Our Hospital - Week 7

So we went to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Prentice Women's Hospital to take a tour of their facilities and find out what we would need to do to have the baby there. It is in the neighborhood called Streeterville here in Chicago, just down the street from Navy Pier. You can see some pictures of the facility and rooms here. This place is awesome and it is entirely for women giving birth, they do 13,000 births there a year! Anyways, we got to the building and went up to the info desk to find out where the tour was starting from. We got badges and then sat down to wait for the tour guide. When the tour started we were taken into the triage area where we would be admitted and where they would run a few tests and determine how far along we are and when it is appropriate to send us up to the LDR (Labor, Delivery, recovery) room, which by the way are 100% private. After that we went up to the 8th floor where we were shown the birthing suite or LDR room. These rooms are pretty awesome! They are huge! Everything will take place in this room and the baby will never leave our side, here is a picture I found on someone else's site. After that we went up to the 11th floor to see where postpartum recovery would take place. The rooms are similar to the birthing suite just a bit smaller. In all, this place is going to be a great place to have our baby and we know that we will feel comfortable there!

Breaking the News - Week 4

So I got home from work and Fatima was already home. I road my bike that day, you know because I try to stay in shape! When I was walking up the stairs I saw the stray kittens that we had been keeping an eye on recently and that Fatima desperately wanted to adopt one. I thought it would be nice to grab one and bring it up and surprise Fatima! So, I come in the door with the kitten and Fatima is really surprised but at the same time a little reluctant (which I didn't think any thing of at the time). I get the cat box ready and we put the kitten on the bed (all the while pushing Murry aside and yelling at him for hissing). Now, I look up at Fatima and she looks like she is going to cry. So of course, I asked what was wrong and if she was feeling ok. The answer I got was definitely not what I expected. She said, "It doesn't look like I am going to get my period"... I honestly don't really remember my first thought, but I do remember getting very happy and thinking how great a mom Fatima will be and how much I was excited about being a dad! Enough with the mushiness, I immediately hugged and kissed the mother to be and proceeded to take the kitten back down stairs and promptly said, "sorry kitty I am going to have my hands full"!

Big Belly Baby Babbling Blog - Week 6

Today we wanted to create something that our family and friends could go to so that they can track the progress of our pregnancy and stay involved to the degree that they wish. We are very excited about sharing our experiences with you and hope that you all take joy in knowing how things are going with the upcoming addition to our family (and yours in some cases).

Today we were waiting to hear back from the obstetrician that we wanted and while we waited we decided to look for an alternative and that's when we found Dr. King! She had great reviews and seemed like she would make a great partner in our journey. We called her around 10am and left a message and had a return call by 10:30am at which time we setup our first appointment. So, on August 11th we will be meeting the doctor and getting the first set of tests done along with an ultrasound. We are very excited about possibly hearing a heartbeat and generally getting some assurance that things are on track for delivery of a healthy baby!

We hope to keep adding to this blog either daily or several times a week. So, keep checking back for updates and don't hesitate to call us or email us (Fatima or Drew) to get info between posts. We are very excited and we hope you are too!