In the Mind of the Man

In the Blink of an Eye... The New In The Mind Of The Man

2013-05-15T11:26:00.001-04:00

As soon as my daughter was born, people that we knew well, people that we didn't know well, and people that we didn't know at all would come up to us and say, "Ohhh! Enjoy this age. She will grow up in the Blink of an Eye."

Of course we would give a courtesy laugh and say thank you and then go on our way.

Well, I just blinked and two years have already passed. On Sunday, my daughter, Dahlia, will turn two. And it seems like just yesterday I was sending updates on this blog about her birth. I haven't written much since then. Partly because I was busy changing diapers, partly because I was consumed by her presence, partly (mostly) because I forgot.

However, after a two year hiatus, I have decided to start up this blog again.
In The Mind Of The Man will now consist of the thoughts, feelings, frustrations and all the in between of The Man while he watches his daughter grow up. Hopefully, when I blink again and I am taking the long drive to drop her off at college, Dahlia can pull out her iPad (or her holographic drop-down computer screen... whatever the standard is in 2029), and we can relive some of the memories of her childhood.

2011-05-21T15:35:00.001-04:00

Mother and daughter.

2011-05-21T15:33:00.001-04:00

Nana & Pa and Dahlia

2011-05-21T15:28:00.001-04:00

Dahlia

2011-05-21T11:57:00.001-04:00

Day 3

2011-05-20T12:49:00.001-04:00

Day two.

2011-05-19T12:06:00.001-04:00

Daddy's girl.

2011-05-19T03:15:00.001-04:00

Dahlia Jude Tomei
May 19, 2011
7 lbs, 7 oz
20.5 in long

2011-05-18T21:16:00.001-04:00

Fetal Heart Monitor at the peak of a contraction.

2011-05-18T19:47:00.001-04:00

Hard day today. Lots of pain. Better now with an epidural. Calm and peaceful now waiting for delivery.

2011-05-18T07:28:00.001-04:00

Started pitocin at 6:45 this morning. Contractions need to be stronger and closer together. Doing well, though. 2 cm dilated and baby making progress.

2011-05-17T22:00:00.001-04:00

Trying to get some sleep at the hospital. Contractions stronger now, every 2-4 minutes.

2011-05-17T17:20:00.001-04:00

In Labor & Delivery. There's a pink IV in her hand!

2011-05-17T11:30:00.001-04:00

Heather had an appointment today and her fluids were low. They are admitting her now and could induce within 12 hours. Will try to keep updating.

2011-05-12T08:57:00.000-04:00

40 weeks 4 days... still no baby.

2011-05-08T21:14:00.001-04:00

Due date has come and gone. No baby yet. Will update when she comes.

Ways Planned to Announce the Birth

2011-05-02T23:38:00.005-04:00

There are several ways we plan on making the birth announcment.

First is a phone call. Obviously we can't call everybody, so for the majority of you, don't be expecting a phone call from us within... oh say... the first month.

The second way, and probably most effective way, is email. If you are reading this right now, most likely you have been included on the EMAIL birth announcement list, (unless of course you just happened to stumble upon this blog and could not stop reading the scholarly writing. You, my friend, have great taste in literature. However, you will not be included in the email notification.)

The third and final way is Twitter. If you have a Twitter account you can follow me @themindoftheman.

I will be using this blog and Twitter to send updates until the birth. Check back frequently if you are interested to see how your prediction is matching up to Heather's progression. I will only email when Dahlia is born.

I plan on using this blog throughout the first several years of Dahlia's life to write about different issues that come up as a parent, especially as they pertain to being a first time dad. I hope you will continue to read my blog. (as I reread that last sentence I noticed how optimistically presumptuous that makes me. In order for one to "continue" something, one must be doing it on a regular basis to begin with.) I hope you will continue OR begin to read my blog as the years go on and we watch Dahlia grow.

2011-05-02T22:50:00.001-04:00

Heather at 38 weeks pregnant.

Little Tomei Due Date Pool (LTDDP)

2011-05-02T11:31:00.008-04:00

I know it’s been a while since I last updated and we are getting closer and closer. With each day we're getting more and more excited about the arrival of our first child.

But that is not what is important right now! The most important thing at this time is to start the Little Tomei Due Date Pool!

I know it's a little late, but I originally thought Karen was going to start a pool... because she said she was, well, going to start a pool.

Then I talked to Lynn. I got the impression she was going to start up a pool... because she said something like, (and I'm quoting here, not paraphrasing) "I'll start a pool."

But alas, no pool has been started...

UNTIL NOW!

This is the official Little Tomei Due Date Pool post.

Please reply to the LTDDP post below to post your prediction of when you think Heather will give birth to the newest Tomei.
Click on where it says "Comments" below to post your prediction. ***Do not respond to the email that directed you here.***

Please write the date and time you predict to avoid ties.

There is no money involved, because I don't think we can organize that in time, (see above references to Karen and Lynn), but the winner will be allowed to babysit her whenever we ask. What an honor!

Keep in mind that her official due date is May 7, so get your predictions in soon to be part of the LTDDP before it’s too late.

Matt

p.s. Please forward the LTDDP post to whomever else you feel would be interested in joining in our pool.

p.p.s. Just joking Karen and Lynn. I know I am not that important in your life.

Catch the Smile

2011-03-05T23:35:00.001-05:00

Here's another video of the new internet sensation. See if you can catch Dahlia laughing at her father's joke!

