Staying Alive!

On March 24th (last wednesday) at around 6PM as I was riding my bike home from work I was hit from behind by a green Ford F-150.

I started commuting to work by bicycle since Bike To Work Day 2007. I live in the Redwood Shores area and followed the SF2G route to get to Google and back. My least favorite part of that route was what is known as 'The Bridge to Nowhere' and in the evening the strong cross winds by the bay. Somewhere towards the end of 08 I discovered that taking Middlefield from San Carlos (it is known as Industrial/Winslow up here) all the way down was much nicer, no dismounts needed and it is mostly protected from the brutal winds. I've taken that route 2 to 3 days a week during the summer for the past year. I've thought it mostly safe except for around 'little mexico' in redwood city.

On this fateful day, I was almost home, the last hurdle was crossing the Holly street overpass to get into the Shores. The overpass has 3 lanes with lane 2 being designated as a bike/car lane (there is a picture of a bike on the lane) and lane 3 being a on/off ramp for getting on the interstate. I was on the right edge of lane 2 when I remember feeling a slight push... that was it. I was unconscious for minutes, no idea exactly how long. The next thing I remember was opening my eyes and trying to catch my breath, I had the wind knocked out of me and it was sunny. I remember people running around me saying, 'Did you see that?! It was a green Ford F150, did you get the number? He just took off' and another guy was on his iPhone calling 911. I recall raising my left hand up and someone grabbed it and gently helped me up. I had only one shoe on, my left shoe. The person helped me over to the side and I sat on the sidewalk. There were 3 strangers who had stopped to help, one guy was on the other side of the street. I always carry a phone, my driver's license and a credit card. I remember seeing my driver's license in the middle of the road, I told the person who helped me to grab that. He returned with that and my Droid, which look like it had been run over a bunch of times. Suddenly I remember being surrounded by Police cars and recall hearing one cop talking to an eye witness who told him the perpetrator had gotten back on the interstate. I remember a fire engine showing up next. The medics put me on a board and put my head in a neck brace. At that point I felt like my brain was going through a reboot sequence. I was trying to remember what day it was, I couldn't, what time it was, I knew it was evening and I was headed home. Then my wife's phone number flashed in my head, I kept repeating it and a police man took it down and asked if it was my wife's and asked me if I remembered her name, I did. The medic in the ambulance was very comforting and had a nice gentle voice. Just hearing her fuss over me was reassuring. By now I knew I would live, I just didn't know the extent of my injuries.

This was my first visit to an ER. It is nothing like Gray's Anatomy. The people were very nice and it was kind of amazing how for a minute or two I was surrounded by people all around, each doing something or the other and then they all disappeared and I was just with my nurse who kept an eye on my vitals and would not give me any water to drink until I had my neck CT scanned. Initially time flew by but after a while, it started to crawl. As I was waiting to be scanned it seemed to take forever. Once I was scanned, time slowed down even more as I waited for a doctor to review my scans. I wasn't given anything to eat or drink until my scans were cleared. It felt like eternity.

3 hours later, my wife finally made it to the ER with our 2 girls (ages 1 and 3), I felt really really bad for her. Thankfully, that was about the time my CT scans were cleared and I was able to drink 3 little boxes of Apple juice. That stuff never tasted that good before. I was declared fit with just road rash and cuts all over the place. We were sent home.

At 1:20AM, the phone rang. A second review of my CT scans had shown a fractured scapula that was missed the first time around. They asked if I could come to the ER right away, I couldn't. They asked if I experienced any chest pains, thankfully, I had none. They told me to come first thing in the morning. At 2:40AM, the phone rang again, it was pretty much the same message, just a different person calling. I googled scapula fractures on my phone. Turns out that the scapula (shoulder blade) is a very difficult bone to break and that it requires a lot of trauma to break it. There is a high correlation between fractured scapula's and internal organ damage, hence the fuss.

We finally made it to the ER the next morning. The waiting room was empty but that didn't imply a short visit. More chest x-rays were taken. The fact that I'd lived so long without any chest pain gave me hope that everything was OK. Thankfully, the x-rays didn't show anything out of the ordinary and my breathing and bowels sounded normal. The ER doctor was an avid biker and we spent a lot of time taking about his brand new Pegoretti and my future cycling plans.

