Strangers Who Care

My week started out on Sunday (duh) when I went to get my handicap permit from Dan's car. It was on the passenger side so that's the door I went to. His car was parked on the street so I had to walk on the grass between the sidewalk and the curb. Not a big deal, I do it all the time. I opened the door and got the permit. After closing the door and setting the alarm, I proceeded to step with my right leg and OUCH! My foot sank into a dip in the grass and my ankle twisted. I almost fell. It hurt, my ankle because I twisted it and my belly because I tensed up. I was OK within a few minutes, but it scared me. What if I had fallen? No one was around and I had put my purse in my car along with my cell phone before I went to Dan's car.

Getting it off my mind, I made my way to my parent's house and my Dad took a drive with me to Kohl's. I had a 30% off everything coupon that expires tomorrow (Friday) if I use my Kohl's charge. I can't resist the sale, especially because the 2 long sleeve maternity shirts I have will not be enough to get me through the fall and winter. I bought 2 long sleeve t-shirts, 1 3/4 sleeve shirt (that my Dad picked out), 2 cardigans, and a poncho. I saved $150 and got $20 Kohl's cash. Good shopping trip!

Because I had gotten the $20 Kohl's cash and still had the 30% off coupon, I decided to go back to Kohl's Monday. Before I went, I picked my Dad up and we went over to the VFW to leave a deposit to rent out a room for a welcome to the world party (in lieu of a christening) Dan and I will be throwing Lily in June. Yeah…I like to plan ahead. Anyway, after I dropped my Dad back home and sat outside to talk for a bit, I left to continue my shopping. I got 3 things for the price of just one, saving about $58. Love it! When I got to the line there were 2 people ahead of me. I was getting tired of standing and started to feel hot. One of the two people were called to a register. I moved up in line and an older couple came in line behind me. I continued to feel really uncomfortable and hot. I put my items over the pole they had for the line, took my sweater off, and I bent over resting my hands on my knees. I was not only hot now, but dizzy. I started to black out. As the woman in front of me got called up to a register, the couple behind me noticed there was something wrong. The husband asked if I was OK. I couldn't stand up straight and I just said that I was really hot. The gentleman held onto me saying that I needed to sit down. He noticed a wheelchair by the entrance/exit and told his wife to get it for me. She wheeled it over, took my sweater and purse out of my hands, and they both helped me into the wheelchair.

It was my turn to be rung up. The lady behind the register saw everything that was going on and did nothing. The nice couple got my items and rolled me over to the register saying that they will even roll me out to my car. All I kept saying was "sorry" and "thank you." Sitting down definitely helped. I cooled down a bit and when I got up to sign the credit card pad I knew I would be able to walk out to my car.  The gentleman was hesitant to let me walk out by myself, but I assured him I was OK to do so and I thanked him again for his kindness.

How nice it is to know that there are people out there in this world that will help out a stranger in need. I wish I got their names and address, I would have liked to send them flowers and a thank you note.


So, I tell Dan all this and he's nervous to begin with, always worrying about me. I tend to be clumsy at times. So I vowed never to walk on the grass again during these last three months of pregnancy and to always take off layers of clothing when I'm in a store. I hope these things don't happen again because both times I was alone, except for the kind strangers at Kohl's who came to my rescue, but there won't always be a kind stranger to help. I gotta take better care of myself because I'm sharing my body with Lily and I never want anything bad to ever happen to her.

OK, speaking of the kindness of strangers, I saw this video this morning and it made me cry. Probably the pregnancy hormones, but really… if this doesn't get you going, then there may be something wrong with you.

This video shows us the importance to step in if something just doesn't seem right. Like my kind strangers stepped in when they saw I needed help, let's hope and pray that some kind stranger will help out a child. I was so glad to see the two guys run in to help and the other man in the car that was getting out to help. Our children are so vulnerable and people may have just thought that this little "brat" was saying "you're not my daddy" because he might have been her step father or something. "STRANGER!!!" should also be yelled out. Luckily this was just a news report, but it can and does happen and it's up to the community of strangers to know when to step in. Hey, better safe than sorry, right?

