Before I switch to it, I wanted to use my last post to thank everyone who had been so good to us over the last 9 months.
Thanks to all our family and friends who supported us through our journey of excitement. We feel very fortunate to have you all around and looking forward to sharing Aydin's adventures in this world.
And a quick note from me to thank you Raymond! You've been the biggest support I could imagine physically and emotionally. Thanks for being available whenever I needed, cooking and cleaning, coming with me to the stupid prenatal visits, playing with Bisco and taking care of him for the two of us, putting up with my crying episodes, bringing me back to reality when I panicked, sitting through the brutal birth classes, building a bedroom for our son, and many other things too long to mention here. Even if you haven't read the baby books, you've been the best husband I could wish for! And because of this, I know that we won't be the worst parents on earth...
His name is Aydin Arnoud! Born November 26th, 2007, 7 pounds 15 ounces, 20.5 inches.
Our little bundle of joy arrived Monday, November 26th after a relatively easy delivery. My light contractions started late Saturday night before I went to bed. It woke me up couple of times and finally at 6am Sunday morning I got up to a stronger set of contraction. We had to bring out cat Bisco to Ester and Ramon for the next couple of weeks that evening and made dinner plans with them at 6pm. I passed the mucus plug by 12pm and the contractions were getting closer and closer by 6pm... We still broight Bisco over and decided we should pack the hospital stuff just in case we need to show up at the hospital after dinner. It was a funny dinner with me having contractions every 3 minutes, but everyone was very understanding. (Hey, I was the one in pain! )
We showed up at the hospital around 9:15pm with a minute long contractions every two minutes and they said I was already 2cm dilated and in labor. We walked around in the hospital until I was 3cm and went to our room by 11:30pm. The contractions were getting so intense at 5cm that my whole body was shaking with pain everytime I had a contraction. It was 24 hours since the pain started and I was really tired. I couldn't imagine going on with it and having to push the baby for 2-3 hours in the end. At that point, I decided that it was time for an epidural. The epidural was applied around 2am changing the whole picture for me. I didn't feel any contractions anymore and even if I didn't sleep, I was able to get some rest.
The doctor came and broke my water around 3am at 6cm. She said I should be ready to push in another 4hours, but I was already 10cm and ready to push when she showed up at 6am. There the real thing started... the ring of fire.
After pushing for about 45 minutes, they said that that the babies heart rate was going up and they had to vacuum him. For some reason, the idea of my baby being vacuumed gave me a real boost as I really didn't want them to vacuum him. So started pushing even harder risking tearing up and he was born naturally and Raymond cut his cord at 7:44am. Both Raymond and I were in tears. I couldn't have done it without Raymond's endless perfect support! He went through the long two night with me and we were both exhausted, but the joy of having gone through this and seeing the baby came out as tears for a little while.
It was hard physically, but also easy as it was without complications overall. We feel very blessed to have a healthy boy.
I'll starting writing to a new blog on this site from today on. Please follow our story there and keep those comments coming. We love reading them!
We're ready to meet you. Your room is done, your hospital bag is packed, your Mom is more or less off work, your Dad gives all the support that a mom-to-be can ask for, ..., we're waiting for you. Hope your travel to our world will be a smooth one and your transition to becoming one of us will be natural. One of these days, we'll leave this house as two and come back as three. You're already one of us actually. It just looks like we're two right now, but we're indeed three. They say three is a magical number, the number of balance. Like the legs of a barstool... And from balance, comes great power.
We don't know what kind of parents we'll be. We only know that we have been your parents since the time we learned we're expecting, the first time we saw your heart flickering in that ultrasound monitor, the first time we've heard your heartbeat in the doppler,... It only becomes stronger. We'll love you and try to cherish every moment with you as special as it is. We'll try to teach you the feeling of love and belief in love!
We already have a name for you. It means enlightened and wise. We hope that your name will guide you all your life. It sure feels like the world needs more light and wisdom sometimes.
Very soon we'll be speaking to you instead, but I wanted to write to you just this one time. The pregnancy blog was about our journey to parenthood for your father and me, but it was actually very much about you. It was about your life slowly coming to being. I hope that you'll be reading these pages one day and enjoy our adventure towards having you over the last nine months.
