
2. If you do #1, then God will take care of you and all of the rest of the small stuff.

The cites are Psalms 37:25; 55:22; 127:3-5 if you are interested.

Week 15 Update

Well, today is officially Week 15. We went to the Perinatologist (an obstetrical subspecialist concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications) last week. Momma to be is 34 and to the insurance gods, right on the cusp of the magic “Age 35″, the bright line marker to be declared high-risk. The doctor did an ultrasound and blood test. We also consulted with a genetic counselor.

Usually, I don’t get nervous with tests (having been in school so long), but this time it was different. I found out that I have already learned how to “worry like a parent”. I want and pray for the best for our baby, including no complications. I even parked in the same parking spot where I had parked before (and received good news before) in order to have good luck again.

I am happy to report that all the tests came back in the normal range. The doc said that the baby looks very healthy for its gestational age and that the baby’s heart was beating strong and loud. Music to my ears! Baby’s heart was beating at 162 beats per minute I believe. We passed the test!! Relieved, we celebrated by heading over to Togo’s for the usual.

There are so many things that can go wrong during pregnancy. I read so much information that I just had to stop. I found out that “Ignorance is Bliss” is sometimes very true. If you start worrying about all the things that can go wrong, you will never sleep. I also like to look at the doctor’s and nurses facial expressions when they are doing the exams. Their facial expressions tell so much and cannot hide good news from bad news.

Some Important Dates to Remember

This chart is courtesy of the Pregnancy Due Date Calculator on BabyZone.com.

Your Conception Date is: (Approximately 2 weeks before your next menstrual period) You’re in your First Trimester (weeks 1-12)	10/31/2007
Your period of greatest risk for birth defects is:   (5 to 10 weeks gestational age)	11/21/2007 to 12/26/2007
Your baby’s fetal organ formation begins:	11/21/2007
Your baby’s major organs have formed:	12/26/2007
Second Trimester (weeks 12-27) Your risk of miscarriage decreases:	1/9/2008
If your baby is premature, but born after this date, s/he has a chance to survive:	3/26/2008
Your Third Trimester begins on: (27 – 40 weeks)	4/23/2008
Your Pregnancy Due Date is: (40 weeks – full term)	7/23/2008

Weeks vs. Months

I always wondered why some people counted pregnancy in weeks and others in months.  As in “I’m 12 weeks pregnant” or “She’s 7 months pregnant”.  It turns out that Doctors and other healthcare professionals only keep track of “weeks”.  This is from the Mayo Clinic:

It may seem strange, but the first week of your pregnancy is actually your last menstrual period before becoming pregnant.  Why is that? Doctors and other health care professionals calculate your due date by counting 40 weeks from the start of your last cycle.  That means they count your period as part of your pregnancy, even though your baby hasn’t been conceived yet.

Conception typically occurs about two weeks after the start of your last menstrual period.  When your baby arrives, it will have been about 38 weeks since he or she was conceived, but your pregnancy will have “officially” lasted 40 weeks.

So there you have it.  The mystery of “weeks” vs. “months” is solved in my mind.  For the record, I don’t use “months” anymore.  I always now say that we are “X” weeks pregnant since it is more accurate and the term “weeks” is what I see in evertyhing that I read about pregnancy.

Food Observations

This baby is eating lots of cereal and fruits and vegetables! That is my observation so far. As an expecting mother, my wife is eating lots of bowls of cereal. Honey Nut Cheerios to be exact. Way more cereal than she used to eat before being pregnant. I think its because her body is asking for lots and lots of calcium which the milk over the cereal provides.

Mom-to-be is also eating tons of fruit and vegetables. I can’t keep enough fruit in stock at home. I would say lots of bananas (at least two a day), grapes, apples (I buy Fuji and Gala apples–she won’t eat the Granny Smith), oranges, nectarines, and whatever else is fresh. Yesterday, I bought a bag of fresh cherries that were on sale at Vons Supermarket and the bag is almost completely empty already.

I buy most of my fresh produce at Vallarta Supermarket in Oxnard. They have the best and freshest produce that I have found, a wide variety, and at very low prices. You can’t be it in these parts. And, contrary to stereotype, Vallartas is a Latino supermarket that is very super clean and doesn’t smell like “Mexican Market”. If you’ve ever gone to a old, crusty Mexican Market or carniceria in the neighborhood, you know the “Mexican Market” smell as soon as you enter the door or simply walk by on the street in front of their open entrance. In fact, I have observed that Vallartas always has at least one or two persons on clean up duty full-time.

Togo’s Baby

Yesterday was the fourth day in a row that we ate at Togo’s Sandwiches in Westlake Village. “Togo’s is what the baby craves” my wife tells me. So Togo’s it is. At least for this week (because the cravings change all the time she says). My wife ordered the same thing every time–the half sandwich and half salad combination. A #26 Turkey, Ham and Cheese on Honey Wheat Bread (light on the Mayo and add Jalapenos) and the Asian Chicken Salad. The sandwich guys at the counter got to know us well from coming in every day. They were very sypmathetic when I told them that my wife was pregnant and that the baby craved Togos. “A Togo’s Baby!” they said. Cheers to Jesse and the rest of the crew at Togo’s in WLV. He makes great sandwiches and keeps the baby happy for now.

A couple of weeks ago the baby was craving Carne Asada Burritos from King Taco all the time. However, we could only go to King Taco on the weekends since the nearest King Taco is an hour away in Pasadena.

Welcome. Bienvenidos.

Welcome to my new blog Dulzura en Julio or Sweetness in July. This blog is dedicated to our new baby. We are soon-to-be parents, happily and anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child. I hope to document the Waiting, the feelings, the emotions, the process, and whatever else comes to me as we experience the gift of life.