BTW: I am now 26 weeks along and this is my last week of my second trimester!! WOOOHOOO!!!!

Please help our friends John & Natalie!

Cord Blood Banking

From the moment we found out we were pregnant (the first time) Dan and I knew we were going to bank our baby's cord blood. Now that I'm 25 weeks along, we have come to a decision about who we will bank with and what options we want. We did not realize the choices and technological advances that we have now.


Dan's brother Greg and sister-in-law Bonnie sent us an email a while ago in regards to the cord bank they used for both of their boys. It's amazing how much less expensive it was to bank cord blood 9 years ago. They use a place called Cryo Cell and bank only the cord blood for 18 years. The options are much better these days.

How cute…seriously?

We wanted to know all of our options, so I did some research on Cryo Cell and two other banking places. These were my finding:

Cryo Cell:

• Four banking options - (1) Cord Blood (2) Cord Blood and Cord Tissue (3) Cord Blood and C'elle (menstral blood - I'll explain further in a bit) (4) Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and Celle
• Bank for 21 years
• Cryo Cell is in Florida
• Been around the longest of all cord blood banking companies (1992)
• Has the best price out of the three banking companies if doing more than just banking the cord blood
• Has a 12 month payment plan for the first year - interest free (the first year is more expensive due to  shipping, testing, and storage)

The cord blood right now is the only thing that can actually be used to treat diseases. Cord tissue and Celle are still in the testing phases.

CBR - Cord Blood Registry:

• Two banking options - (1) Cord Blood (2) Cord Blood and Cord Tissue
• Bank for 18 years
• CBR is in California
• Been around since 1999
• Has a special collection bag

Nothing too special about this one except for the collection bag. Plus only 18 years of banking? I'd rather be able to store the blood and tissue longer.

Viacord:

• Two banking options - (1) Cord Blood (2) Cord Blood and Cord Tissue
• Bank for 20 years or 25 years
• Viacord is in Ohio
• Been around since 1993
• Is the most expensive out of the three banking companies if doing more than just banking the cord blood

The only thing I really liked about this one is the fact that we can bank the cord blood and cord tissue for up to 25 years. It's the longest out of the three banking companies.

We chose to go with Cryo Cell. We liked the idea of banking not only the cord blood and cord tissue, but also my menstrual blood. Sounds really gross, I know. Here are the facts:


Cord Blood:

• non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• leukemia
• sickle cell disease
• severe anemia's
• severe combined immunodeficiency
• Experimentation for expanded uses of stem cells holds great promise. Current research is being conducted on the use of stem cells for the treatment of cardiac and neurological diseases, to name a few

Cord Tissue:

• Stem cells from cord tissue have demonstrated the power to heal spinal cord, brain, and cartilage injuries in laboratory studies. 

C'elle:

• Exciting new research shows that menstrual fluid contains self-renewing stem cells. Stem cells from menstrual blood may potentially be utilized in the future to treat a host of life-threatening and debilitating medical conditions such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease, as well as neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, osteoporosis and spinal cord injury, just to name a few.
• Any woman, any age  (who has a menstrual cycle) can utilize C'elle. 

OK, now you know all the reasons we chose to do the three options through Cryo Cell. With all that "insurance" for about $29 per month, why wouldn't we take every opportunity to utilize what may one day save our child's life and possibly our own? 

Now to the strange and some-what funny part of the whole screening test. Well, I don't know if they were screening me, but the questions that I had to answer were a bit odd.


Here are just a few of those wacky questions:

• Have you in the past 5 years received compensation for sex? 

Umm?? No? lol. What the hell type of question is that? Yes. I am a prostitute and I charged money to have sex to get pregnant (insert sarcasm, for those who don't get it). Idiots. If I charged money to have sex, I probably wouldn't care about storing my baby's cord blood, nor have the money to pay for it after using it for all those drugs I do.

• Have you in the past 12 months had intimate contact with a male who has ever had sexual contact with another male?

Oh God I hope not! I have nothing against same sex, sex, but I really don't want to be married to a guy who has had it. I should be the only one in the relationship who has ever slept with a guy! And luckily for me, I am.

