parenthood + PhD program + medical school + NYC / New Haven = ?? this joyous, busy life

Even though I don't love cutesy descriptors like 'babymoon', the word does succinctly convey the concept of last-chance-before-baby travel for expecting couples. Between my medicine and OB/Gyn rotations I had a lovely week off, so John and I took the opportunity to visit San Francisco and Monterey, and enjoy some precious time together. I may update later with more trip details, but for now I'll just share the pics.

- Tuesday: NYC to San Francisco -

Airport breakfast humor.


A 12:30 arrival gave us some sightseeing time after our flight.

- Wednesday: San Francisco -

Sleepy sea lions.
 
Alicia + Alcatraz.

- Thursday: San Francisco to Monterey, and the aquarium -

The jellyfish exhibits were beautiful, otherworldly.

- Friday: Hiking in Big Sur -








- Saturday: Back to San Francisco -
. . . and we had a delicious dinner with great friends Lara, Tim and Megan - but somehow don't have pictures!

- Sunday: Home to NYC -
Too short, but definitely sweet.

Well, here begins the new Pittard family blog. Quite a bit has happened since John and Alicia became the Pittard family, so allow us to catch you up:


September: I pretty much figured it out while I was home visiting my mom and brother in Amarillo, but I saved the actual test until getting back to New York so John and I could share the moment. Funny thing is, before I was even certain, my mom's friend Jo took a look at me and knew I was pregnant. Maybe this feminine intuition is developed after having your own kids, or maybe it's just a sense I wasn't gifted with, because I felt absolutely no difference at the time.


October: Our first visit to the OB let us see our little kiddo on screen. Cute little blip, wasn't he? The amazing thing was to see this tiny little flashing of the otherwise unrecognizable collection of pixels and realize that it was his heart beating. Technical description: It's the brightest light on the little wormy thing in the otherwise-empty black sac in the middle.


November: Still not quite human looking, but definitely growing! It's hard to tell from this angle but I think the little acute angle sticking out into the black space is an arm, which would mean that head is hidden on the left and legs are on the right.


December: Aha! That collection of pixels might actually be a baby! Key: head is on the right, torso extending to the left and upwards, two arms folded up on either side, a cute little bum just getting cut off on the left.


January: Detailed ultrasound imaging at week 20, which allows the radiologist and OB to look at all the key anatomical structures in detail: brain, spinal cord, kidneys, fingers/toes, etc. You can see the fingers on his hand in the mid-right side of the image. The best part was seeing the four-chambered heart beating away and the valves opening and closing. (Much better than an embryology textbook!) For any medical types out there, I could even see the movement of the foramen ovale. For the non-medical: this is a heart structure generally present only in utero that allows the blood carrying oxygen from the placenta to bypass the lungs, which aren't yet working, and go straight to other important structures (brain, body).

The other best part, of course, was finding out that our little kiddo is a boy! Apparently all of our family guessed this, even though they kept their hunches secret, and even though, once again, I had no real intuitive sense on the question. It's true that I had been calling him the "little dude," but more because I thought it was a cute nickname than because I really knew.


The high-def ultrasound also allows for 3D reconstructed images. Flattering, isn't it? I won't say who I think he looks like at this stage, especially since Tim thinks he looks like a lizard. I'd say more alien.


February: Yes, I do finally have a little bit of a belly to show for all that baby growing inside. Exciting!

June 10, 2009: Our expected due date, Lord willing.