Koval Family Expansion Plan-Phase 2

2011-10-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Our Apple Has a Stem

It's official, we are having a little boy. I will have to say that I was hoping for a boy. Of course I will also say that I would have been happy with another girl as well. I had though about how I would react to another girl and at first I'm sure I would have been a little disappointed, but then I would just think about how awesome it has been to have Abigail and I would be over it. However, that is not the case. It is a whole new game. We have to figure out what to do with a little boy. I will also admit that I am not totally sure about the above picture. I have looked at it several times and can't quite figure it out. There is what obviously looks like a boy in the center, but I can also see a head, shoulder, and arm. I am just going to trust the professional sonographer. We keep asking Abigail if she wants a little brother and every time the answer has been, nope. I don't think she completely grasps the idea yet, or at least that's what I'm hoping. I guess we'll see.

2011-10-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Phase 2 is a Go

I am a little late on updating the blog. We are at 21 weeks now and moving right along. The beginning months were a little rough for Heather. She fought morning sickness for quite a while. Now she is feeling much better. We have been quite busy the past few months. We just got back from a great trip to California where we saw a lot of friends and family. Earlier this month Heather and Abigail went to Missouri to see her grandparents. We are excited to be expanding the family again and are looking forward to the new addition.

Phase 1 Complete

2009-12-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well at 5:40pm on December 29, 2009, Phase 1 of the Koval Family Expansion Plan was complete with the arrival of Abigail Lee Koval. It was a life changing experience. After 41 weeks of waiting she is finally here, and she is perfect. It was well worth the wait. We are excited about our new addition and the journey ahead. We can't wait for everyone to meet her.

12.29.09

2009-12-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Not Quite Done Yet

2009-12-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

So as most of you have noticed, no, the baby isn't here yet. Heather was sure that she would be here this weekend, but baby had other plans. I was reading the Expectant Father book today and learned that it's not unusual for the baby to come later than you think, because determining the conception date is not an exact science. There can be up to a three week margin of error. I don't know if I should share this information with Heather right now.

We are having fun doing things while we're waiting. We figure the more things we plan the greater the chance they'll get ruined. So, we went to the Gaylord Texan hotel this weekend and saw the Ice exhibit, we went to a Christmas concert at our church, and we saw a movie. Still no baby.

I'm Just Sayin

2009-12-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

Now before everyone starts jumping all over me, I would like to point out that Heather sent me this link today. I'm just sayin.

Baby Koval is Coming to Town

2009-12-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

It is cold and we are fully in the Christmas season, which means a baby could be here any time. I really haven't felt like this since I was a kid on Christmas Eve. Every time my phone rings I think that it's Heather and she is going to tell me to head to the hospital. Any minute my life could change forever. It's excitement, fear, and happiness all at the same time. Heather on the other hand, can not get this over quick enough. She hasn't been sleeping well and everything is a chore. Plus the swelling and aching don't help. It's almost over though, and she has been a trooper. She's still working and we just had our Christmas party on Saturday. The nursery is 95% done, our bags are packed, and we have probably more than we will ever need for this child. The waiting continues.

And They're Off

2009-12-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

We are down to the wire. Heather could be in labor literally at any minute, and what better way to commemorate this blessed event than to make an old fashioned wager. The rules are listed above. The only change in the rules that has come up, is that if more than two people want to pick a certain day, then you have to agree to split the money. So step right up and make your predictions.

This Baby Has Been Showered

2009-11-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here are the highlights of the shower. The baby got so many nice things. I would tell you more about the shower, but I wasn't there. I dropped Heather off and ran. Heather could tell you more about it, but she doesn't blog. It looks like it was a good shower. Later that week Heather had another shower at work and the baby got even more stuff. Our house was overrun with baby gear. I spent a long time assembling the strollers, play yard, bouncer, and many others. I think it is funny that they are now called play yards as opposed to play pens. I guess people just didn't like the thought of putting their sweet baby in a pen. Just another wonderful side effect of the overly sensitive politically correct world we live in now.

