Starting to dilate!

36 Weeks & 2 Days

Today was our second weekly doctor visit. We will be going once a week until the baby is born. The doctor checked to see if I had started dilating. We never thought that I would be effaced or dilated at all. The doctor told us that I was already 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated. Can you believe this? I really do not think that I will be going into labor any time soon but at least I am headed in the right direction. The doctor also told me that if I do start to go into labor she will not stop it. She said the baby is far enough along that he would do fine outside the womb. This is so exciting!! We have completed our birthing classes and now we are ready to take on parenting. (HA HA yeah right).

Colorado here we come!!

32 weeks & 4 Days

Today we closed escrow on our new house in Colorado and tomorrow we are moving in! We are looking forward to this new chapter and adventure in our lives. We are so excited to see what God has in store for us here. We have already met some of our neighbors and they seem so wonderful. Of course we will miss all of our friends and family back in Cali. Paul and I will be starting our lamaze classes June 1, Paul will be starting his new job at Lockheed on June 2, and I will be meeting my new OB Doctor June 3. We ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter into this next season of our lives.

We miss you all already!!

All our love,

Doctor's Appointment

17 weeks 2 days

Today Paul and I went to visit Dr. Mazdisnian (maz-disney-an) for our regular monthly visit. Today we had several items on the agenda: Listen to the baby's heart, review the results from yesterday's ultrasound, discuss the AFP pre-screen genetic defect blood test, and answer any miscellaneous questions.

The first thing we did was listen to baby's heart beat using an instrument he called the "Doppler". The baby's heart sounded strong and fast, which is good since it should be in the 120-160 beats per minute range. Our baby has consistently been at around 150 beats per minute. We also heard some interesting wooshing sounds something like when you bump the needle on a record player. The Dr. explained that these sounds are caused by the baby moving and that we have a very active baby. Exciting!

The next item on the agenda was to discuss the AFP genetic defect pre-screening test. This blood test is to determine if our baby is at a higher risk of certain types of genetic defects. While Paul and I would never terminate the pregnancy because of an abnormality, we do want to know if there is anything wrong that we can be praying and preparing for before baby is born. If we don't here from them in a week then that's good news. If we do hear from them in a week, there is a possibility of bad news, but it will take more tests to determine. So we're hoping for that phone to stay quiet :)

Next was the review of the previous day's ultrasound. Dr. Mazdisnian explained that the baby looked perfectly normal, healthy, and a little bit big for his gestational age. He also noted that the placenta is implanted towards Liz's back and that since she is on the taller and thinner side that she wont be showing as much. Basically, she has plenty of room in her chest and stomach cavity for her organs to go instead of having to get pushed out. In short, reviewing the ultrasound scans confirmed that the baby is normal and developing perfectly.

After reviewing the ultrasound we had a Q&A session. He asked me if I was feeling the baby move and I explained that I wasn't sure. I explained that I had felt some slight pulsing in my lower abdomen but didn't know if it was the baby or ... something else. He informed me that it was the baby and that I should be feeling it more frequently and stronger in the days to come. Woohoo!!! It's about time :)

After our time with the Dr. was finished we went to the lab to have the AFP blood test. Afterwards Paul and I attempted to go do our usual thing and have In'n'Out, but it was roped off and closed! We noticed that there was a man climbing the power pole so we can only assume that they lost power and couldn't open for the day. So we ate at another In'n'Out on the way home. So there!

This evening, after Paul returned from work, he was feeling my tummy hoping to feel the baby kick. First he would feel something, then I would, and finally, we both felt something at the same time! It was so cool!

Keep in touch :)

Ultrasound Appointment!

17 weeks 1 day

Today I went for my ultrasound to see if the baby is developing normally. The technician took me in by myself and did the whole exam while Paul was left waiting outside in the waiting room. I didn't even get a good view of what it was she was looking at because she had the screen turned so that I couldn't see anything. When she was finished with her exam, she then called Paul in to see the baby, and we both got to see the baby at the same time :)

The whole time the technician was looking at him and trying to take pictures of him he was moving all around making it difficult for her to take any pictures. Our baby boy is very active. He was stretching, kicking, sucking his thumb, swallowing, he was head down, then head up, then sitting straight up. He just would not sit still!

