Friday, April 30, 2010

Baby Lung Growing?! (By Tara)

Baby Lung must have been growing a lot today because I certainly was tired & hungry! The weird thing is that I'm not all that hungry at meal time but about an hour after eating, I feel famished again.

This afternoon we went out with friends for coffee and I got so hungry by the time we got home that I felt a little dizzy so I ate then had to take a nap.

After dinner we went to an amazingly cheap book sale where we picked up 10 books for $31...Well Darren picked out most of the books. It was quite warm & stuffy in there so after picking two or three books, all I wanted to do was go sit down for awhile. So I stuffed a Preggie Pop in my mouth then went to sit down. Mmmm, I did like that Preggie Pop!!!

I bought a book called "The  Birth House" by Ami McKay, which is a Canadian book about a midwife's apprentice named Dora. I'll admit it, I was drawn to the book because it has a pretty illustration of a pregnant woman holding her belly on it! I also picked out an Isabel Allende book called "Daughter of Fortune." I have read a few of her books in Spanish and they are really well written. Hope the English translations are as good.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Thoughtful Gifts (By Tara)

I have 2 friends named Karen in Calgary and both of them are very generous. Today both of them gave me some super thoughtful pregnancy gifts!

Gift # 1 -This morning we received an email from her with an attached illustration of Baby Lung at 7 weeks. Darren posted it below.  Soo cute! I fully intend to print it, frame it and hang it on the wall in Baby Lung's new room.

Gift # 2 - I received a text this afternoon from Karen saying she had a gift to drop off. I was like, "Wow, two gifts in one day, Karen's generosity never ceases to amaze me!" I let her know that we were going out for dinner so she responded that she would hide the gift somewhere in our yard. We came home to find two moleskin-type journals that she had picked up in Hong Kong and PREGGIE POPS!!!!
 
I was soooo excited. On Wednesday morning when I was at home dry heaving, I read about Preggie Pops online. I REALLY wanted some and was seriously considering ordering them. But the morning sickness past and I decided to try to taste them first before ordering a huge supply online.

Maybe I will kick myself for saying this but I can't wait till I'm feeling just a bit of morning sickness again so I can give these Preggie Pops a taste.

Gift # 3 - My other friend Karen called this evening to say that she had picked up some books for me: the classic "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and a few others. I was touched at her thoughtfulness and so excited to get my hands on those books and start reading!

Thank you to both Karen's for the amazing surprise gifts!

How Our Friends and Co-workers Welcomed the News (By Darren)

So we decided that we wanted to tell our staff team in person about Little Tarren's imminent arrival. The last chance we would have everyone together was this past Tuesday. So we decided to get everyone together and get some group shots. 



Darren: "Everyone say CHEESE!"
Everyone: "CHEESE" 
Darren: "Good shot. OK, now let's a do a funny one." 

Darren: "OK, now everyone say ... "TARA'S PREGNANT!!!!!!!" 

Everyone: "Tara's ..... whaaaaaa!??!??!"

General looks of confusion, shock, and open-mouthed surprise. Then congratulations all around. It was a pretty funny moment. 

I had to say it 3 or 4 times before people people really believed me. That's what I get for telling too many jokes I guess.

This picture is so funny though, and I'm glad we got it on film :)

Darren.

By Our Friend Karen Ho

Little Tarren will be the size of a Blueberry by the end of week 7. S/he is growing at a rate of 100 cells an HOUR. Amazing.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Great News About Malaria Risks (By: Tara)

Yesterday evening I was feeling pretty stressed about getting malaria while we are in South Asia. I had been researching online and found out that pregnant women are more susceptible to malaria. The doctor had prescribed mefloquine over the phone but several online sources I had read said that it is not recommended for the 1st trimester of pregnancy.

We inquired at the pharmacy and the pharmacist said that I should take the medication because getting malaria would be worse than the effects of the medicine on the baby. I wasn't sure if I agreed so we decided to see the travel doctor again, in person this time. After much persistence to get more information and see a more detailed map outlining malaria risks in the region we are traveling to, we realized some really important information!

The risks of contracting malaria is low in most larger cities in the region including all of the cities that we are planning to visit! WHAT A RELIEF!!!

I won't go to rural areas AND I won't take anti-malaria meds. Feeling much better about this trip!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Dry Heaves & Lots of Excited Screams (By Tara)

Today I experienced my first bout of morning sickness. I got up, drank one sip of water and proceeded to the bathroom where dry heaves ensued. I decided to take the morning to rest, catch up with old friends & pass on the news.
 
It was lots of fun to call people to catch up & tell them about Little Tarren. Some people screamed in excitement. Our staff team, could hardly believe it at first...I think that was because Darren told them in a joking way and they are pretty used to him pulling their legs about things. Christina said she had a feeling that I was pregnant when I called her.

I think I'll post a link to our blog on my Facebook status tonight or tomorrow...time to tell the world. Preparing myself for the onslaught of messages, etc...