The great thing is that there isn't that much left that we need for the baby. The nursery is almost finished and we are interviewing a pediatrician today. Everything is just about ready, except for maybe us.

Time Marches On

2009-11-10T07:17:00.001-08:00

Let The Good TImes Roll

2009-11-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Less than a week away from Heather's shower and the presents are pouring in. We received this awesome jogging stroller from my family yesterday. We can't wait to use it with the baby instead of the pumpkin. It was a little difficult to assemble even though it didn't have that many parts. Heather is looking forward to this weekend. She is going to have a girls night Friday with friends and family and then the shower is on Saturday. The nursery is coming along. I will post pictures as soon as it is complete. We are still waiting on one piece of furniture and some decorations.

Baby Koval is already amassing a full wardrobe, even before the shower. We have clothes from the family that have been passed down as well as a few outfits from us that we couldn't do without. I am convinced that this child will not wear the same outfit twice for the first few years.

I am finally starting to be able to see some movement in Heather's tummy. It is so crazy to see something moving in there. Heather is still marching on. We helped my sister move in to her new house out of her third story apartment as well as some painting. Heather was there every step of the way.

The name game still continues. There are some that stick around, but more keep coming and going. Feel free to leave any suggestions. We do have the power of veto if we don't like them.

The Not So Pretty Side of Parenting

2009-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, you have the privilege of looking at my beautiful breastfeeding companion. You might think, why would they pick such horribly ugly dolls for this class. Well, not everyone had the good fortune of such a lovely baby. Actually, I was the only one that had a horrible and slightly inappropriate baby. My loving wife picked it out for me while I was up helping the instructor. How nice.

So, the breastfeeding class. Not the best two and a half hours we have ever spent. Our instructor was horribly boring, repetitive, and not very knowledgeable. You could have boiled down the class to maybe forty five minutes.

Next we had a Baby Care Basics class. This was a looong class. Friday night for three hours, and then Saturday for six. Even though this class was much longer, there was a lot of useful information and the instructor was way better. There were still some things we could have done without, like watching videos. I don't need to pay to come sit in a room to watch a video. Just give me the dvd or tell me where to watch it on the web. I need first hand information. The first video was on baby proofing your house with Dr. Babyproof. Not kidding, Dr. Babyproof. What's even better is that Dr. Babyproof, with his stupid beard and ponytail, wasn't a real Dr. A little over the top for us. We might as well put the baby in a padded room until she goes to school. We learned baby CPR and how to help them if they're choking. Here's Heather practicing.

We now feel slightly more prepared for the baby's arrival, but only slightly.

A Star Is...Not Born Yet

2009-10-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture to see the video.

Here it is. The debut video from Baby Koval. We were awarded with a bonus sonogram because the doctor's office needed to submit cases for their accreditation. We were extremely happy for the chance to see our little girl again, and even happier when we were informed that we were selected because they want the best subjects to submit for their license. I already feel like a showbiz parent. I have been practicing by shouting ridiculous demands at Heather.

We are slowly getting the house ready for our new arrival. I started by installing a new detachable shower head in the guest bathroom, I painted the nursery, I installed a new kitchen faucet and sink to bathe the newborn, and we have been getting rid of clutter. I think we are on track to get things done in the next three months.

Heather is now in her last or third trimester and is getting less and less comfortable every day. She has a good support network with her friends Jennifer and Tiffany. Tiffany is due in October near Halloween, Jennifer is due November close to Thanksgiving, and Heather is due in December right before Christmas. Kind of crazy that it worked out that way.

We have another class coming up this week, Breastfeeding. And yes, I am going. I guess it is normal for men to attend this class with their partner. I'll let you know if it's as awkward as I think it will be. Their probably won't be any pictures though.

Baby 101

2009-09-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

This month we have been going to Lamaze classes at the hospital on Tuesday nights. The class is from 7-9:30. I know what you are thinking, two and a half hours is a long time, and you're right. It hasn't been that bad though. The first night was a little crazy towards the end. We had to massage our partners belly while we visualized being in the womb with our baby, and think of what we would say to our baby. A little new age hippy for our taste. We have been learning a lot about what to prepare for and what to expect when the stuff hits the fan. This process is so much more complicated than I imagined. I have no idea how babies were born hundreds of years ago. I guess the survival rate of the baby and the mother is much higher now, so I am fine with the complexity. We did watch the dreaded birthing video. I made it through. Fortunately, there weren't too many gratuitous close ups.