Furthermore, it was reconfirmed that we are having a boy!!!

It's A....

13 Weeks & 2 Days
Jan. 15th 2008

Today I had an Ultrasound scheduled which is a standard procedure that Kaiser does. Paul and I were excited to have the opportunity to see our baby once again. When the lady starts checking the baby she asks me how far along I was and I told her that I was just over 13 weeks. She then informs me that this procedure was scheduled too early. I should have been scheduled at 18 weeks. She also tells me that the baby was measuring at 14 weeks and a few days. She said that since I was there she might as well look at the baby and give us some pictures but that I would have to come back in 4 weeks.

We got to see our baby sucking it's thumb and swallowing. She showed us the baby's heart beat and told us that it was 155bpm. which is withing the normal range. We also got to hear the heart beat too.

The baby wasn't moving so she pushed lightly on my tummy and the baby started to move like crazy. The baby unfolded it's legs, which were folded Indian style, and straightened them completely and curled it's toes over. It was so amazing to see. Then the baby waved at us, can you believe it! Even the lady was surprised.

She asked us if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. She said because I can see right here what your having. We said that we did and she tried to get us a good view and said you're having a...BOY!!!!!

We got to find out the sex of the baby a whole month earlier then we should have. What a blessing this has been for us!! We are so happy and feel so blessed. We did get a wonderful crotch shot of his private parts, and it is definitely a boy! This visit was so worth it and we get to do it all again next month.

Thank you Lord for your wonderful blessings!!!!

Second Prenatal Visit!

12 Weeks & 1 Day
Jan. 7th 2008

We just had our second prenatal appointment. Paul and I were not expecting to get to see the baby at this visit. However, our doctor informed us that the baby was still to young to hear the heart beat via the Doppler machine that they use. So we got to see our baby instead!

We were so happy and excited. He told us that everything was looking wonderful with the baby despite the fact that I have lost 5 lbs. do to morning sickness and having a cold. The baby was looking healthy and measured bigger for it's gestational age. We also got to see the heart beating and the doctor told us that it looked great and was beating normally.

So Baby Laufer is on it's way and looking great! We are looking forward to feeling the baby move and finding out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are also excited about getting the baby's room ready and all set up.

We will update you with more real soon!!

Our First Doctor Visit!!

7 weeks & 4 days

Yesterday Paul and I went to our fist doctor appointment. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. See, the thing is that the appointment note that we had said that our appointment was on Thursday, December 5th. However, Thursday was the 6th. Since we didn't notice the discrepancy until 11 o'clock the night before, we went ahead with our plan to go to Kaiser in the morning and see what we could do.

So we show up at Kaiser 10 minutes early for our appointment, and lo and behold, the appointment was scheduled for Thursday. Great... So we ask if they can work us in and they tell us they'll look into it and to have a seat. Fortunately, someone called in and canceled a 9:30 appointment with our doctor and so we were able to get in, albeit a little later than planned.

We were impressed with our doctor. He was really nice, took his time and explained everything he was doing, and made sure to answer all our questions to our satisfaction. He told us that my lab tests all came back normal, and I'm not a carrier of cystic fibrosis (which is the only genetic disorder that Paul and I are likely to have). He did not make us feel rushed or like we were laymen or unimportant. We found out that we should be having our child after the new hospital wing is complete, so if we're still in SoCal when baby is born we should be in the new building. We asked if Kaiser requires us to use a midwife, and the answer is no. If we want a doctor, we can ask for one at any time, even right away. I think that's what we're going to do!

When we saw our baby on the screen for the first time we were speechless. He showed us the baby's head and heartbeat. We Couldn't believe that we were looking at our baby. It was an amazing feeling seeing our baby. Our doctor confirmed that our due date is July 20, 2008 and that our baby was 7 weeks and 3 days old.

All in all it was a great visit and we both had big smiles on our faces. We feel so blessed by God to have the opportunity of being parents. We pray that God help our baby grow healthy, strong and that baby Laufer would love Jesus at a young age. Thank you God for this blessing!