Lesley and Jonathan

Lesley is now in her second trimester and everything is moving along great!  The 12 week scan was even more fun than the 8 week scan because we got to see the baby; arms, legs, and head!  When the scan started, the baby was sleeping according to the technician.  After the required CRL and NT measurements (which were all perfect!), I asked the technician what the story was with sleeping beauty.  She asked if we wanted to wake it and of course we said yes.  After a few pokes on the belly, the little peanut started kicking it’s arms and legs.  It was a beautiful sight!  Les is hoping it’s a boy because she thinks it has my nose.

Most of my family was in town for Rosh Hashanna and Lesley and I were able to get our first ultrasound scheduled for September 29th.  My mom and Lesley’s mom met us at Mount Sinai hospital on University Avenue.  Lesley and I were the only people allowed in the room in the beginning, but once the technicial saw the heartbeat, the proud moms were allowed in to see the little peanut.  Quite an amazing moment to see the little blur on the screen with the flickering line.

By now you may have already heard (first hand or from family and friends) that Lesley and I are expecting our first child!  We couldn’t be more thrilled and so far everything is proceeding great although it really depends who you ask; the one who gets to drink beer and coffee or the one with the morning sickness and soon-to-be expanding belly?  We thought it would be fun to keep a diary of Lesley’s pregnancy including photos of the beautiful mother-to-be and ultrasounds of the little peanut so family and friends can keep track of the progress.  To make things easy to follow, we will break-up the timeline into separate posts.

The photo below was taken August 22, 2008 B.C (before conception).  It’s actually one of two follicles the Dr. found in one of Lesley’s ovaries.  Anyone who knows us also knows we have been trying to have a baby for a while.  On August 22nd, we made an appointment with a fertility clinic where we would be deciding whether to begin a cycle of treatments.  Because of past experiences, we asked the Dr. if she could take an ultrasound of Lesley’s ovaries to “check things out.”  Sure enough, the Dr. found two follicles and informed us the larger follicle of the two could potentially release an egg any day.

Fast forward two weeks to the time when we would have had to decide whether we would be visiting the fertility Dr. again.  Lesley and I got up early on Saturday, September 6th to get ready for a weekend in Collingwood.  I was making coffee when I heard Lesley coming down the stairs.  If it weren’t for the fact she just got up early, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it; however, there she was in front of me with what looked like a pregnancy strip.  Sure enough, there were two lines!  It was an incredible moment and the greatest feeling ever. Below is a photo of the strips.

We planned on keeping it secret until my family was in town for Rosh Hashanna but like all secrets this big, they are impossible to keep.  We managed to be up in Collingwood all weekend with Lesley’s dad without saying a word.  When we returned on Sunday I asked Lesley to take another pregnancy test to confirm what we already knew.  Of course, it was positive!  Next, we convinced my parents to log on to Skype so we could show them the upgrades we made in the kitchen.  After speaking to them for a bit, I held the strip up to the web cam.  To this day we wished we recorded their reaction; it was so emotional.  We then waited for Lesley’s dad to get home from Collingwood and drove over to her parent’s house to give them the news in person.  They were both very excited for us and we couldn’t be happier to deliver the wonderful news.

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, we became the proud parents of Sir Baxter of the Woods, a beautiful Golden Retriever.  His name came about as we live in a community called Thornhill Woods and the breeder thought Baxter was too ordinary for a puppy of his stature.
He is a wonderful addition to our family (although Ranger hasn’t quite warmed up to him yet).

Today, I submitted my letter of resignation at IBM. The emotion of leaving IBM won’t sink in until two weeks from now when I actually have to say goodbye to all the friends I made since 2002. I had a lot of success at IBM, but it’s time to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life. I can not express in words just how excited I am to be living with Lesley in Toronto. It’s been fun traveling back and forth, but having to leave Les after a weekend or rare week in Toronto is always sad.

In three days, Les and I will be married six months and we are finally getting the opportunity to live our lives together, under the same roof. I could not be happier. On May 5th, I am renting a car and driving up to my new home. I already know that is going to be an exciting, emotional ride for me. I’m leaving my family and the only city I’ve ever known, Brooklyn. Eight hours later, I will be in my new city, starting a new life with the woman I love. I only wish Les were taking the ride with me, but knowing she will be home when I get there is exciting enough. I can’t wait to drop my bags at the door and call out “Honey, I’m home.”

Then, I need to find a job. =)