It has been interesting watching the other couples in our class. It is like we are back in school again. We certainly have our share of teacher's pets. There is a really young couple who are maybe out of high school, maybe, as well as a couple that has been married for 18 years and are having their first child. The instructor is good at keeping the class informative and entertaining. I really feel like we have gone through a college course, and we have two other courses to go: Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding. I'm not sure how much I'll get out of that last one. We will certainly have knowledge on our side. Let's just see what happens when it comes time for practical application.

Season's Change

2009-09-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

So here we are at the beginning of Fall already. It has been a rough transition in more ways than one. Last night my grandmother Emma Jean Harris passed away, adding to the list of wonderful people that our daughter will never get to meet. She now joins my grandfather, Edwin R. Harris, and my mother, Sharon Lee Koval in Heaven, and I know it is a joyous reunion. Although my daughter will never meet them, she will know them. From their pictures and from the stories that we share with her of their love and guidance.

The Big Not So Easy

2009-08-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

So last week we finally decided to paint our downstairs bedroom that we bought paint for last month. Of course the first, and worst, part of painting is taping. As we are taping away I start to leave the room to get a drink when I hear Heather scream. It wasn't really the type of scream that made me think anything was really wrong. It sounded like she was surprised by something, so I figured it was a bug. So I say, "What is it? A spider?" It was not a spider. While Heather was taping one of the outlets, she got a little shock. I guess it lasted for about two seconds. She seemed to be ok, so I didn't think much of it. Heather though, decided to search the Internet for pregnancy and electric shock. The results ranged from totally fine to certain death, as most things you look up about pregnancy do. To play it safe we called the doctor. The doctor was sure she was fine, but thought that we should come to the hospital just to be safe.

So we had our first trip to the hospital. Everything came back fine and the baby is great. We were extremely relieved. Some good came of the experience. We now know where to go in the hospital for d day, and we got pre registered. We also saw the newly renovated rooms we will be in. Very nice. Once we got home, Heather rested, and I finished the painting.

This past weekend we took a little trip to New Orleans. The Big Easy. I never understood that nickname. We went with our friends who are also expecting. It was a father's day gift and a good reason to take another trip before the baby comes and we're grounded for a while. There was a lot of good food and fun. It is a very interesting town with a lot of history. It is very unique. I would suggest visiting if you've never been. Even if it's just to get beignets at Cafe Du Monde. I'm sure if you haven't been, you just picture Mardi Gras craziness all the time, but there's much more than that.

The Girl of our Dreams

2009-08-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

It's a girl! We had a family dinner tonight to reveal the surprise. Heather made a pink cake with chocolate frosting so none of the family found out it was a girl until we cut the cake. It was a good time. We are thrilled to know what to expect now. I have temporarily named her petunia since she is a delicate little flower. Plus, I need something to call her when I yell at Heather's tummy.

The search is now under way for her name. Any and all suggestions will be taken under consideration, so feel free to comment with your favorites. Her middle name is already picked out. We have chosen Lee since it was my mother's middle name and it is also Heather's father's middle name.

The poll turned out to be correct with one more vote for girl than boy. The newest pictures of petunia are below. One of them kind of scares me, the other is her little foot print, and then there is the magic one that tells us it's a girl. I use the term magic because I see nothing that would indicate one way or the other what the gender is. I will trust the technician though since she does this more than I do. There were a lot more pictures taken than what I have here. We were able to see everything from her spine to her femur to her arms. I am certain that I could make a replica of her with all the measurements that they took, but that would be creepy.

Kickin it in Cali

2009-08-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

We are back home from our vacation. We had a great time traveling across the entire state of California, from San Diego up to Redding. It was good to see all of our friends and family again. While up at my dad's Heather felt the baby kick for the first time. At least it was the first time she definitely could tell that it was the baby. It was pretty exciting for everyone. Now she feels it regularly, especially when we go to bed.