Thanksgiving is a beautiful American invention to share love! I really like this day, not just because it's the beginning of a 4-day vacation.
I asked Raymond what he's thankful for this year and one of the things he said was that everything went well so far with the pregnancy and I'm healthy. It made me feel very emotional.
And for me, I'm most thankful to have so much love from Raymond, my family and all of you around me who makes me know what true friendships are. I'm very grateful to Raymond for all his support during the last nine months. I'm happy that we're expecting that our baby will be with us next Thanksgiving.
I wish everyone away from home or having difficult times these days got some comfort from something kind and special touching them today!
Much love...
(Now back to smelling some great cooking in the kitchen!..)
November 20, 2007 - Week 39: No sign of labor yet...
Still have ten more days. We're waiting and hoping that everything will go well and we'll have him with us in two weeks. Two weeks!..
I submitted my last proposal and started my maternity leave yesterday. It is relaxing to be around the house even if I end up working from home a bit. I feel like I'm better preparing for birth physically and mentally this way.
We had a prenatal appointment today and the doctor said nothing changed since last week. This little boy seems pretty comfortable in there. I don't have any contractions and have no other sign of labor yet. I think we're going for 40 weeks. He might be huge by that time, he he...
My brother Ilker and his family are coming on December 1st to stay with us and help after delivery. I think this baby is waiting for his uncle, aunt and little cousin sister Cansu to arrive. Raymond and I were thinking that it would be funny if Cansu comes and sees me with a big belly and two days later I come back with a baby and no belly. We wonder how she would react to it!
It is almost Thanksgiving. We're planning to be home and invite a few friends instead of going somewhere else just in case we have to go to the hospital.
November 13, 2007 - Week 38: Our baby is full-term!
Yay! We're considered full term if the baby is born today. Still there are a few weeks.
We went to our weekly prenatal today and there's no sign of labor yet. The doctor said that my body started preparing for it, so that's good news. Little boy seemed to be doing well in there from his heartbeat and kick counts. I can feel that he's really growing these days.
I've been looking back and thinking over the last 38 weeks over the last couple of days. Was it an easy pregnancy? It sure was hard at times, but I won't remember it as being so bad. I guess it's human nature to forget about the hard times and hold on to good ones.
A few more weeks and we'll bring our little one home. I have no idea how hard birth will be. (Ok. Very hard! ) I'm looking forward to the experience in any way. I'm sure I'll write about it after birth. Don't worry I'll spare the details...
Little Kaan joined Neslisah, Tunc and little Dogan in Ankara a month ealier than expected. We're so happy for you guys! Looking forward to seeing his pictures...
BTW, Kaan is a lovely name. We also considered it for our little one.
November 5, 2007 - Week 37: Hospital bag is packed!
It might sound a bit strange to pack the hospital bag a few weeks early, but we panicked a little bit. Three of our friends who had a baby due a week before us ended up delivering early at their 37th week last week. So we thought we'd better be early than sorry!
We spent the weekend getting the hospital orientation, doing some shopping for necessary items, cleaning the cars and installing the carseat bases, emptying the boxes we haven't opened yet for frame stroller, etc. So now we're physically ready. Emotional preparedness is another story, LOL! It was so strange the pack the baby's clothes in the hospital bag and seeing the carseat installed. He will be using them when that bag is opened again...
We had another weekly prenatal appointment today. Everything seems to be fine and the growth shows normal. I still can sleep through the night which I think is a blessing. Functioning at work by the end of the day depends a lot on how much sleep I get these days. I'm getting off of work starting the 19th for about six to eight weeks. There's so much to do until then to transfer tasks, but things should be set by the time I leave.
Little Camilla was born to Elena&Nicolas in Montpellier on October 29th, at 4:30pm French Time. We're so happy everything went well, the baby and mom are healthy and our little boy has a little girlfriend there!
Best wishes to Camilla for a very very long and happy life! And congratulations to first time parents! I guess now comes the "sleep-less" nigths so skype out to us if you need someone to talk to in the middle of the night.
