Flashback...December 29th, 2005

"Honey, my period still hasn't come". Those were the first words that come to mind about that morning. I tried to convince Elizabeth that it was probably a bit late as her body was fighting something, we'd been through this conversation before. The next thing I remember was, "Honey, is that two lines?" as she stood grinning with a mischeivous smile on her face and a pregnancy test stick in her hand. I stared dubiously at the stick trying to find an answer, the right answer. I wanted to believe that it was two lines, but I was afraid to...

Getting pregnant had been a long and rocky road for us. Not much had really gone "according to plan" but God knew what was best for us. 2004 was a tumultuous year for both of us and we found ourselves working through a lot of "baggage". The end result was, and continues to be, a relationship much stronger than before and an intimacy that neither of us had ever known possible. We decided we would start working on getting pregnant the moment we got back from our trip to India in February of 2005. Elizabeth knows a lot about the female body, how it works and what happens when it doesn't work "properly". From day one, she had a clipboard on her bedside table and started charting her Basal body temperature. After a couple of months, it became very clear from her charts that there was absolutely no consistency in her ovulation cycles or if she was ovulating at all. Initially, it was fun, but after a while it became more of a science experiment with the hope that it would work. After collecting data and compiling charts for six months, Elizabeth wasted no time setting up appointments to meet with her gynecologist to discuss possibilities. Her doctor put her on a low dosage of clomid in November. In December, Elizabeth was starting to get discouraged so she made an appointment to meet with a fertility specialist in January. Somehow, she squeezed us in for a first consult during the second week of December. I remember that appointment quite vividly. We left that evening feeling completely overwhelmed. We weren't sure we had quite understood all the steps that followed, we had both checked out sometime during the hour long appointment. On the way home, we just wanted to trust God and see what happened, we wanted to be aware of all the options we had but we wanted Him to lead us down the path... and He did!! PTL!!

I know that 10 months is not a really long time from the outset. But for those couples who are working on starting a family, a month is like a year. Our hearts go out to all of those couples, we know what a rollercoaster that time can be. I've seen joy, hope, despair, frustration and confusion over and over again in the eyes of my wife over those 10 months.

I think that we learned our first lesson in parenting through those 10 months, that Life is beyond our control. We try to make it so that we always have options, if Plan A doesn't work, there is a Plan B. But sometimes, we just have to let go and let God... And that is the most difficult thing to do.

Flashback...2006 Tour of California

This year was the first ever Tour of California. It started in San Francisco, worked it's way down the California coast and ended in Redondo Beach. I cannot begin to explain how excited I was. Everyday I'd get to work and open a window on my computer with a live video feed of the race and real-time reports (one of the many advantages of a dual monitor setup). As the weekend neared I was like a kid who couldn't wait to go to Disney Land that weekend. In all my excitement, I forgot that Elizabeth was not interested in the event and was coming simply because she loved me. That Thursday, when we were praying for each other in our Growth Group, someone prayed for Elizabeth, "that she would have a good time at the race", at that moment, the Heaven's parted and I had an epiphany, "Why in the world am I dragging her to the race?!" I started praying for a friend to go to LA with, picked up the phone and called all the guys I knew who rode. I left a lot of messages, got a lot of, "I'd love to go, but...." and by the end of Friday I was starting to get dejected. I knew God would provide someone to go to LA with, I just didn't want it to be Elizabeth. Saturday evening, as we were volunteering at our church's toddler ministry, the phone rang, it was my neighbor. He was someone I'd seen in the parking lot and occasionaly shared ride experiences with but we didn't really know each other. He said he'd like to go. I was stoked!!!! We had a great time! We spoke about everything under the sun. I now consider him a good friend of mine. We don't communicate a lot but when we meet up, we start right where we left off. Rick, I am truly blessed for having had the opportunity to spend time with you.