I read in my book about talking to the baby before it's born. It is amazing how much they can hear and pick up from inside. I usually can't hear Heather when she's talking to me from across the room. The baby is in liquid and inside of a person. Amazing.

Tomorrow is the big day when we find out the gender. Everyone keeps asking us what we are hoping for, and I tell everyone that it doesn't matter because we want both. It really doesn't matter in which order they come. It seems that most people are convinced that having a boy is much more difficult. My parents had to try three times, but Heather's got it right off the bat. I put up a poll to see what everyone is betting on. So look to the right for the poll and cast your vote. Hey, you have a 50/50 chance.

Bonvoyage Baby

2009-07-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to head out to California. Get it? Head out. Baby. That's gross. This will be one of the last trips that we go on before the baby comes. It will be good to get back to California again. There will be a lot of fun, eating, and visiting of friends and family. I figure while I'm out there I will finally learn to surf. I have been before, but it was on my own, and it didn't go well. I want my child to know that their father can surf. I am from Southern California. It should be instinct.

Heather is starting to expand. She is noticing that her stomach is different now. The best way I can describe it is, her stomach feels like a balloon. This whole baby thing still never ceases to amaze me. It's such a crazy transformation. I'm glad that Heather is the one having the baby, because I am fairly certain I would not make it through nine months of this.

The newest craving that I haven't posted yet: Ruffles and ranch dip.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

2009-07-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

So the last doctor's visit wasn't all that eventful. There was no sonogram and we didn't find out the gender. It was basically a checkup, but we did get to hear the heartbeat again. That was worth the price of admission alone. If you listen closely to the video, you will hear the rhythmic beating heart of baby Koval.

Heather is officially transitioning from just feeling overweight to feeling pregnant. She says that her stomach feels "weird." I can't really tell you what she means because I have never, or will ever, be pregnant. I suppose if Heather was participating in the blog she would be able to explain it better.

I am now officially 30. Hooray. It was an awesome birthday spent with friends and family.

Baby's First Portrait

2009-07-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

The baby is not being rude, it just can't talk yet. It has grown to the size of an orange now. I find it incredibly strange that something the size of an orange that is constantly moving around can't be felt. Heather says she hasn't felt a thing yet. We are going to the ranch this weekend to celebrate the fourth. It should be a good time as usual. I look forward to the day when I can take my offspring out to the country and teach them about the finer things in life. Like, blowing things up, shooting things, and then jumping over them with an ATV. You know, the essentials.

We have signed up for our baby classes at the hospital that we will be attending in September. Should be a good time. I think I will feel a little better after the classes since right now I know just about nothing. Hope everyone has a great weekend full of eating and blowing things up the good old American way.

New Segment

2009-06-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Things have been kind of slow on the baby front this month. The good news is that the sickness has subsided. The next doctors appointment is the first week in July so I will have more to report then. The only craving that Heather has had lately is for Dr Pepper. Kind of strange because she doesn't really drink Dr Pepper. I have been to the dentist three times in the last three weeks and I blame this on the baby. One of the baby books suggested going to the dentist early on because the gums can become infected and that would cause problems for the baby. I guess that I should not complain, because this is something that we should have been doing. I will say though that Heather has to have a lot more done than I do.

I have started a new segment for today. I will see how long I get away with it. I decided to start posting clips from movies and TV that deal with pregnancy. Today's clip is from Knocked Up. I plan on posting several clips from this movie. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it. Actually, if you haven't seen it and you are under 40, I recommend it. I don't think our parents would appreciate it. I thought that this clip was a good representation of Heather's early pregnancy experience.

Phase 1 Complete

2009-06-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well I would like to introduce Baby Koval to the world. Monday was our second doctor's appointment where we had our first sonogram. Heather is now 12 weeks and has made it through the first trimester. The visit started as usual with Heather needing to produce a sample, and just like last time, Heather had a little stage fright. Thanks to modern technology I was able to capture this special moment.