The human body is amazing. My musclature was extremely sore at the beginning but with time most of the pain has ceased. My road rash and cuts are healing. My body tends to get stiff quite easily but after moving around a bit things move a lot smoother. I am in a cloth sling for now and have my first orthopedic consult tomorrow.

I picked up my bike from the Police Dept. a couple of days after the accident. The rear triangle is broken in 3 places and the rear wheel completely destroyed. The helmet is the most amazing bit of equipment, from the outside it looks a bit damaged but inside it is completely broken into 3 or 4 separate sections. The police officer on my case who spoke to the eyewitnesses didn't give me a lot of information about the accident other than the fact that they didn't catch the guy. I got the phone number of an eye witness who filled me in with more details.

He was on the other side of the street traveling in the opposite direction. He first saw me as I was flying in midair. I landed on my head/back towards towards the left edge of lane 2. The Ford truck, slowed down, went around me and then accelerated back on the on ramp and took off. I was unconscious for minutes, 2 other people stopped, one person got my bike to the side of the road while the other directed traffic around me. This person was also a roadie and encouraged me to take my time to heal but to get back on a bike.

The silver lining: Nice people rock! You never know when you'll need help or when you will be in a state of helplessness but thankfully there will be a Samaritan who will stop.

For now, I've decided to stop commuting to work due it being peak traffic hours and will instead focus on weekend rides. I suspect it will be a while before I start bike shopping again but I have my eyes on a Pinarello... Biking is an addiction :)

I am sharing this story because crashes I think are inevitable as a cyclist and I have learned so much from the experiences of others that giving back seems natural. I am very very glad to be on my second life, things could have gone quite differently...

Baby Peanut.... is here!!

Ella Grace entered this crazy world at 11:25 am on 03/09/09. Her mother is now a woman who has gone through the Ring of Fire (not by choice ;)). I'm proud and delighted to say that both are doing incredibly well. Maya and I are absolutely thrilled with all that God has blessed us with in the past couple of weeks including some awesome Friends.

Thank You Jesus!

Baby Peanut is a....Girl!!

My apologies, our ultrasound was on Monday but I haven't had a chance to write about it until now. As some of you can imagine, life is just not the same with a little bundle of joy (burst of energy, to be honest) running around.

For me, this pregnancy has been a blur. I remember just the highlights; the night we were laying in bed when Elizabeth told me she was pregnant. The first time I saw Baby Peanut during an Ultrasound, she was very active in there. The first time I heard her heart beating. The first time I felt a kick on the outside as E and I were sitting on the couch watching TV (last night). Even though these are all firsts, they are second firsts... and yet they are just as special. One of the concepts of life that has become so clear to me these past couple of months has been it's brevity, it all started with Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. These days are so special, especially because they are soon coming to an end... since August 24th, 2006, our family has been three, but soon we will welcome a new member and then, the days of just three will be a memory.

God, in His infinite Wisdom, has blessed us with another girl. We are both very thankful for this blessing and relieved that the blood clot has been absorbed by Elizabeth's body. Elizabeth has always hoped for two girls, and I am thrilled that her desire has been fulfilled. Life is not fair, and I have gained a lot while she has sacrificed much. This is one of those delicious little blessings that, hopefully, evens it all out ;)

Happy Halloween!!

Dearest Maya,

Today was your second Halloween. I came home from work and you had a runny nose. We had some nice warm soup (Pasta fagioli) and then put on your Monkey suit. When we left home, we were quite the family; Mommy and I were in our black hoodies looking like thugs, while you were a cute little monkey with a banana sticking out of your pocket. As we walked up to the first door of the evening, you weren't quite sure what was going to happen, neither were we. I rang the doorbell and you hid behind me and peeked out. A lady opened the door with a bowl of candy and in a flash your fears vanished. You were a brave girl. You said, "Trick or Treat" and "Can I have some candy please" and as we left, you told her and many others "Happy Halloweeeeen". You said your lines with such emotion and emphasis, you made a lot of people very happy. After that door, you kept sending me or mommy on scouting missions to find other doors that had their light on. And when we found them, you would excitedly march up and ring the doorbell. You got a lot of candy, and when we offered to carry your heavy, candy filled pumpkin, you said, "I'm good". It started to sprinkle, but we didn't stop, we kept looking for doors and enjoying the rain. I hope you don't catch a nasty cold tomorrow (if you do, don't worry, we've got some yummy medicine).