On this side of Atlantic around the same time, we were at our 36 week prenatal visit. All seems to be going well. The baby is positioned head down and getting ready for the big day. I'm getting impatient to meet him as much as I'd love to enjoy the last days of him being this close to me. I feel good, but started getting tired quicker since a few days.
October 28, 2007 - Thank you for a very special birthday!
It was a lovely day! I had a breakfast from Raymond (and a great gift) and we headed out for lunch. I already felt like I had the best birthday at that point. Little did I know! The big surprise was about to come...
Raymond asked me to go for a massage or shopping for relaxation in the afternoon and while I was away, Raymond and his partners in crime, Kate and Boris, set up our house (I knew it!) for a suprise party. The theme of the party was pregnancy where everyone is dressed up as pregnant with pillows. It was so much fun to come home and see everyone with big bellies. I was guessing a party of some sort, but the pregnancy theme was a brilliant and compassionate idea.
Thanks a lot to everyone who made my birthday so special and fun!
Here is a picture of pregnant Raymond and Boris
The party... (Do I look more pregnant than Raymond? ;)
They even had gifts for me!
We also had a pumpkin carving fest later in the evening
Here it is... The end of my twenties. It's yet another ordinary day, but it marks the finishing line of the third decade of my life. I'm turning 30 today! It's been a wonderful journey so far with all the good and not so good memories.
My twenties had been very rewarding transition from being a college girl to being an adult. The best times were spent with family and friends, but I'm happy to have worked and played hard as well.
I always wanted to have my first baby at age 30. With the help of luck, looks like it is happening! Hope I can teach our son eveything I've learned so far.
I wish Raymond and I can teach him:
Life is a gift and it needs to be celebrated
He'll be loved by us no matter what happens
The other people are as speacial as him for some people
To be able to pick the best out of our cultures, learn our languages and make them his own
To respect and love everyone for who they are
Learning and trying to understand other cultures will make him judge less
Camping and backpacking is not for losers
Loving fine arts is not a girly thing
Sports is not to keep him skinny, but to keep his body and mind healthy
Even a person in the least acceptable situation has a reason to be there
It's ok to shop at Marshalls once in a while instead of fine boutiques (or Babies'R'Us! )
Humor is what will keep him going when he least appreciates it
Religion is a way to nourish his soul&spirit and he doesn't have to pick one if he doesn't want to
Traveling will teach him just as much as the hours spent at school or work he misses while on travel
Whatever he gives to others will come back to him in multiples
Having money is not a bad thing as long as he realizes that not having or losing it is not the end of the world
It's ok to have ice cream for dinner if he has just as much vegetables on another night
Jobs go and careers stay so choose what he wants to do wisely
World peace starts with him
Being good is a choice
Accepting and holding on to his cultural heritage will help him define who he is later in life
And to take whatever life brings with courage!
I spent the last evening of my 20's and greeted my 30's with Raymond and our dear friend Boris. We had great Italian food and Extraordinary Desserts! What else would a pregnant woman want on her bithday? My brother also called from Turkey at midnidght and I got to listen to the birthday messages of my niece and nephew. So cute!
Here's a shot from Raymond's cell phone camera around midnight
October 23, 2007 - Firestorm in San Diego: We're safe at home so far
San Diego is having the worst firestorm in its history. We just heard that last a few days, 232,000 acres have burned down and thousands of homes. I thought I'd add just a quick news item to let all of you know that we're safe.
Eser, Erim and baby Ceran had been evacuated from their house in Scripps Parkway and are staying with us. We're locked up in the house, but suprisingly the AQI is not too bad in Mission Valley. We're right next to the evac center in Qualcomm Stadium.
It's really a hard time for the whole San Diego and hope things will improve in the next hours. They asked the whole city to pack if things get even more out of control.
Raymond created a movie of the current fire status from satellite images from the CIMMS GOES page...
October 17, 2007 - A special gift from India arrived!
Thank you Karen, Luca and Sophie! Your gift is not only cute and special, but also very thoughtful. We never received an Italian package from India before.
We still have six weeks to meet our baby, but if he only knew how much he touched his Mom&Dad's life already.