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Cost of Mission (By Tara)

Today I had prenatal testing. This means that that I hung out in the waiting room of a lab for 45 minutes before I got called in to give 4 vials of blood and to pee in a cup (again!).

Darren came with me and promptly fell asleep once we sat down in the waiting room. I amused myself by people watching for a good half hour then got bored with that and started listening to a Tim Keller sermon on my iPod. It was really appropriate in light of what I'd been worrying about yesterday.

Through the sermon I was reminded that throughout the Bible there are countless examples of people meeting God and then being sent out of their comfort zones. You can't be a blessing unless you are willing to lose things. Going on mission will cost you comfort of home, peace of mind, etc...

For me I guess that means that I'm not going to spend the end of my first and most of my second trimester in a developing country instead of in Canada. I won't be able to control exactly what I eat and how much I exercise, I won't be able to go to regular ultrasound appointments, and I am going to an area with a risk of malaria without being able to take the medications.

But despite all of that, I need to remember to trust God, to believe that he has called Darren & I to mission this summer and that in order for us to a blessing, there is going to be a cost.

God help me remember that!

LT Right on Time (By Darren)

It's amazing how perfect God's timing is.

Being pregnant at this time is the PERFECT time. Originally we had wanted to get pregnant while we were overseas. In retrospect, this would not have been a good plan. If we had gone with our plan, Tara would have been taking malaria medications that would have been toxic to Little Tarren. If we had gotten pregnant earlier, travel would have been much more difficult while overseas.

This is perfect timing for several reasons:
a) We actually have the time and space right now to deal with all of the prenatal appointments since the school year has wound down
b) We have enough time to research and prepare for being pregnant overseas (nutrition, medications, health, etc)
c) Tara will be entering her 2nd Trimester right as the students are getting to Gateway.
d) 2nd Trimester is apparently the easiest of the 3 trimesters.

God is good!


Sunday, April 25, 2010

Please Pray for Little Tarren (By Tara)

Yesterday when I went to pick up a prescription, I asked the pharmacist about the anti-malaria pills that the travel doctor had prescribed for our trip (before I knew that I was pregnant). She said that now that I'm pregnant, I shouldn't take the anti-malaria pills that I had been prescribed.

Knowing that we are going to be in Asia during monsoon season when there will be lots of mosquitoes is a bit nerve wracking. I just learned on wikipedia that:

- Each year, there are approximately 350–500 million cases of malaria, killing between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children.

- PREGNANT WOMEN & young children are especially susceptible.

Please pray that God protects me from getting mosquito bites while I am overseas.

We decided to go ahead and announce that we are expecting now so that people can be praying about this throughout the time that we are away.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Celebrating Little Tarren at FARM (By Tara)

Tonight we celebrated the news about Little Tarren at a great restaurant called FARM. I would have to say that it was one of the best dinners we've ever had in Calgary! They use fine, local ingredients, have a great atmosphere and reasonable prices.

We started out with a cheese and charcuterie platter, the chef's selection of 2 cheeses that were safe for a pregnant woman. For our main courses, Darren had duck confit and I had hogget (teenage lamb) stew. Both were well seasoned and very well presented.

It was a lovely evening and a great way to finish off a busy day of learning about prenatal health.

PS: If you live in Calgary, I really recommend checking out FARM. We will definitely be hitting up that place again.

Yesterday I was reading about cheeses to avoid and meant to print it to bring with us but I forgot. Thankfully, our waiter's girlfriend was pregnant so he understood to ask the chef to choose two cheeses that would be safe for a preggo lady. My favourite was the one at the top, it was creamy & delicious. It was paired with dried cherries. Mmmm!















We had to wait a while before we could get in (Darren: "We had RESERVATIONS!!!"). Here is Darren waiting not so patiently.

And here I am waiting oh so patiently for a fabulous celebration dinner :)

"Can you Demonstrate Pelvic Floor Exercises For Us Please?" (by Darren)

Today was the first of our prenatal classes: Early Pregnancy.

There were about 12 other couples in the class .... many of them ranging from 6 weeks to 24 weeks pregnant. It was quite the colourful cast: some were older, some just dating, some women were high risk, etc. It was interesting to kind of hear their stories and see where they were coming from.

In every group though you have the guy who seemingly tries their hardest to be obnoxious. There was one exercise where the men and women split up and talked about how the pregnancy was affecting them and their partners emotionally, physically, etc.

This one guy (we'll call him ... Bob) starts the session with men by saying: "alright guys, this is the one chance we'll get to complain* about our wives and they have to listen" [insert obnoxious laugh]. Throughout the rest of the class he proceeds to ask the teacher inappropriate questions (see title), ask repeatedly inappropriate "clarifications" ("So is the woman basically working her vagina muscles?"), and then rant about why some of the prenatal classes cost money.

The weird thing was, his wife seemed really docile and sweet.

Anyway, the teacher answered his questions but didn't entertain him which was good on her part. She must have experience dealing with people like him because you could see that she didn't really let him get away with his questions.