As I'm writing this, you are doing "beauty shop" with mommy. You made mommy sit on the floor by the bedroom window and are brushing her hair saying "Maya brushing hair" and "so shiny" and "Maya doing beauty shop". You are such a cutie pie. Thank you for the wonderful evening.

A New Chapter...

We are pregnant!! This news is as much of a surprise to you as it was to me :)

Getting pregnant when you are just 'having fun' is such a blessing. You go from feeling shell shocked and scared to utter excitement. This pregnancy promises just as much drama as the last one. Baby Peanut, as we like to call this kid, has been growing and developing for the past 14 weeks. There is a blood clot on Elizabeth's uterus that causes some concern. For now we just take it one day at a time and hope and pray that Elizabeth doesn't end up on bed rest too soon. Bed rest with a toddler is impossible.

Today is Elizabeth's birthday and my gift to her is the revival of this blog. I hope to update it more frequently than I have been (last post was almost a year ago!!)

A poem by Elizabeth

Welcome Fall!!

Maple leaves
Oak trees
Sweater weather
October breeze
Steaming coffee
Pumpkin pie
Harvest moon
Way up high
Snuggle covers
Cold nose
Holding hands
The wind blows
Favorite season
most of all
Join with me
Welcome Fall!!

Happy Birthday Maya!!

What a year! Confucius says: Try your best to avoid doing all that we have done in the past year and you will have much less gray hair.

Wow! Time seems to fly by faster when you are a parent. We can't believe that it has been a year since Maya was born and Elizabeth has had an undisturbed 8 hours of sleep. For me, it has been an amazing experience as a dad to watch my daughter grow and my wife blossom into an amazing mom.... and all this amidst a tumultuous year of drastic change.

Maya has been a great daughter, Praise God! and has adapted quite well to all the changes we have gone through in the past year. It has been a privilege to watch her grow and develop from a sleepy baby to an active toddler with a serious personality, a flair for mischief (inherited from her mom, of course), a hint of shyness (from me) and a stubbornness (from both of us) that keeps us praying every night.

To be honest, my life has certainly changed but not as dramatically as Elizabeth's. I, thankfully, sleep like a bear in winter (probably snore just as loud as well) and have not lost a lot of sleep. In the morning, I usually wake up with a tiny hand or a smelly butt in my face. If I'm up early enough, I get to change the first diaper of the morning and then head off to catch my shuttle to work. In the evening, as I pull into the garage and step into the house I am usually welcomed by an excited 'grunt' and really the only time she ever raises her arms at me to carry her... my heart absolutely melts when she does that. We play around a bit before bedtime and then it is off to bed for the little princess, where she is on what we call 'vibrate mode' for about 30 to 40 minutes before falling asleep. 'Vibrate mode' is where she sits or lays still like she is asleep but makes a buzzing noise like a cell phone on vibrate. Yes, we know it sounds weird but it always puts a smile on our face no matter how long the day has been. Weekends are especially exhausting. I have no idea how Elizabeth has the energy to keep up with Maya the entire day, every day. I am convinced that I could never be a stay-at-home dad.

Being a dad is a huge responsibility, one that requires patience, an openness to change and the ability to let go of self. I don't have any of those qualities. My life continues to change daily and sometimes I feel like I'm miserably failing as a husband, a dad and a professional. Thank God my wife and daughter are so patient with me! I just keep telling myself, one day at a time. One year down, another one to look forward to...

Uh oh! My princess is up from her nap and I have to go get her... God Bless!

We're moving to Mountain View, CA!!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him" - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Yup! Elizabeth & I have accepted a position at Google (though, only I will be showing up for work!) and will be relocating there towards the end of March. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine the day when I would be a Googler!!