After a little while, we were taken to the sonogram room. I had always seen sonograms on TV where they lubed up the stomach and moved a device around to find the baby. Apparently times have changed. I won't go into details but if you look closely at this photo you'll see what I'm talking about.

I had also heard from others that it might take a while for the doctor to find the baby or the heartbeat but I was amazed at how quickly he located the baby. I knew before that we were going to have a baby, but I hadn't really felt like it was real. Like any time I would find out it was a false alarm. But once I saw that little miracle on the screen squirming around, everything changed. I had a connection. I knew that this was happening. The baby was very active and kept moving all around. The doctor had to keep adjusting to get the photos that he needed. We were quizzed by the doctor on the Nuchal Translucency and we both failed. They measure a part of the brain as a pre-screening for birth defects. We both knew that they were going to do that, we just didn't remember the term. Plus, in our defense, we don't care because we are going to love the baby regardless. If you look at the sonogram photos above I will describe each one. The top one is where you can see the hand very clearly with the thumb. The doctor told us it was giving us a thumbs up. I thought that was cheesy. Next, is the actual size of the baby. It is just under two inches long. Then the bottom two are a top and side view. I really was impressed with how much you can make out in the pictures. The hands and feet and head. It was even more amazing to see it moving. It was definitely a life changing moment. One trimester down, two to go.

Fellowship of the Recovered Ring

2009-06-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

So it was back out to the ranch this weekend for a search and rescue mission. We headed out early Saturday morning with Heather's Co worker Joe and our friends Joe and Jen. We stopped on the way and picked up Joe's friend Mike. Joe and Mike go hunting for "treasure" as a hobby and are actually what you would call, professionals. They were armed with four metal detectors. Two of which were $900 each. I went out with low expectations since last week I searched the area with a $100 detector from Academy and only found a rock and two shreds of a beer can. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I was sure that within a weeks time it would have either washed away or an animal would have seen it shimmering in the sun and decided to eat it. I was certain that we would be out there all day digging in the mud until sundown. So, we got out there at about 10am and headed to the pit. It was still muddy there, but way less then last week. We arrived at the sight of the great mud battle with Heather, Jen, Mike and Joe in the Mule and my friend Joe and I on ATVs. As the rest of us are getting out to start the hunt, my friend Joe decided to ride around and promptly gets stuck in a ravine. So I head over to pull him out with the other ATV. I get over there and start tying the rope to both ATVs. Before I get both of them secured I start to hear yelling. Joe found the ring in under five minutes. He found it close in, under about six inches of water. I was extremely impressed, but at the same time, kind of felt bad that it wasn't more of a challenge for them. Although, when we first arrived at the field, Joe told Heather that it was a larger area than he expected and that he was sure that they wouldn't find it. It took more time getting people out of the mud than to find the ring. Right after getting my friend Joe unstuck we headed back to the group to see the ring. We decided to head back and do some sight seeing so Heather takes off in the Mule and pulls right into a humongous puddle lodging it firmly into the mud hole. It took all four men to push it back out of the hole, only to land it in another one. Once we finally got the Mule out, by pulling it with the ATV, my friend Joe jumps on his ATV to find that the battery had died. Despite all the setbacks, it was still a fun weekend, and I have my ring.

There is an update on the list of cravings. Heather stopped on the way to work last week and had to get some powdered donuts. It's been a long while since we have had powdered donuts. I spotted the bag under her desk when I met her for lunch. Her nausea is getting better. She has started taking her vitamin at night after dinner and that seems to help. Heather is starting to have less and less clothes to wear. Luckily our sister in law, Audrey, donated a bunch of her maternity clothes. Heather is still planning on going on a shopping trip with her mom though to supplement her clothing needs.

Less than a week away from the first sonogram.

Book It Friday

2009-05-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today is a list of the books that we are reading so far. We are starting with the one that was given to us by our doctor. It is What to Expect When You're Expecting. Heather has enjoyed this book so far. It is full of useful information and is very detailed. They have follow ups for the first year and toddlers.

