15 Marbles

Nov 10th,06

We were scheduled to have an ultrasound that day and were also going to meet our new OB. I was a little nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because I really wanted to like this doctor. I had heard good reviews about her from all the nurses at Labor and Delivery at the two hospitals i was considering and at the same time i wanted to feel comfortable with her from the first meeting itself. Looking for another doctor wasn’t something I was looking forward too.
And Excited ..Because i was going to see my baby again. and possibly know if its a boy or a girl! Before getting pregnant I always thought,I would not want to find out the sex of the baby. but now the curiosity is too much.
So, we went for the ultrasound. and Guess what? the baby was not in a social mood. S/he just didn’t want to move. S/he was sleeping peacefully, curled up so tight that we couldn’t even see its hands and legs. all we could see was the back, arched spine and the head. And also its little heart beating beautifully. Every time I see that little heart beating I feel so proud! It is just too overwhelming!
As for the doctor, I loved her! She is just so cool.I think we hit it off instantly and I got such positive vibes from her.
But baby dearest had decided not to cooperate and so when we tried to listen to the heartbeat,s/he decided its time to get up and take a swim! and So we could hear the heartbeat! I was a little disappointed, even a little upset.
My little peanut is 17 weeks and 5 days old. We scheduled a Level II ultrasound for Nov.28th 2006

Oct 13th,06
We had our first prenatal appointment in Phoenix with a nurse. That’s when we first heard our baby’s heartbeat .It was amazing. I think I could keep listening to it forever and never get tired.I just wanted to hold the baby then and there.S/he was again playing hard to get,moving all over the place.But we could hear the heartbeat for a good 2 minutes.

September 23rd,2006
So, we packed and shipped all our stuff to AZ and were waiting for the auto mover to come and take our car. The plan was to go to a hotel close to the airport after having lunch with some friends. We tried calling the mover but couldn’t reach him. Time was running fast, we had to vacate the apartment at 5.00 pm and still no news from the him. Finally, at around 6.00pm, seeing no other option, we decided to take a road trip from Chicago to AZ.
Sanj wasn’t too thrilled about it and was more worried as to how it will affect me and our baby. But I told him’ This is what BABA wished for us. He gave us this baby,He will take care of him/her. OM Sai Ram’.
So, after remembering Baba, we started our journey. It was a 1910.6 mile , 26hrs and 11 min. long drive. First night, we drove till St.Louis,reached at 1.00am and halted there for the night.
Next morning, we started at 9.00 am and drove the whole day with occasional stops for me to walk and stretch and of course the breaks for restrooms and food. That day we drove up till Amarillo.TX. That drive was horrible. We were on the road till around 3.00 am. There was no other car on the road, even the truckers had pulled over for the night. We didn’t even stop for dinner, as we had stocked up on snacks and fruits and water. And also since the hotel had 24 hrs room service, we decided to just reach there and then order some good food. But , as luck would have it, there was no room service at that time of the night. We just ate some snacks and went to bed.
Monday morning, we both woke up ravenous. After quick showers and checking out of the hotel, we rushed to the nearest Mc.Donald’s for breakfast. and by 11 am we were on our way to Arizona.The drive that day was fun.We were tired but still feeling fresh and excited because we knew that was our last day on the road. What made it even better was the beautiful landscape. We drove out of Texas in to New Mexico and finally into Arizona. We reached Phoenix at 9.00 pm local time, almost 50 hours after we started. It was quite an adventure,possible only by Baba’s blessings and also our determination to an extent.
End of our journey marked the beginning of a new Phase- a new place, a new home, a new life.

September 5th,2006

This was the day when we first saw our little baby. That was the most amazing thing I ever saw.And now I know why they are called peanuts. It looked just like a peanut with its tiny head and tiny body.The ultrasound technician pointed out the sac, yolk,the head and the tiny heart beating away. It looked like a tiny bulb flickering. I don’t think I can ever get over the excitement of watching that flickering. The baby is 8 weeks and 2 days old.
Its finally confirmed that we have to leave Chicago. So we fixed up another appointment for the Sept 19th,2006.

Sept 19th, 2006
We got to see the baby again. Its so amazing to see the little person that is living inside me. SD  is so touched every time the technician calls him daddy. today this little person was standing up on its head.and it was wiggling so much. The Ultrasound tech told me – ‘You are going to have your hands full, Mommy!!’
The Doctor feels its OK for me to travel. We are off to Arizona next week.