Official Annoucement

Hello Friends!

Well, most, if not all, of you have heard the big news, but we are now making it officially public news...

Pablo and I are very much, 100%, no kidding around, pregnant! We are 13 weeks along (we found out 2 months into it).

As many of you know about me, I have never been crazy, or even sold on the idea of having children. In fact, ironically, the 2 months while we were unknowingly pregnant Pablo and I fought more about if we would ever have children (me being on the "let's not" side) than our entire last 2 years of marriage. So, needless to say, these few weeks have been a time of MAJOR adjustment.

I will tell you though, things are going very very well. We are growing steadly more and more excited about the arrival of Baby Bean (due Feb. 22, and named "Baby Bean" because when we discovered that we were pregnant, the baby was the size of a kidney bean). We heard the heartbeat last week which shattered my world almost -- still cannot fathom that I am sustaining a life, it makes my life that much more vital to maintain! -- but hearing the heart beating so fast in my belly, that sound has kept me a bit anchored in the reality that yes we are pregnant, no I am not just putting on a ridiculous amount of weight in my mid-section, and yes, in 9 months, I'm pussing a watermelon out of my very tiny body...

But serisouly, I think the most miraculous thing about being pregnant (aside from being nearly impossible to comprehend on a day-to-day basis) is that I have started to fall very much in love with this tiny life inside me. My world is shifting. My dreams have not changed, but they will definitely be delayed, and oddly enough, I'm more than ok with that. These are miraculous things to be coming out of my mouth friends -- afterall, I'm very selfish (another thing this baby is already teaching me -- stupidly I have gotten frustrated at it being inside me simply because its presence means no sushi, something I am NOT fond of at all!!).

So, without any further ado, I would like to introduce you to the newest Otaola in the making, week by week as we both grow! (sorry, I only have the last couple weeks of photographs on my computer at work, which is where I am, so that is all you get at the moment).



Week 11: Baby Bean is the size of a strawaberry -- this week the arm and leg joints began to form and work

Week 12: Baby Bean is the size of a lime -- this week (end of the first trimester) the Bean began to move his/her limbs (i didn't feel it though), his skin began to respond to touch!, her intestines that were previously in the umbilical chord (who knew!) began to move into the abnominal cavity, his eyelids began to grow and fuse together, she is swollowing, and he is pancrious is beginning to secrete urine which is released into the amniotic fluid! Baby Bean has been hard at work!!!

This week is Week 13 -- stay tuned this weekend for the newest picture and developmental updates!!

Love you guys!