On the outset, it would appear that the decision to work at what Fortune Magazine considers to be "The Best Company to Work For" would be an easy one... well, for us it wasn't. It was a very difficult and painful decision for both of us to make for different reasons. For Elizabeth, it meant an indefinite delay in her dreams to move to the Midwest (and giving up her "dream kitchen") and for me it meant leaving my beloved San Diego. We ask that you please keep us in your prayers as everything is so overwhelming and scary. We just put our condo up for sale and have no idea what our next home is going to be like. We know that God has done a lot to bring us this far and that He will carry us through to the end. It is amazing to stop for a moment and look back at all the things that have happened over the past year.

5 weeks later...

Time flies when you are a parent. It is hard to believe that 5 weeks ago we came home with another person, our daughter. She has been a source of great joy with moments (who am I kidding, hours is more accurate...) of frustration. The first couple of days when we were in the hospital, she didn't really scream. She would be fussy during breast feeding but otherwise she slept most of the time. The first day we came home, that night, was the first time she screamed her lungs out... it was a long night. Breast feeding is more challenging than it looks or what the books say. It took a while for Maya and Elizabeth to get used to one another. Seeing a Lactation Consultant was very helpful and it also has inspired Elizabeth with the idea of a possible career path in the future.

Since her birth, I've found it hard to be away from my family. The best way I can think of describing it is the way one feels when they are first married. You can't bear to be away from the other person and continually look forward to being with them.

37 weeks and 6 days... the end of a story, the beginning of a book...

On Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 6:16PM Maya Jasmine D'lima took her first breath of air in this world, she was 6 pounds 4.7 ounces and 19 inches tall. The events leading up to this moment were just as exciting as this entire pregnancy has been. Last week, at the 37 week check-up, Elizabeth was 3 cms. dialated and at station zero (the leading bony part of the fetus is level with the maternal ischial spines...plain english..at the entrance of the birth canal). Because of Maya's location, weight and the fact that we live 45 mins. away from the hospital (with no traffic) the doctor decided that if Maya was still in the womb by the next appt. she would induce her on Friday, August 25 at 7AM. The thought of an induction seemed scary and wrong at first. We prayed about it that weekend and spoke to friends who had been induced. After a while, we got comfortable with the idea and began preparing ourselves for it. On Thursday, the 24th, we had our last doctor's appt. before the induction. On the way to the clinic, we prayed in the car. I really wanted her to be born on an even day (hey, don't laugh, we all have our silly quirks) . When we got to the doctor's office, she was suprised that Maya was still hanging out in the womb. When she felt Elizabeth's cervix, her jaw dropped (well, not literally), Elizabeth was between 6-7cms dialated and had not experienced a tinge of pain just the tightness of contractions. She sent us to the hospital at once. We got to the hospital at 11AM, the nurses at their station were surprised that Elizabeth wasn't in pain for being so dialated, they expected her to be in a wheel chair screaming her lungs out, but instead, she had her usual smirk. They admitted us in and we went through tons of paperwork (if she was in pain, I wonder if they would still have us fill all that out at that time??). At 12:30PM, the epidural was administered and Elizabeth felt warm and fuzzy...similar to the feeling experienced after drinking a nice strong magarita. At 1PM, the doctor broke her water and we settled in and watched cable TV. At the 3PM check-up, Elizabeth was 7-8cms dialated. She could feel the pressure of contractions, but that was it. At 5:10PM, while we were watching TV, 4 nurses rushed into the room, they had been monitoring Maya's heartrate and Elizabeth's contractions and an alarm went off because Maya's heartrate was around 80bpm (usually around 130bpm). They checked Elizabeth and lo and behold, there was her head!! Elizabeth had completely dialated and Maya had slipped down into the +2 station. Like magic the room around us converted from a normal hospital room into a birthing room. The bed converted, a table with implements appeared and computer monitors started flashing pertinent graphs. We could not attend any of the birthing classes because of Elizabeth's bed rest, but that really didn't seem to matter. We just did what our nurse told us (who was from Scottland and had the cutest scottish accent). Whenever a contraction started Elizabeth would take a deep breath and push while I counted down from 10, we did 3 sets for each contraction. Maya would have come a lot sooner if the contractions were on time every time, we would get about 2 or 3 contractions 3 minutes apart and then wait for about 10 mins. for the next set. I had initial reservations about watching my beloved wife painfully giving birth to our traumatized child, but when the moment came and Elizabeth wasn't in pain, I was excited!! Any minute now!!!!

