From 20th to 40th

It is amazing how time flies. I am sure it did not as much for Minal as it did for me. The last update was at 20th week and we are at the door of 40th now. 8 days to go! Lots of things happened during these 20 weeks (jeez 20 weeks sounds less but it has been 5 months!!!)

- We did move to a new apartment in Royal Crest. Thanks to all friends how helped out otherwise third floor and no movers would have been a recipe for suicide. Although we did not like the apartment and I managed to fight with the management a couple of times, we did eventually forget about the apartment and started concentrating on more important things ahead in life.

- Minal had to give blood twice for her gestational diabetes test. The first came out to be positive which we could not believe and scared the hell out of us. Next round of blood sucking tests showed everything normal.

- Minal also stopped flying at about 28 weeks which was a relief; for her. With no more luggage to drag around and no more flights to wait for and ride she was able to save some physical energy. But she did not rest enough even at home since she would be working non-stop from home. She is a real workaholic but then she enjoys her work a lot.

- My in-laws arrived on 18th of June (can't believe it has been two months since they arrived). They were completely syched at how much Minal works even being at home but soon they realized it is part of her life. They brought a lot of baby clothes and other baby items. Obviously they are excited at the thought of being grand parents. With our completely different life styles we have had interesting anecdotes, conversations and arguments. We have had several trips to grocery stores, nearby lakes and gardens as well as to nearby farm for berry picking. My mother in law has managed to scare her teeth of any berries now. That is how many unripe berries she has had. Sad thing is we have not had a chance to take them out on any decent trip and chances are we are not going to be able to until a month after the baby is born. So hang in there mom and dad!

- During these 20 weeks we also attended a classes on breastfeeding, child CPR and childbirth. Last week we finished our last in series of 5 classes on childbirth and got ourselves a certificate!! We are ready it seems.

- The baby has been growing at a steady rate and we have gone from hardly feeling any baby movements to baby elbow poking her ribs and making arcs from inside her belly. Baby's bones have been getting stronger and her hiccups have not stopped. Mom has gone from gaining a 3 pounds every two weeks to gaining a pound every week. She is now at around 163. I have not be able to go for last 2 prenatal visits and mom-to-be and her mom have had a chance to get out spend time together.

- We also managed to surprise our mom-to-be with a successful baby shower. You can see the pictures. It was a lot of fun and I managed to completely sych people with my answers to questions in one of the games. It was to find out how much dad-to-be knows mom-to-be. And I aced it! Ok getting off of the soap box. But thanks to Aps and Raji without whose support we would not have been able to pull the surprise. Mom and dad were happy to see that we *do* socialize a bit.

- A week before the baby shower we had the traditional 'God Bharai' at home. This is a tradition where mom-to-be is showered with gifts and blessings. Usually performed by her mom. You should be able find pictures here.

- After baby shower there also has been a lot of shopping, lot of returns and lot of shuffling through gift cards and coupons. It has just been crazy with the shopping and mom-to-be :). Returns is what really drives me crazy but hey I should complain only if I can grow a baby inside me. So she deserves it!! As a result of so much shopping and hopping around we think we have all the essentials at home. We did moved things around in our bedroom and also put a few things up to make it look like a baby is also going to be dwelling in the same room. We got the car brakes repaired and also have the car seat installed. We are good to go!

Phew! lots of updates. But above paragraphs cannot even come close to summarizing how many emotions have flown through during past twenty weeks. Minal has been an amazing mom-to-be not only taking care of herself and the baby but also keeping an eye on and making sure everybody else at home is comfortable. I am glad that she now has some breathing time since she quit work last Friday. Two weeks is the least she deserves after 38 weeks of office and house work during pregnancy. She can at least take afternoon naps. I wish her all the luck and strength to cope with labor. Of course I am gonna be at your side honey!

Finally managed to talk to the nurse at the pediatrician's office. We have now decided who is going to be our baby's doctor. One battle still continues and I think it is going to go on until the baby arrives. And that is baby's name. Not just first or last but also about the middle name. I don't suppose we have a final verdict on any of the names yet (first, middle or last). It is ultimately going to be whatever mom wants. She deserves to name our baby whatever she wants.