All that to say, we both really enjoyed our first prenatal class! I learned a lot, and I thought it was done really professionally, creatively, and was really interactive!

Can't wait to meet Little Tarren. We pray for him/her every night :)

By the end of this week LT will be the size of a pea!!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

The first of many office visits (By Tara)

In the past 36 hours we have spent countless hours researching baby-related information on the internet. I really wanted to get a midwife but after contacting the only 4 midwifery clinics in Calgary with only the promise of being put on a waiting list, I was a little bit discouraged.

This afternoon while we were out for an appointment, I noticed that there was a walk-in clinic directly across the street. As we waited, I quickly guzzled down my whole water bottle so that I would have to pee by the time they called my name. I easily filled the little pee cup and placed it in the little window for it to be tested. Shortly the the doctor came in the room and announced:

"Yes, you are definitely pregnant."

As I explained that we are leaving in 2 weeks until August, the extremely helpful young Indian doctor  proceeded to book me in for a "dating ultrasound." She explained that even though people do not routinely get ultrasounds until at least 12 weeks, I should have one before leaving.

She also helped me book an appointment to get a series of prenatal testing done at the lab closest to our place. AND she began the process of getting me a referral for a doctor at the hospital closest to our place. 

I liked this woman, she knew about all the loop holes and was more than willing to help me! I was so blessed by the 15 minutes I spent in her office!

So many things came together and I am feeling so much less anxious about all the things I need to learn and do before leaving for the summer. When I called my Mom to tell her, she told me that she had prayed for me this morning that I would find a doctor or midwife. Thank you God!

FINALLY (by Darren)

After searching for a WHOLE night and afternoon (my exasperation is a 1/2 joke) for some prenatal clinics in Calgary we found one.

I have a love/hate relationship with 5% tax Alberta.

We've officially registered for an Early Pregnancy class, as well as a Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy class. The best part is that they're free!! Thanks tax-payers of Alberta!

What makes this pregnancy a little complicated is that we're leaving in 2 - 3 weeks for South Asia where eating habits are completely different -- from the types of proteins, to the types of fruits, and vegetables. For example, we won't be able to eat beef over there, or raw vegetables, and we can only eat fruits with thick peels (ie: bananas, or oranges).

Definitely not the most "convenient" time to be preggers, but it's God's time.

I've also been watching lots of "How you fetus is developing" videos on YouTube. AMAZING.

Right now Little Tarren is the size of a sesame seed.

A SESAME SEED. How crazy is that eh?!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

9 Months To Go! (By Darren)

"Guess what Daddy Lung???"

That was how I found out we are expecting.
 
Wow, I can't believe how fast these next nine months will fly by and all the changes that will occur between now and then. Hard to imagine.
 
It's mind blowing to think that inside Tara's body is a new life forming and growing so rapidly. Our lives will take on a chaotic, beautiful, and exciting new form in mid-December.
 
Things I'm looking forward to:
- meeting the mid-wives/dieticians/experts who will help us along in the journey
- seeing Tara's belly expand 
- buying Tara maternity clothes (hah!) 
- buying presents for Little Tarren 
- Selling furniture in our office to make room for Little Tarren 
- Praying over Little Tarren 

And of course I can't wait to meet Little Tarren!

"Mom, what does two lines mean?" (By Tara)

Last year I took two home pregnancy tests and although I was pretty convinced that I was pregnant, both tests turned out negative. This morning, I took my third ever home pregnancy test...

I could hardly believe my eyes ...

TWO LINES.

PREGNANT!!!

It was one of those surreal moments, like a handful of moments that I have experienced in my adult like, like the moments when I understood the Gospel for the first time, the moment Darren proposed...you get the idea.

Darren was still in bed so I went in and asked him if "Daddy Lung" wanted to see the test. He could hardly believe it either. (Darren: My first reaction was to turn over and say, not in an unkind way, "shut up").

We decided that we would tell our families right away so I called my family first. I'm not sure if Anna (age 3) understood, she answered that she was going to babysit at Paulette's wedding in October and that she was going to wear a yellow dress. Emma (age 10), Matthew (age 9) both understood and sounded excited. Mom helped me figure out my due date - she says December 18th, 2010.

Next we called Darren's parents. It was like the little boy who cried wolf as he tried to tell his mom.

Darren: "Mom, what does two lines mean on a pregnancy test?"
Mom: "Well, usually one line acts as a control so you know that it works ... why?"
Darren: "Mom, Tara took a pregnancy test this morning and there are two lines. What does that mean?!" 
Mom: "Why don't you READ THE INSTRUCTIONS?!"

After a few more minutes he said that he was just teasing, that he had read the instructions and that we had found out that I was pregnant. Her response, which she repeated about 10 times was "Really?! Really?! Are you pulling my leg?!"

Finally we had convinced her that I was pregnant and she sounded pretty happy about it.

I can't seem to focus on anything I'm supposed to be doing today, I keep thinking about the baby.