48 hours later...we feel so blessed to have a healthy baby girl in our arms. She is an Angel when she's quiet... and she makes us feel terrible when she screams. We love her. For the two days in the hospital things went pretty smooth, she didn't throw a lot of fits and it took a while to get her to breast feed. Last night was our first night at home with her. She threw a screaming fit each of the two times we tried to breast feed. She does eventually feed but it takes some drama. We have now officially entered parenthood, we only got 3~4 hours of sleep last night.

I want to thank all of our readers who have followed our Baby Story each week. At this point, I don't know if I am going to continue to post an article each week. This commitment has been an exercise of discipline and a labor of love. I hope you've experienced a teeny bit of the emotions that we've gone through. Life is not a bed of roses, it is hard and painful at times but oh so rewarding. As we look at Maya, we can't help but feel scared and overwhelmed. But thankfully, we remember that she is an Angel of God on loan to us. He will take good care of her through us, we just have to be obedient and willing. God Bless.

The photo album has been updated with our daughter's pictures :)

Getting ready for Maya

Well, the baby furniture is in place; the car seat is installed; all her clothes have been washed and I've been reading the book 'Becoming a Dad' by Stephen James and David Thomas which starts with, "Please remove all lose objects. Pull the harness over your head and fasten the buckle. The floor below you is about to drop. Enjoy your ride." Yup, we are about as "ready" as we'll ever be. These past 37 weeks have been an incredible journey and we're told the best is yet to come. We are now just cherishing our time together as a couple. On Friday night we went out on a date. Our first dinner date outside the house in 6 weeks. As we enjoyed the moment, we talked about our lives so far... We have been so blessed to be a couple for 5 years, each year has had its challenges and it's joys, each one better than the last And now we stand at the threshold of yet another chapter in our lives. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that this is the Elizabeth I met nearly 9 years ago in a room full of people. On Saturday we went for a walk along the beach. It was a beautiful day and we hadn't walked on the sand or wet our feet in the ocean in so long... we felt like kids! We finally updated the Photo Album with some pictures from the past 48 hours.

Week 36

Praise God, we made it! The past 6 weeks, though long, seem to have flown by quite fast. I appreciate Elizabeth so much more. It has been fun taking care of her and being responsible for things around the house, but it does begin to get overwhelming. I was certainly grateful that Judy was able to come and spend so much time with us in California. We also realized how blessed we are to have friends come over, spend time with us and bring food and movies. It has really made the time fly. Now we are patiently waiting for Maya's arrival. The last ultrasound has her developing right on schedule, she is almost 6 pounds. We can feel her move and she has the hiccups quite a bit. It is fun to watch Elizabeth's belly move around, I will admit, initially I was freaked out by it, but now I love it!

My Baby Shower!

From the colorful bouquets of fresh flowers that adorned the tables to the tiny sachets of Jasmine tea as a parting gift, Saturday was a perfect day. After being on bed rest for the last 6 weeks, it was wonderful to spend a morning surrounded by my mom and good friends. My close friend Karen hosted the baby shower, and she went out of her way to make the morning special for everyone. Karen and Heather prepared the food and it was delicious. We all enjoyed chatting in Karen's backyard while eating lunch, and we were delighted by the cooler temperatures after last weeks heat wave. After lunch we played a few games and then opened up all of the gifts. We received so many nice things for Maya and I felt touched by how excited everyone was to meet Maya. The most popular topic of the morning was the famous question, "I wonder what she will look like?" Black hair like daddy, blue eyes like mommy, brown skin, fair skin or the combination in a nice tan color. The consenus was that she will be a nice blend of both mommy and daddy and that she will have mommy's spunky personality. I felt honored that everyone was willing to spend their Saturday morning celebrating Maya's upcoming arrival.