I've never been the one to step into something without thinking about it. So my baby steps into motherhood are also taking a lot of quite hours. Last seven months I had to grow this girl all over again! But I think it is finally happening. I feel like I'm finally ready for what's coming. And I believe in what we can accomplish with Raymond with a little patience and a lot of respect and love.
I'm sure there's still a lot to learn and discover when our little boy is here, but we both look forward to enjoying every bit of it!
Look at my bump! Does it look like it can get any bigger? There's an approximately 5 pounds baby in there and it will grow up to 8 pounds... I'm looking forward to seeing the limits of my own body.
I'm not the one who is sick this time. I actually feel super energetic and strong after all the Jamba Juices, good food and sleep theraphy I've applied over the last week. So that's the good news!
The sad news is Raymond is back from Japan very tired and a little sick. He has a weird pain on his back and it is giving him hard time. I hope he will get better in a few days. He still showed up at the doctor's office for my prenatal visit today. I must say I wasn't expecting him after I left him in bed to rest him this morning, but yet he was there. I felt so lucky when I saw him there! A pleasant surprise as I don't like interacting with my doctor, especially when I'm alone.
The doctor visit was as usual. Everything seems to be progressing as expected. They gave me a flu shot this time just in case. We'll start going every week after our next visit.
Oh, by the way, we had our first child preparation class yesterday. A lot of useful information on sleep patterns and safety along with the trivial practical stuff. 10 minutes into the class, right when we were trying to swaddle our toy babies, someone's water broke! She started screaming and yelling with embarrassment. They took of to go to the hospital. Everyone was cheering and applauding as they left. It is a memory that will last a lifetime! Hope they had their carseat installed, 'cause they missed that part...
October 11, 2007 - Lost in translation and cold sores
Week 33 is almost over. We're getting impatient, but we're not ready for the arrival of our baby yet. There're a few things left to do actually.
Raymond is getting lost in translation in Japan this week. (also being treated to 11 course dinners ) He'll be home by the weekend and we'll start by cleaning the baby room before we start decorating it. Rest of the shopping for the first few weeks is yet to be done in the next couple of weeks.
In the meanwhile, I managed to get sick when he's away. A lot of people around work had been sick lately and it finally hit me. I've been trying hard not to get sick and feel pretty good except for runny nose and sore throat. The worst is the cold sore on my lip. My upper lip already doubled. I hope it won't get worse.
I stayed home today and hardly pulled myself out of bed around noon to get some lunch and groceries. I saw it somewere online that calcium deficiency causes cold sores during pregnancy when your body is weak. So I got all kinds of things with calcium in it in addition to treating myself to a big jamba juice and lunch with a lot of protein and fiber. I should be better tomorrow, yay!
October 5, 2007 - Evening trip to Los Angeles and Turkish concert
On Thursday, we went on a short trip to Los Angeles to listen and see Sertab Erener and Fahir Atakoglu in the Kodak Theater. They are two of my favorite Turkish musicians and the concert was very good. Raymond enjoys their piano music as well, so we went the two of us.
It was a wonderful evening overall. The Hollywood Blvd was all lit up. We had a nice dinner at French Crepe House. Here are some pictures that also reveal the 32 week bump.
Fancy lights in the H&H Mall right by the Chinese Theater
October 5, 2007 - Another year of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Dear Friends,
Raymond and I decided to walk for breast cancer research again this year. This is our 5th year in a row and we're very grateful to all the donations you've provided through us in the past.
Please take a moment to stop by one of our links below if you wish to donate. This is really an important cause for us and we feel even stronger about it with a baby soon joining us.
And because of this, I know that we won't be the worst parents on earth...
) 
) I'm looking forward to the experience in any way. I'm sure I'll write about it after birth. Don't worry I'll spare the details...
I hope he will get better in a few days. He still showed up at the doctor's office for my prenatal visit today. I must say I wasn't expecting him after I left him in bed to rest him this morning, but yet he was there. I felt so lucky when I saw him there! A pleasant surprise as I don't like interacting with my doctor, especially when I'm alone. 
Hope they had their carseat installed, 'cause they missed that part... 