• In the past 3 years have you been outside the United States or Canada?

Not sure what this has to do with collecting our baby's cord blood, but it was the only question out of about 20 that I answered "yes" to. In 2009 Dan and I went to Ireland and Wales for our honeymoon.


So that's it. We ordered our kit. Now we just have to wait about three and a half months until Lily arrives and hope we never have to use it.

Pregnant with Primary Lymphedema

Had my 6 month checkup with my lymphedema doctor on Tuesday and it went better than I had anticipated. First of all, for those who are unaware of what lymphedema is, I'll explain in my own words. 

There are two types of lymphedema: Primary and Secondary. Secondary is when something injures your lymphatic system. It can happen if you have lymph nodes removed due to cancer for instance. Without the correct amount of lymph nodes, the fluid that used to be easily moved throughout your body now builds up in the area/limb where the lymph nodes were removed. I have Primary lymphedema. I was born with a screwed up lymphatic system (missing and impaired lymph vessels) and the onset of my fluid buildup was when I reached puberty. No one knows the cause of why the lymphatic system is screwed up with primary lymphedema, it just is. I have it in my lower extremities: both legs from my hips to my toes. Fluid runs down your body with toxins and is supposed to be "flushed" clean before traveling back up. This is where those lymph nodes come in handy. Because of my lymphedema, I don't have enough lymph nodes to get all the fluid back up, so it just stays in my legs and I get swelling. Sometimes I even get an achy pain in my legs due to the toxins that are in that fluid. 

There are different stages of lymphedema. 

Stage I lymphedema is an early accumulation of fluid that is relatively high in protein content. There is visible swelling with protein-rich lymph. This swelling can be temporarily reduced by elevation of the limb; however, the swelling soon returns when the limb is returned to a normal position. The swollen tissues are soft and pitting edema is present.

Stage II lymphedema is an increase in the swelling and a change in the tissues. Elevation of the limb will not reduce the swelling. The tissues become increasingly firm due to fibrosis. Fibrosis is the formation of fine scar-like structures within the tissues that cause them to harden. Pressure against the limb produces only a slight indentation or no indentation at all. The tissue changes at this stage increase the risks of even greater swelling, fibrosis, infections, and skin problems. Stage II lymphedema can usually be improved with intense treatment.

Stage III lymphedema, which is also known as lymphostatic elephantiasis, is a condition in which the tissue becomes extremely swollen and thickened due to a blockage in the flow of lymph and a buildup of fluid in tissues. The tissues become increasingly fibrotic (hardened). Pressure does not produce any pitting. Normal elasticity is lost and the skin hangs in folds. The skin may change color. Papillomas, which are small solid benign tumors that project above the surrounding tissue, may develop. Hyperkeratosis, which is an increase in the thickness of the outer layer of the skin, can develop. These changes in the texture of the skin are disfiguring and can limit mobility. Infections become more common because of increased risks of breaks in the skin. These infections include fungal infections and open wounds that form within the folds of skin.

 I have Stage I lymphedema. Even though it took doctors about 16 years to diagnose me, my swelling has stayed pretty consistent and I have not progressed to stage II - thank God! 

People with lymphedema are more susceptible to infections such as cellulitis. This can be a serious infection that can cause hospitalization. Anything can cause a cellulitis infection, such as a bug bite, a nick from a razor, a scrape or cut, even an ingrown hair, or an ingrown nail. Taking care of your skin is so important. Most of the time people with lymphedema are covered up with compression  garments. These are those very tight stockings, thigh highs, or knee highs, that you have to get on with donning gloves (rubber gloves). 

OK, back to my story. 

So, I went to my lymphedema appointment I made when I was still working. I made the appointment so I would go before work. My appointment was for 8:15 am. I never thought to change the appointment to a later time once I went out of work on disability, and when I did finally remember, it was too late to change it. Oh well. It was hard to get going that early, but I managed it. I know 8:15 is not that early, but when you're pregnant and were up at 3 am, for God knows what reason, and you couldn't get back to sleep, an 8:15 am appointment is torture! I was 15 minutes late. Not too bad.

