Baby, You are My Birthday Present

Today's my 38th birthday, and I feel so blessed! I have a beautiful hapa baby growing in my belly. It is the most amazing gift I could have on my birthday. I am also blessed with an incredible network of family and friends that are so excited about the arrival of this baby. I know I have prayers coming my way on a daily basis. And, I have the best babydaddy I could have ever hoped for. He takes care of me, and I know he's going to be a fantastic father.

Co-workers, My Second Family

Yesterday, I announced my pregnancy to my co-workers. How fun! First, they all celebrated with me by sharing my excitement for this baby that has long been my heart's desire. Then, came the flood of advice and do's and dont's. There's an interesting phenomenon that occurs when you announce a pregnancy. All the mom's start reminiscing and sharing stories of their own pregnancies. It was so special watching my co-workers all aglow while they relived past pregnancies with sweet, tender and some super funny stories. It was funny to see how they contradict each other, too. Ludy and Mauricio were encouraging me to have a glass of wine. !No te hace nada! While, Syndia, sternly declared, "There's no need!" I also found out that coincidentally our OBGYN, Julie Ann Mahoney, was also Ludy's and Mauricio's wife, Lili's. And, they loved her.

In the evening we went to Tamayo's on Larimer Square to celebrate our achievement of reaching the registration goal. It was a very poignant evening, and we actually had several things to celebrate. Estevan was nominated to receive the Colorado Rockies Hispanic Adult Leadership Award. Fernando and I had September birthdays. And, of course, the baby was a cause for celebration. Fernando was actually not able to join us, but he left us a lovely letter where he addressed each of us individually. Here's what he wrote to me:

Rita – You have such an endearing heart and your aura is genuine.  Everyone from the staff, faculty and students look to you for knowledge and support.  I know when you’re around, there is a sigh of relief.  I was also filled with joy when you said you were expecting a child. I send you a huge hug and all the positive energy and prayers because you deserve it.  It’s your turn. This couldn’t have happened to a better person.   You have a fan in me.



Birthday Surprise!



Baby's First Onesie

Rico gave me an early birthday present today. I got two really fun things.

At our first prenatal visit our practitioner told us that our baby is now the size of a gummy bear. So, this gift is in honor of our hapa gummy bear. : )

Here's gift number two - Baby's first onesie from daddy. I love it!

First Prenatal Care Appointment

Today Rico and I went to our first prenatal care appointment. We both really liked Dr. Mahoney. She was very friendly and funny. Her first question, of course, was how were we doing. Well, we're both messed up! Me with pregnancy symptoms and Rico with post surgery issues. She spent the first 15 minutes of the appointment talking to Rico about his recent stomach surgery and even checked out his stitches. Then she apologized to me for not making this all about me. It was pretty funny. It's okay, Daddy's important, too!


Dr. Julie Ann Mahoney, our OBGYN

We got to see our little hapa peanut! Baby is the size of a gummy bear right now. The best part was seeing the heart beat. It's fast, too! One hundred sixty beats per minute. Estimated due date is April 18, 2013.



Baby's first picture!


Auntie Becky and Uncle Chris were very anxious to hear about the first prenatal appointment. Well, everything is perfect! The pregnancy is completely normal and mine is NOT a high risk pregnancy. A toast was definitely in order!