The picture above is a collage of different pictures I took at the race. Rick and I walked the 7.5 mile course during the race. The backdrop is the Time-Trial bike of American Dave Zabriskie of Team CSC, he crashed on it during the Team Time-Trial event at the 2005 Tour de France and lost the Yellow jersey. The sequence at the top was at the start when the gun was fired and the peleton (main pack of cyclists) started rolling. The picture on the bike's top-tube was the best shot I had of the Golden jersey wearer, American Floyd Landis of Team Phonak, who went on to win the entire Tour. I've watched the finish of stage races on TV but nothing compares to being there in person. As the riders turn onto the final straight and the sprinter's get into position, it is an adrenaline rush. The picture at the bottom shows Team T-mobile leading their star sprinter, German Olaf Pollack, to the line.

Week 23

Wow...time flies!! I can't believe we are more than half way through. One of the first things that confused me about the pregnancy was keeping track of time. I always thought that babies were born in 9 months but now I know better, they are born in 40 weeks. I don't understand it, I can't explain it, but I am grateful that it is a definite number that I can look forward to +/- a week or two. The past couple of weeks have been really fun. If we are sitting on the couch watching TV, laying in bed reading, or driving along somewhere, Elizabeth will spontaneously burst out giggling and grab my hand and place it on her belly. I then have to stay absolutely still, no matter how uncomfortable the position, barely breathing in hopes of feeling some movement. So far I've only felt a tiny kick once, maybe twice. Yesterday I put some pressure on her belly and I felt Baby O turn inside. It was awesome! It is so cool to feel something hard and then it moves and becomes soft. A tradition that Elizabeth started a while ago is before jumping into bed, she'll come over to my side with a tub of "belly butter" that I generously apply on her beautiful belly. I love making her squirm with the cold cream. I know, I have a wicked streak, I'm working on it but it's so fun!!

The past several weeks have been a great experience. My "bump" has really grown a lot and Baby O is now moving around more and more. Most of the time her movements are gentle but every now and then she gives me a good poke. It's almost like a little secret between me and her because the people around us have no idea that she's dancing around inside my belly. After having a few tense periods when I didn't feel much movement I learned that she actually sleeps and wakes up. Now when I start to complain about not feeling her move in a while Vivek tells me, "don't worry, she's just sleeping." He's probably right because before long she will start to move around again. I think that my motherly instincts are already starting to kick in because I not only feel very protective of the baby I'm also feeling protective of Vivek! He seems to be loving the extra attention. I feel like I swallowed a watermelon seed and now I have a slow growing watermelon in my belly! :) This is a precious time in our lives.


The photo album has been updated with some week 23 pictures of Elizabeth.

About Mom

My story has many different chapters. I contemplated beginning with the past and writing all about my family and love for Indiana but reasoned that most of you already know that part of my story. Since I have now lived in San Diego for 5-years I thought that you might enjoy a glimpse into my California life.

I have had the pleasure and challenge of working with teen moms for the last 4-years. I work as a home visitor/social worker for Children’s Hospital. On a typical day I drive to different cities and do home visits with an average of 4-teen moms. During the visit I engage the teen (more challenging than you would think) assess the safety of the home, provide education on parenting, nutrition and developmental milestones. I also help empower the teen mom to make good choices for herself and her baby by developing goals that we work on together. Working with teen moms has simplified the way that I view parenting and has been very rewarding. Over the past month five of the teens have given birth. What an exciting time! My passion is women’s health. My dream job would be to work on a high school or college level as a women’s health educator. I would love to help other women learn the importance of taking care of their bodies.

As you can see from the picture I enjoy cooking. Thankfully, Vivek is a willing guinea pig who is open to trying my many experiments in the kitchen. I am a bit of a health nut who has a weakness for pizza and In-N-Out hamburgers. Vivek and I look forward to going out for breakfast on Saturday mornings and then going for a long walk by the beach. California is a great place to explore and people watch.

My relationship with Vivek is very important to me. He is my best friend and we really have a great time together. He is the coffee and I am the cream. We balance each other well. My mom is also an important person in my life. She continues to be my greatest role model and inspiration. Frequent visits and daily phone calls help us to stay close. My sisters, Katie and Ashley, have grown into close friends. It’s so neat to have two sisters to share my past, present and future with.

I also joined BSF this past year and it has been a great experience for me. I have learned so much from the study of Genesis. I’m just hoping for a good babysitter so that I can attend the class again in the fall. I am so excited as this chapter in my life continues to unfold.

-Elizabeth