Right away I was greeted with "Oh my God!" and "Congratulations!" from all the ladies in the office. I get weighed, normally at the end of my appointment, but they were quick to get me on the scale that day. UGH! Now, I weigh myself every morning. My scale is accurate with a weight of not wearing clothes, and having just woke up with no food in my stomach. I don't mind that weight too much. But get me on the scale at my appointment with my boots and clothes, and some food in my stomach, and I'm quick to defend the weight I was earlier in the morning. But, of course, they stick with what they see on their scale. It's a conspiracy! 

Once I got into a room to be measured (they measure different points in both legs to make sure swelling isn't getting worse) I get asked by my lymphedema therapist if I'm wearing my garments. I can't lie about this one so I say no. I told her that almost the entire first trimester I wasn't wearing them because I was so sick, but I was hardly ever on  my feet because I wasn't working and I was on the couch most of the time. I did try a couple of times during this second trimester to wear them, but they were so hard to get on and I felt way too constricted. I asked if I could get knee highs instead of the thigh highs I typically wear. Better to wear something than nothing. She agreed and ordered me a couple of pairs. Now I just have to make sure I'm not lazy about wearing the knee highs once I get them. Luckily my legs have not gotten much more swollen than 6 months ago. Just a slight increase and that is most likely due to the weight I've gained with this pregnancy. So now I don't feel too bad about not wearing my garments!

Because primary lymphedema is hereditary (although I don't know who has had it in my family) I've done some research about those women out there who have lymphedema and are or were pregnant. Not much to be found, just little things that don't really give too much information. There is this one article on the website LymphNotes that explains a little bit of what needs to be done when you are pregnant and have lymphedema. For the most part, I should be wearing my compression garments everyday, keeping my weight under control throughout the pregnancy, and doing manual lymph drainage everyday. Duh. Things I already knew.

Now, since lymphedema is a hereditary disease, will I pass this on to Lily? I have done some research on this as well. What I've found was that I have a 50% chance of passing this gene on to our child. Hopefully lymphedema stops with me, but anything is possible. I've read a lot of stories of women with primary lymphedema who have children and none of them have developed it. So there is hope for our little one.

You can read more about living with lymphedema on my other blog: Lymph Girl

Finding a Pediatrician

One important thing we need to do before Lily Emma is born is find a pediatrician. I decided to make an appointment with the pediatrician my siblings and I went to. I saw Dr. Cheruvanky for the first time at the age of twelve when I no longer wanted to go to the pediatrician I had since birth. He was a man and I no longer felt comfortable having a man examine me. From what I remember, Dr. Cheruvanky was extremely nice and knowledgeable. Since we liked her so much, my mother recommended her to my aunt to use for a pediatrician as well. I figured she should be our first choice for a doctor for Lily.

Our meet and greet was this past Monday. I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss what we would have to do once Lily arrives and a good opportunity for Dan to meet the pediatrician to make sure he will be comfortable using her. Before the appointment my mother was adamant that Dr. Cheruvanky would remember who I am. I didn't really think so, especially since I don't have the same last name and it's been, like, sixteen years or so since I've seen her. When Dan and I walked into her office, she introduced herself and said it was nice meeting us. I asked, "You don't remember me, do you?" She looked at me more intently and said that I looked a little familiar but she couldn't place me. She asked if I used to be a patient of hers and I said yes. I told her my maiden name and right away she got so excited and said she does remember me. She asked how my mother was, and how my sisters were. I think my brother didn't really see her, but she did remember that there are four of us. She also has such a great memory that she remembered my two cousins that went to her, Anne and Thomas, and asked how they were. Dr. Cheruvanky is exactly how I remember her. A very nice and caring woman.