New Dahlia Photos

2011-03-05T23:27:00.003-05:00

We had the opportunity to see Dahlia again today. We had more 3D images taken of her and after about 20 minutes of sleeping, she woke up to give us plenty to see... including a smile. Check out the pictures below in the slideshow.

3D Images

2011-02-19T21:30:00.004-05:00

Today we went to a place in Manhattan that takes 3D ultrasounds. We were able to see our little girl almost as if she were sitting in front of us. Throughout the entire process she was quite bashful, keeping her hands in front of her face. Below is a quick video and 6 pictures of our little Dahlia Jude.

Things That You're Forced To Do When Your Wife's Pregnant

2010-12-29T10:33:00.001-05:00

"Matt, I need to do this! I'll go without you, I'm just saying, I need to do this before the baby comes."

This was the tough predicament I was put into last month when my pregnant wife demanded we go on one last vacation to someplace warm before the baby comes.

I know what most of you are thinking. You're thinking, 'Man, Matt! You really have it rough.'

Well, I appreciate it, but don't worry about me. I can handle it as it comes.

As only a good husband would, I got on the Internet right away and started searching for, "someplace warm," to take my unreasonable wife.

After a painstakingly long search of sold out or overpriced islands, we found a deal in Aruba. We had already been to the island once before, but that made it even more intriguing. We wouldn't feel the need to do any site seeing. Just sit on the beach and soak up the sun for a few days.

So now here we are. The sandy beaches of Aruba. So sandy that my pants have already gotten... well, sandy. The blue waters of the Caribbean. So blue that I can't tell where the sea ends and sky begins. The warm island sun. So warm that I have already had to move out of it because it's too hot.

Please don't feel too bad for me, though. I was fully aware that this was part of the trials and tribulations when I signed up to start a family with Heather.

We've only been on the island for about 18 hours and Heather has already said on numerous occasions how overwhelmingly happy she is right now.

As I sit here typing this post, staring out into the clear blue ocean, I am reminded that this is what it's all about. Sacrificing for the ones you love.

It's a...Girl!

2010-12-21T23:03:00.001-05:00

We just had our 20-week anatomy scan and everything checked out normal. The ultrasound technician immediately informed us that she would be taking the photographs, but that the doctor would be in to give us the analysis. She calmly, and without emotion, perused the inside of Heather’s belly identifying the body parts one by one.

“One arm… There’s the other...”

Heather and I are smiling at the screen, at each other, back at the screen.

“Eye lids...

“Nose...

“Lips…”

“Does everything look normal?” I asked.

“The doctor will be in to tell you that!”

Oh, sorry.

“There’s a foot… here’s the other...

“Femur...

“Abdomen...

“It’s a girl.”

Wait, hold it… It’s a girl?

And just like that, as if she was just reading us the daily special at a run-of-the-mill diner, she announced that we were having a daughter.

It didn’t matter, though, the tone of the announcement. I looked at Heather and I could see the happiness gleaming out of her.

“A GIRL!” Heather cried softly in joy.

And so there it is. I am soon to be the proud father of a baby girl.

Below are some pictures from the ultrasound.

The last one might be a bit X-rated… Just saying.

Here is a profile of the little girl.

Her two feet. So cute!

My Little Girl is not shy. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now.

Three Months Down - Seven to Go

2010-10-26T23:12:00.002-04:00

We went for our ever-so important Nuchal Translucency (NT) Scan today. Basically it is an ultrasound where they look at the fluid under the skin in the back of the baby’s neck. This will assess the likelihood of the baby having Down’s Syndrome. This test is done soon after 12 weeks. They won’t be able to tell us for sure either way, just a percentage as to the chances of it developing Down’s. The nurse told us that they would be concerned if it was over 2.5 mm, and that normal is around 1mm – 1.5mm.

We got to the hospital right on time and had to wait for only 15 minutes, but don’t tell that to Heather’s bladder! I can’t say I can completely relate to Heather’s experience. I mean I don’t think I’ve ever had to drink a gallon of water and then have somebody poke and push on my stomach for 40+ minutes. It must have felt awful! But I was in such awe with our little guy dancing on the computer screen that, in my mind, it seemed to justify Heather’s discomfort. And since this blog is named after my mind… Well, sorry Heather, but because the little guy wouldn’t give us a perfect profile picture (what is needed to take the NT measurements) we were able to look at him/her for about 40 minutes.

In that 40 minutes, we saw our unborn child turn, flip, wave, turn some more, and touch its head. To see the our little guy move his hand like that and to its head had to be one of the cutest things I’ve seen. Ok, I admit, that sounds cliché, but up until this touch of the head it has been a number, a percentage, a heartbeat, an ultrasound, a fetus, a “Teddy Bear.” Now it was making human movements. This really might have been the cutest thing I have ever seen.

After a while the stubborn little guy gave the nurse a profile picture (see below) and allowed her to take a measurement of the fluid. It measured at 1.01mm. We are at 12 weeks 2 days. We still have to hold our breaths for the next 8 weeks until the 20 week scan to see if everything is progressing as it should, but as of now everything is normal once again.

ps. If you're reading this blog already, you obviously know already. But we are starting our 2nd trimester, so please feel free to tell any friends or family of our pregnancy... if you want to.

Pps. Follow me on Twitter.