I will officially be off bed rest and medication this Friday. I cannot thank everyone enough for remembering us in their thoughts and prayers as we tip-toed through this critical time. By God's grace, we rejoice that we have made it this far and the doctors tell us that if Maya comes now she will be just fine. Her official due date is September the 8th, but she will probably have us guessing the day of her arrival until she actually comes. (Vivek thinks that she will have the last laugh by arriving in September as originally planned.) It is so exciting to think that very soon we will hold our precious daughter in our arms. Until then, we are just enjoying each remaining day of the pregnancy.

Meet my family

This post was originally supposed to go up the week after our trip to Indiana but Life happened... Now that things have finally settled down a bit I can get back on schedule. Because of the distance, we don't get to visit my family as often as I'd like to. In the past 5 years, we've seen each other twice for a period of two weeks each, once in Dubai and the second time in India. Recently, we've gotten into the habit of calling one another each week and that has really helped bring us closer. Above are some of my fondest memories from the 4 weeks we have spent with them.
My Mom: This picture was taken at The Lakes resort in Dubai. My mom does not look her age and has often been mistaken to be my sister. This picture was taken after Elizabeth gave my mom a haircut.
My Dad, the Golfer: When we visited my parents in India, my dad and I went for golf lessons every morning at 7 AM at the Palace grounds. It was a great experience and I had calloused hands and sore shoulders from swinging at golf balls every morning.
Dad & his '78 Toyota Carona: The picture was taken in Baroda, India. This is the first car that my dad bought in May 1978, a couple of months before I was born. Over the years she has become part of the family and they have never been able to part with her.
Nana: This picture was taken at The Lakes. As you can see, my nana loves her dessert!!
Grandma: The picture of me and grandma was taken in front of her home in St. Joseph's colony in Ahmedabad, India.

Elizabeth just completed week 34 and is doing well. Maya's movements have started to become more noticable and she gets the hiccups quite frequently. One of the things that has kept Elizabeth busy this past week has been setting up an online registry at Babies R Us and Pottery Barn Kids. The links to these registries are in the Links section in the column on the right.

The day I met Floyd Landis... winner of the 93rd Tour de France!!

For a fan of the sport of cycling, it doesn't get any better than this... On Sunday, June 18, Father's Day, after church we were driving over to our Condo to see how work was progressing. We were at a stop light on highway 76, headed west, when a bicycle passed us in the bike lane. It was a BMC, a swiss made bike that I've only seen in magazines. I looked at the rider, he was wearing black Castelli bike shorts and a red jersey. When he turned sideways, my jaw dropped and my voice climbed a couple of octaves as I screamed out, "It's Floyd Landis!!". The light turned green and I didn't know what to do! I couldn't hold up traffic and on the other hand... there was Floyd Landis!! I took off and drove as slowly as I possibly could for about half a mile trying to figure out what to do! Elizabeth was cracking up as I was frantically looking around the Z for a piece of paper and a pen to get his autograph. Thankfully, I had a journal in the car. I pulled off the highway onto the shoulder, turned the hazards on and jumped out of the car waiting for Floyd to ride by. As he approached, I waved my hands, journal in one hand and pen in the other. I was hoping I didn't look like an idiot on the side of the road. As he approached my heart started beating faster and faster. He looked up, saw me and stopped!! I was in a state of shock...I guess star-stuck is more accurate. I said Hi and asked him for his autograph. He had the biggest grin on his face, I don't know who was in bigger shock, him or me. I think I was because at that point, my brain ceased to function. He asked me my name and I couldn't remember it for a couple of seconds. I told him I enjoyed watching him at the Tour of California, congratulated him on his victories at the Tour of California and the Tour of Georgia and wished him the best of luck for the Tour de France. He shook my hand, smiled at me and then at Elizabeth who was watching us through the rear-view mirror. As we both took off, we passed each other one more time at a stop light and this time he yelled, "Thanks Guys!". What a day, what a wonderful memory! This was 2 weeks before the start of the 93rd Tour de France, which he went on to win today. Only the third American to do so (Greg Lemond & Lance Armstrong are the other two). I can't wait to tell Maya this story year after year in the month of July as she's kicking my butt going up these crazy California hills.

UPDATE on 7/28:
This past week has been a sad week for the sport of cycling. My hero stands in the court of public opinion awaiting judgement from the harshest of critics. Regardless of the outcome from the various ongoing investigations, the win is tainted and his innocence questioned. In a matter of days, the dream of a win is now a nightmarish fight for the truth.