This is the planner that we are using. It's the 40 weeks+: The Essential l Pregnancy Organizer. My sister Christine sent it to us. It is detailed as well and will be useful for keeping track of these next few months.

This is the first book that I have started to read. It is The Expectant Father. It has been useful. It gives you updates as to where your wife is and how she is probably feeling and what to expect. Some of it of course doesn't apply but I guess they have to write to a wide audience. It's good though because I can skip those pages and feel like I'm reading a lot.

Now the next few books I have gotten I have not started yet so I will write more about them when I get to them.

Breaking News

2009-05-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's always interesting breaking news to people. You never really know how they are going to react. Everyone, so far, that we have told has been positive. I have never told anyone anything this big before, except maybe that we were getting married. Most people ask if I am ready to be a father. Can you be ready to be a father? I know that I am excited about it, I'm nervous about it. I think that if you think you are ready then you're in for a big surprise. So I will resolve to be excited.

We had a good Memorial Day weekend. We spent it out at the ranch with the family. The biggest event being, I lost my wedding ring. It really stinks. It was lost in a glorious mud battle royale, so at least it went down with style. I searched for it, with help from Justin and Aaron, with no luck. Cheap metal detectors from Academy Sports didn't cut it. Luckily, Heather knows an investigator at work that has high powered metal detectors that he uses regularly as a hobby, and he is going to go out to the ranch this weekend to assist in the rescue operation. It's weird losing a ring with such meaning that you have worn for the last five years.

Heather is slowly feeling better. Now that she is taking the vitamins with food. We also booked our trip to California for July. It will be good to get away one more time before the baby grounds us.

The Shot Heard Around The House

2009-05-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, from watching TV my whole life, I always saw sitcoms where inevitably there would be a very special episode that involved a main character or special guest that was pregnant. In most, if not all, of these episodes there came the point where the pregnant character spouted the line, "you did this to me" to her anxious or worried husband. It always seemed to be a cliche that I never thought would be used in real life, and certainly not by my loving wife. Well, nine weeks three days in, the hammer dropped. Heather's nausea hasn't gotten what you might call, better. Today was actually the worst yet. I know it's miserable so I won't take the accusation to heart. In fact I'll take it as reassurance that I am in fact the one that did this to her. We kind of thought that we might be getting out of this funk because yesterday was pretty good. We went for a walk and had a great dinner and she even did some squats. I guess that made the baby angry and it came back with a vengeance today.

Heather thinks that the nausea is linked to her vitamins. I'm not completely sold on that idea. I have tried to get her to take vitamins forever with no luck, and now that she has to I think she has just made a negative association with them. We are going to call the doctor though and see about trying another brand.

If you're wondering about today's picture, Heather hasn't felt photogenic lately so I just pulled one that I liked. Don't worry though, she was pregnant when it was taken.

Crave or not a Crave, That's What I'm Askin

2009-05-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight may have been the first official craving of the pregnancy. I'm not an expert at this but it might just qualify. The circumstances are a little shady so I'm not quite ready to make any declarations. Heather was at the grocery store shopping while I was at work. When I arrived at home that evening she informed me that she had hot dogs and macaroni for dinner. Not her usual choice for dinner. Then I spotted the Cocoa Krispies on the counter. Until now, the only cereal we had been buying was Fiber One and Cheerios. A little bit of a change. I asked her why she had picked them up and she said,"I don't know. I was shopping and I just really wanted some hot dogs and Cocoa Krispies." Now, I've been at the store while I was hungry and everything I saw looked good so maybe it wasn't a craving in the, baby time I have to have something wacky sense. Although, if the cravings came at the same time then that would be a little wacky.

If there was only a way that we could clear this up. If only there was someone who could post to this blog that knew the answers to these pressing issues. Anyone reading this can feel free to encourage or harass her into posting her thoughts so this isn't a lop sided biased rant.

Of course "The Nausea" is in full force. Maybe if I give it proper respect by calling it "The Nausea" it will be appeased.

