Peanut Parker has a Heartbeat!!!!!!

Today, Nicole and I went to our first OB/GYN visit. Nicole has been having quite a bit of pain and nausea, so after Googling all of the 'symptoms' - we feared that she either had an ectopic pregnancy . . . or needed more fiber in her diet (Confucious note to all: "Self-diagnosis sometimes not so good; try to seek doctor.")

Anyway - the 7th week visit went very well. It's the first time I've actually ever seen a doctor come in on time. What a concept - meeting customer expectations. I'll save my rants about the medical industry in general for some other posts/venues. : )

We answered some interesting questions about our family and genetic defects. Some things we had never heard of; others we suspected based on behaviour patterns of our relatives. No names will be mentioned, to protect the innocent. The staff was patient and reassuring --- it was nice to have them document a comprehensive medical picture, with bloodwork --- to have on hand as we progress through the next several months.

Then came the ultrasound. Within seconds, Peanut Parker made a cameo appearance on the screen. We both thought - cool -- a little blob in the middle of the screen, just like the books told us the baby would look like at 7 weeks.

Then, the doc asked if we saw the heart beating, and our world changed.

Right in the middle of the picture was our little creation with a heart about half the size of her/his body . . . beating strong and rapidly. We didn't get a rate measure, but by my calculation, I estimated almost 3 beats per second --- for an athletic beat of 165-175 bpm. Did I mention how big the heart was -- just like Peanut's mommy.

Nicole cried. I reveled in the miracle of life.

It's really hard to imagine the perfect engineering that God has created and entrusted us to carry out without even thinking about it. There are so many things that can go wrong in so many ways in the process of the creation of life . . . but, in the vast majority of cases, and for the sanctity of life for the countless babies, kittens, and puppies that are born daily ---- all things go well. Thank you, Lord.

Welcome to your womb, Peanut Parker. You have given us trust to cherish, nurture, and protect you daily. We wait to greet you with open arms at the end of your first journey.

Love, Your Daddy.