She asked who our obstetrician was and we told her we have a midwife and are doing a water birth at Nassau University Medical Center. She said that she "lived" there for four years and knows the pediatricians very well and that we will be in good hands. Dan told her that when we were thinking of a pediatrician for Lily, two doctors came to mind, her and Dan's old pediatrician. Since Dan's pediatrician is no longer alive, we decided to see her. Dr. Cheruvanky then asked Dan where he is from and who his pediatrician was. Once Dan said the doctor's name, she told us that she trained under him. Wow! Small world. This makes us even more pleased and excited to know that Lily will be in great hands when it comes to her medical needs.

Dan and I had a few questions for Dr. Cheruvanky.

1. Will she come to the hospital to initially see Lily or does she wait till our first appointment with her? Even though she does have privileges at NUMC because of her four years there, she will wait to see Lily at her first appointment, unless there is an emergency.
2. When will Lily's first appointment with her be? Two days after she is dismissed from the hospital.
3. There is an option for Lily to get a Hepatitis B shot at the hospital. Does she recommend it? No. It is best to wait until Lily gains a little more weight and is stronger before any immunization is given.
4. We don't want Lily to be injected with immunization shots all at once, or even two or three at a time. She agrees. She will spread out the shots by weeks or months.

OK, so she is on par with our thoughts and concerns. Love her! Dan does too.

Babymoon

Things that needed celebrating:

1. Sunday, September 25th: Our 5 1/2 year anniversary together 
2. Monday, September 26th: Our 2 year wedding anniversary 
3. Saturday, October 1st: Our 5 year anniversary of living together

I was so excited I didn't even realize my sister was trying to hand me back my bouquet! Duh

We decided to take this opportunity to go on a Babymoon. I have been feeling so much better and we both used this getaway as an excuse to do something for ourselves before the baby is born. Instead of going away to one place, we decided to take day trips and spread it out over 3 days. It saved us money since we didn't have to stay over anywhere, plus there was a lot we wanted to do.

Babymoon #1: Saturday, September 24th 

We started out with breakfast at a diner. Dan went across the street to the ATM to get cash while I went in to get a table. When Dan came in he said the lady at the front asked if he was looking for his girlfriend. Too funny. We ordered: yummy scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, and toast for me. Dan got the same except his eggs were over medium, oh, and he got sausage instead of bacon. So, OK, not the "same" thing. I do like my eggs over medium also, because dipping toast in the yolk is yummy, but I can't do that while pregnant. I ate almost the entire plate while Dan had a good amount of home fries left over. I sure can eat! I blame it on Lily making me hungry.

After breakfast we made our way to Massachusetts to see the Norman Rockwell Museum. Norman Rockwell will forever be a reminder of our wedding since he was being exhibited during our reception at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Luckily it did not rain all day, but it was a little muggy which made for lots of flying bugs swarming around our heads.

Norman Rockwell's studio

We first paid for admission then went to the cafe where Dan had an italian sandwich and I had a sandwich with grilled chicken, lettuce, and pesto mayo. The sandwiches were good, but were they worth the $7.50 each? I don't think so. Inside the museum, we saw all of Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers and a variety of his paintings. We then made our way to his studio where he worked. Dan said he noticed people looking at my belly - like they never saw a pregnant lady before. I'm glad we went this time of year because the leaves were already changing colors in Massachusetts which made the scenery beautiful.

On the way back home we stopped in at Louis' Lunch in Connecticut for a hamburger. Louis' Lunch was where the hamburger was born back in 1900. It was a lot smaller than we had expected. We got there around 6:30pm and it was packed. Packed being around 15 people. Luckily, while we were waiting to order, seats opened up and I sat down to claim two for Dan and myself.

This was their menu: 

•  A Burger with or without cheese, onions, and tomato, done medium rare unless you say otherwise.
• Chips or potato salad (spelled Salid).
• A drink - variety of bottled sodas and water.
• A variety of pies for dessert.

They think it a crime to add ketchup and/or mustard to any hamburger so they do not offer it. The burgers came on lightly toasted bread instead of a bun. It was a really good burger. We also had a slice of caramel apple pie with whipped cream, which was really yummy as well. All in all it was a good dinner.

On a side note, Louis' Lunch is right around the block from Yale.