When I discovered this event was happening I did what I imagine most fathers do. I went searching for books to bone up on this baby having business. I guess it's kind of like we are on the eve of the big final so we're going to pull an all nighter and hope for the best. I ordered several books on Amazon including "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "The Essential 4o Week Planner." At our first Doctor's visit, guess what book they gave us? "What to Expect When You're Expecting" of course. I did feel good that I had picked a doctor recommended book. Then my sister Christine sent us "The Essential 40 Week Planner" which was incredibly nice because she had heard that it was really good. Score one for me again. I was saved the inconvenience of paying for the books that I had already ordered since Amazon felt the need not to ship my items for over two weeks and I was able to cancel them. I also ordered "What to Expect When Your Wife is Expecting" and "My Boys Can Swim." I look forward to reading them sometime after the baby is born.

I have started "The Expectant Father" and another book Christine sent me, "Check Lists for the First Time Dad." They are broken up into sections according to the stages of pregnancy so I have read up to date. There are a lot of things that they tell you could happen, but not to worry about them. I think I would worry less if I hadn't been told about them. I'll let you all know if I read anything of note in the future chapters. That is all for now.

The journey of having a baby begins with a lot of nausia.

2009-05-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

So this is it. This is what our lives have been leading up to until now. I had always thought that this would happen some day, but I think this is one of those life altering events that no matter how much you tell yourself you are ready for it to happen, it still rocks your world.

Let me start off by saying why we have started this blog. The idea had crossed my mind before to keep track of this time in our lives, but I had bought a journal for Heather online instead of blogging for everyone to enjoy. When we called my sister Cristine to break the news, she requested that we do a blog. I have always thought that blogs were kind of a waste of time. What do I care to read someone else's journal that I don't even know, or even if I did know them, how much interesting stuff could they have to say that they couldn't tell me in person? I felt the same way about Twitter. Do you really need to boil Facebook down to the simplest feature? I mean really, how many interesting things happen to someone any given day to justify up to the minute updates? I can't think of anyone who is that interesting . All that being said, I now have a blog and you can follow my twitters at username SdotKoval.

I joined Twitter really only to follow Kevin & Bean. For those of you who don't know, Kevin & Bean are my favorite morning show from LA. It's really the only morning radio show I have ever liked. You can listen to them from their page at KROQ.com or on Itunes. I will say that I have reconnected with my long lost bud Jared because of Twitter. We both can't wait to see Tyson.

So I guess I should get back to the baby business. We found out about our blessed event five weeks ago. It was a Friday night and my sister was over watching a movie with us. Heather went upstairs and a few minutes later started calling to me. I figured she was out of toilet paper. After she persisted I realized I had to go upstairs to investigate. When I made it to the bathroom, she hit me with the news. I have to say I was stunned. I guess my reaction wasn't "optimal." I really wasn't expecting to hear that. We had "removed the barriers" to get pregnant, but I figured it would take a while. When something as life changing as this happens it is exciting, scary, wonderful, terrifying, and awesome all at the same time. It took a while to sink in. I know this is happening, but I don't have anything else that has happened in my life to gauge this by.

Well, Heather and I went to our first doctor's visit last Monday. Did you know that the husband is not allowed in the room when they are conducting their examinations? I felt like fighting this rule. I mean, what is there that I haven't seen, seeing as I am the father? But, since Heather seemed ok with this, I didn't want to make a bad first impression. The most memorable thing that happened was that Heather couldn't pee. I know she will hate that I wrote this but I found that to be hilarious. Heather pees non stop all the time, and now that she needs to, she has stage fright. When we finally met with the doctor, he was nice. It seemed like he was rushing through things, especially for a first visit. He won't even be one of the delivery doctors. Hopefully I will be more impressed by our next visit.

Heather's nausea has been bad. It has been more than morning sickness. It's been daily sickness. I knew it was bad when I offered her an oreo one night and she turned it down. If you know Heather, she doesn't turn down an oreo.

The journey has just begun and we are learning as we go, but we have a lot of support and I know this will be amazing. My hope is that I can get Heather to post on the blog. She can be resistant to new technology so I will try my best to make that happen.