Mom to the rescue!

I’ve always heard that clouds have a silver lining and over the last 3 weeks I have come to believe that myself. It’s amazing how one’s perspective can change when one looks for the good in each situation. I would never have chosen to spend the last 2 ½ months of my pregnancy on bed rest, however I can now see that there have been many golden moments that I never would have experienced had these complications not occurred. The greatest blessing has been spending unexpected time with my mom. Her trips to San Diego usually last around 5 days due to our work schedules, but because this happened during the summer she has been able to stay for 16 days! I have absolutely loved having her here and I am dreading her leaving on Tuesday. Since I’m not allowed to follow my usual routine I have really needed her to be my “in-house maid.” :) Of course I have greatly enjoyed her companionship as well as her hard work. We haven’t been able to do our usual activities of eating out, visiting favorite coffeehouses and walking along the ocean, but we have found great joy in simple things such as driving through Starbucks together and pretending to go out for breakfast by ordering carry-out from a local bakery. One of my favorite memories is when my mom gave me a pedicure! I was disappointed when my doctor would not allow me to go out for a real pedicure as a way of celebrating our 32 week goal, so my dear mom decided to surprise me with an in-home pedicure! We had a great time with me lounging in a pink lawn chair and my mom painting my toes. As her visit comes to a close I’m already looking forward to her next visit.

Now, a few words from “the maid:” :)
Actually, that term is certainly not one I would ever use to describe my duties while I have been here. Yes, I have been busy doing a variety of things, but I can honestly say that my time here has been a delight that I will always treasure. It has been my joy to be able to spend this time with my “first-born daughter” and “mother her” as I have not done for a long time. Elizabeth and I have so enjoyed just “hanging-out” with each other and chatting about all kinds of things. Our bond has grown even stronger!

And, on a lighter note, I must add that I have explored new roads and driven in unfamiliar territories, and I have loved the adventures!! California and I seem to get along very well!! I have even found the time to walk along the ocean three times, loving every wave that came crashing towards me! When I head back to Indiana on the 18th, I will leave with a thankful heart that God has given me 16 wonderful days in CA and that Elizabeth and Maya both seem to be doing well.

The Move

It's now been 10 days since we've moved to OUR new home. I don't think it has sunk in. I think I've finally recovered from the move. Moving is traumatic. When we woke up on the morning of the 29th of June, we were both a bit sad. Our home of 3 years on top of a mountain overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean was a picture perfect storybook home minus the white picket fence. I had a couple of friends over during the day helping me put all our stuff in the back of a U-Haul, we started at 9am and were done by 3:30pm. Elizabeth spent the last 2 hours on the floor surrounded with pillows trying very hard to stay put. Once we drove over to the new place it was around 5pm and all the guys from our growth group came over after work to help unload the U-Haul. What had taken me and a friend 6 hours to load took the 5 guys only 2 hours to unload! After that began the hardest part of moving...re-arranging the furniture.

My mom arrived on Sunday and having her here has been such a Godsend. She has done everything from cooking, to cleaning, to organizing, to unpacking, to bringing me breakfast in bed every morning. I don't know how we could have settled in without her help. While I'm stuck on the couch or in bed it has been so nice to have someone to keep me company while Vivek is at work. On Thursday I had a doctor's appointment and things seem to be about the same...this is good news. For now we are just taking it one day at a time. I can't wait for week 36 when I'm finally off of bed rest.

Thank you all for your prayers and support during this transition time in our lives.

We survived...

...the move! I will write more once we settle down and our Internet connection gets hooked up but till then we just wanted to thank you all for your prayers. For all those who showed up to help, we couldn't have done it without you!

THANK YOU ALL!

YIKES!!