Babymoon #2: Sunday, September 25th

Our next trip was to Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay. It actually turned out to be a pretty nice day even though we thought it might rain. Dan had never been to Sagamore Hill and I think I was there once, maybe in elementary school. When we arrived, we went to the visitors center to buy tickets to do the house tour. For those who may not know, Sagamore Hill is where Teddy Roosevelt lived. His house was beautiful, except for all the taxidermic animals decorating every room. After the tour, we ate lunch at the picnic tables by the visitors center. They don't have a cafe or anything so before we got there, we had stopped at a deli for some food to bring.

Teddy Roosevelt's house

We walked around the grounds for a little bit before driving to the other parking lot where the Teddy Roosevelt museum was. It was interesting learning about his life. The most interesting and heartbreaking, and actually, unbelievable day of his life was in February of 1884. His first wife, Alice, gave birth to their first daughter on February 12th. Two days later, on Valentine's Day, Alice died. Not only did he lose his wife, but a couple of hours earlier on that same day, his mother passed away. Geez! Talk about a black cloud.

After our trip to Sagamore Hill, we made our way home to get ready to go out to dinner. We wanted to try new things on these trips, so we went to a restaurant we both had never been to. Keeping with the Oyster Bay day we had, we made our way back and went to a great little restaurant called Grasso's located in Cold Spring Harbor. They call their food New American, whatever that means. I had Penne Bolognese and Dan had Red Snapper. Both were really good. For dessert we shared Cheesecake and a 3 Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake. Scrumptious!

Babymoon #3: Monday, September 26th

Our last day trip was a ride out east to go apple picking at Seven Ponds Orchard in Watermill. It's the only U-Pick for apples on Long Island. Let me clarify, the only real U-Pick apples with tall apple trees or bushes (whatever they were). It ended up being a really sunny day and very warm. Before we made our way out east, we went to a diner for breakfast. Dan got a belgian waffle with bacon and a side of home fries, I got pancakes with bacon and a side of home fries. I've decided that I make a hell of a lot better pancakes than this diner. We definitely should've shared one side of home fries, there was so much left over.

When we got to the orchard, we started at one end and made our way back picking one apple of each kind. After weighing the bag, we decided to pick one more of each kind of apples. I wanted a lot more, but they only took cash and we had about $27 between us both.

We got two each of:

• Ginger Gold
• Gala
• McIntosh
• Honeycrisp
• Macoun
• Cortland
• Empire

It's fun to pick your own apples right off their branches. I can't wait to bake an apple pie and an apple cake. If we got more apples I was going to attempt to make my own apple sauce. Oh well. There's always next time.

For dinner we decided to stay in and get chinese delivered. All the driving we did for three days definitely put a toll on our bodies. We were so tired. While we ate, we watched our wedding video and reminisced about what a great day that was 2 years ago. I hope I can get back to having that same body after Lily arrives. Hmm…fat chance? Hopefully I'll be able to do it.

Babymoon #4: Tuesday, September 27th

Dan took off both Monday and Tuesday, but because we did so much on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, we decided not to do anything on Tuesday. We just wanted to relax and stay in our pajamas all day. Of course, that's not exactly how it stayed. We did laundry and cleaned the apartment a little. Oh well, at least we didn't go on any long drives.

In the morning right after Dan woke up, I called him over to me and had him place his hand on my belly. He felt Lily kick for the first time. Actually it was the second time, but he thought I just had gas bubbles when he felt it before. This time, there was no mistaking that it was Lily in there kicking away!

A Few Babymoon Pics


The Norman Rockwell Museum

Sagamore Hill

Seven Ponds Orchard

Touring the Hospital

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This past sunday we went on a tour of the Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, NY where we will be giving birth to our baby girl. The tour was with our midwife Dale and the other two midwives at Gaia Midwifery.

The tour began with the other six or seven couples in the lobby of the hospital. Then we made our way to the third floor where the maternity ward is. The elevator doors opened and we were greeted with pink walls to indicate we have arrived…sorry boys, no blue for you. The midwives informed us that the hospital is about to revamp the floor. They will be making a wing dedicated to the Gaia Midwifery group. Unfortunately it will not be finished by the time Lily Emma comes along. Oh well!

Here are some things that we learned:

• We will park the car at the Emergency entrance and will be able to leave the car there until Dan gets me settled up on the third floor.
• Once we get to the third floor, I will be put in a room and monitored to make sure my blood pressure is normal, the baby's heart rate is good, and there are no complications.
• Meanwhile, Dan will be filling out paperwork and then will move the car.
• Once Lily Emma and I check out OK, we will go in to the Water Birthing Room where Dan will meet us.

NUMC Water Birthing Room

• We are allowed to have music playing, candles lit, and snacks in the room. All to make me as comfortable as I can be to give birth.
• Once I give birth, the umbilical cord does not have to be cut until it stops pulsing (if that is something we want).
• Lily Emma will remain in my arms to breast feed and to bond for an hour before the nurses take her to the nursery to be measured, weighed, and get that eye ointment put on her, and a vitamin K shot.
• We can opt NOT to have Lily bathed. Choosing that option will result in that white slimy stuff called vernix caseosa from the birth to sink into her skin and moisturize it. This will result in Lily's skin not peeling.
• We can also have the Hep B shot given to her at the hospital if we want it.
• While Lily is in the nursery getting these things done, I will be transfered to my own private room.
• The nurses will bring Lily in to the room when she is done in the nursery.
• Dan will be able to stay in the room all the time. He will not be kicked out after visiting hours.
• Visiting hours are from 12pm till 8pm.
• We are allowed outside food to be brought in.
• If everything is going well, the earliest we will be able to be dismissed from the hospital with Lily would be about 26 hours.

We also learned that I should be drinking juice or something sugary on the way to the hospital. This is to keep Lily up and moving around. 

Just like a wedding, there are a ton of things going on that we never realized until it was our wedding. I guess giving birth is the same. We have to ask our midwife to give a list of things we will need at the hospital in our "labor bag."

As Willy Wonka once said: 

"So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."

We have less than 4 1/2 months to go. Time is gonna fly by especially because the holidays are coming up. Time to prepare is now!!

It's A…

I am 20 weeks pregnant today! We went for our gender ultrasound on Tuesday at Nassau University Medical Center and our baby looks great. Everything is where it should be, no abnormalities. Dan asked about a 3D ultrasound and the technician said they don't do them until at least 28 weeks because the baby's features are still small at 19 weeks 5 days and they wouldn't really show up to make a good image. Then she changed her mind and gave us our 3D images! Yay! She measured everything, checked to make sure organs were in the right places, blood was moving through the body the way it should be, and checked the baby's gender.

Before I let you all know what the gender is (for those who have not already cheated by going down to the bottom of this post), I want to give you a back story, of sorts. As most of us are all aware, it's the guys who determine the sex of the baby. 50/50 chance of carrying an X chromosome or a Y. Dan's family has produced only one girl: his dad's brother had a girl, Kathleen. Most of you may remember she was our reverend at our wedding. So, Dan's father is one of two boys. Dan is one of two boys. Dan's brother has two boys. See the pattern here?

Because Dan and I went through so much to have a healthy pregnancy, we weren't obsessing too much on the, "I really want a girl" or "I really wish we have a boy." We have discussed this before though. We both would want both a boy and a girl. One of each would be ideal. For this pregnancy, we both were hoping for a girl, but again, with our history, we would be blessed with whatever gender our baby turns out to be. From Dan's family history, a boy would most likely be the outcome - which would be wonderful. Now, at 20 weeks along, we know for sure what the gender is.

Dan and I are overjoyed to announce that our baby

Lily Emma Gorman

will be arriving around February 3, 2012

First grandchild to my parents, Joan & Ken. 

Third grandchild, but first granddaughter, to Dan's parents, Marlyn & Dick. 

We are all ecstatic over the news. The first thing Dan and I did after the ultrasound was head over to Buy Buy Baby and buy a couple of outfits. Girl clothes are so cute! Dan is over the moon about this. He has always wanted a girl from our first conversation about children. He's going to be a great Daddy!