On Tuesday 6/20, Elizabeth went in for a 28 wk ultrasound to ensure that Baby O was developing normally and on time. All her tests for gestational diabetes had just come back negative. We thought we had made it through... Baby O put on quite a show at the ultrasound. Based on the size of various bones, organs and her skull the "machine" estimated her to be at 30 weeks and weighing in at a healthy 3 lb. 7 oz. Her head is by Elizabeth's cervix and her butt up by Elizabeth's belly button. All this time I have been talking and kissing my baby girl's butt, I hope that is not a sign of things to come!! :) When the Radiologist measured Elizabeth's cervix, a look of concern came over her face. A "normal" cervix is supposed to be 3 cms. Elizabeth's was measuring in between 1.8 - 2 cms. A couple of tests were ordered.

Wednesday was an exciting/historical day for us. We had an appointment at the Title office to sign the deed and title of our new condo in Pelican Cove. Since we are the first owners our names will forever be in the annals of the city.

Thursday morning Elizabeth was back at her doctor's office for a Fetal Fibronectin (fFN), a test that detects the presence of a particular enzyme in the cervix. If present, it could mean a bunch of things but if negative, then with 90%+ probability Elizabeth was not going to go into labor for the next 2 wks. After the sample for the test was collected the RN felt her cervix and the all to familiar look of concern was back. Elizabeth was told to drive down to the hospital and get admitted. Elizabeth had gone to the doctor's by herself that morning. I was at work struggling with work insecurity issues. When she called me from outside the doctor's office the priorities of life snapped into focus. One of the things I have discovered about myself these past couple of weeks is that if I feel secure at work, I know that we as a family can go through anything life throws our way. But when our financial security is threatened, I am paralyzed with fear and quite easily get depressed. By the end of the phone call the only thing on my mind was Elizabeth and Maya. As we both drove to the hospital in separate cars talking to each other on the phone, the uncertainty of the future was overwhelming. We found each other in the parking lot of the hospital and headed in together. For the next three hours, samples were collected for tests and ultrasounds were done to evaluate the condition of mother, daughter and cervix. The fFN test came back negative, Praise God! But the decision was made to give Elizabeth muscle relaxants, electrolytes and antibiotics to stop her contractions. Until this moment, Elizabeth did not know what a contraction felt like and when she was told that the "bunching/tightening" feeling in her tummy was not the baby but the uterus, we realized that Elizabeth had been experiencing contractions since wk 17! Except now she had about 6-8 an hour! Elizabeth has been put on complete bed rest for the next 5 wks (until wk 34, after which the risk of any infection drops really low if Maya comes into this world). For now she is in the hospital being monitored until a 24 hr. period passes by without a single contraction. Lord willing, she will be released Sunday evening.

Oh, by the way, our condo closes on Tuesday and we move in on Thursday. God help us!

Our trip to Indiana

We just returned from a wonderful trip visiting family and friends in Indiana. Everyone in Indiana knows that the weather is a gamble and this time we won big! We were blessed with sunny skies, mild temperatures and gorgeous green fields to enjoy. It was a lot of fun to share our pregnancy with those that we love. One of my favorite memories was when my family threw us a "surprise" baby shower during a cookout. Vivek and I were chatting on the deck when out marched my mom, sisters and friend Alexis with baby gifts, an ice cream cake and a "it's a girl!" balloon. We had such a great time opening gifts, laughing and enjoying that ice cream cake. The most special gift was a dress from my mom, all three of us girls had worn it as babies and she had saved it all these years. Now she wants a picture of her first granddaughter wearing the same dress. It's precious. Little Maya hasn't even arrived yet and she already has more clothes than me and Vivek put together! She will be quite the cutie in all of her cool clothes.

Another trip highlight was getting to spend time with both of my grandma's. They make being in their 80's seem young! I can only hope to be as active as they are when I'm their ages. They are both inspirations. We also were able to squeeze in a trip to our beloved Purdue. In some ways so much had changed and then at the same time everything seemed the same. The most shocking change for Vivek was seeing how much his former dorm Cary Quad had changed. We were both in awe at the new dorm rooms with all of their conviences. Purdue will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

The best part of the trip was just spending time with family. Whether is was eating together, shopping till we dropped or just hanging out at home, we all had a great time together. It was especially hard to leave at the end of this trip. We are happy in San Diego but Indiana will always have a pull on my heart. San Diego has given me my wings but Indiana is where I have my roots. I'm already counting down the days to August when my mom will visit us for several days!

~Elizabeth