This Saturday we hit the half-way point in our pregnancy (Twenty weeks). I just can't believe we are where we are after struggling for so long. When I stop and think about it, it is still somewhat surreal to me. My hope and goal for this year was that we would be pregnant by the end of 2005. It is now the end of May and we are five months deep into this pregnancy. I am feeling the baby kick (as of this week), listening-in on Emma with a fetal monitor, and watching Elena's belly grow. It's all coming together faster and better than I could ever have hoped.

Little Emma has been really good too. Elena has had a wonderful pregnancy thus far. She has gained 9 lbs in five months and has not really had any major discomforts or problems. This week she did begin to experience lower back pain. This, of course, is due to Emma's continued growth which has subsequently shifted Elena's center of gravity, forcing Elena to use different muscles to support the added weight and structural configuration. This is all normal and expected however.

Even though Emma has not been born yet, she is already making an impact to our home and on our lives as we begin preparations for her arrival. Elena and I have gradually begun to transform the "craft/exercise/storage room" into her bedroom. We are in the very early stages of this task so there is no furniture or paint colors picked out yet. Right now we are focusing on "digging it out". That is, finding a place for all the junk we currently store there. My biggest concern is where to store my exercise bench and weight set. Elena says I should throw it out but I swear I will use it again. Right now the garage has been suggested as the perfect location for its new home. We'll have to see...

This Saturday we spent time with our very good friends Rob and Lissette, and their son Robert (who will be three years old this June). We went to "Babies R Us" to look at the various items we would be needing and to get some insight as to what products work, what don't, and what parents can't live without. Lissette was extremely helpful with her suggestions and made us look at things and consider features from an experienced perspective. It is clear to me that we will be spending a lot of time at "Babies R Us" in the coming months as we sort out what products are Emma-worthy. :)

Finally, Emma's Aunt Jennifer and Great Grandmother Aldona (my Sister and Grandmother respectively) stopped by to visit on Sunday. We walked around "City Place" and had "linner" (that's a lunch-time dinner for the uninitiated) at "Brewzzi's". My sister bought some shoes and my grandmother tried to buy every stuffed animal she could find for little Emma. We convinced her to buy just one, a cute fluffy doggie that now patiently awaits his master's arrival. My sister also surprised me with an early Father's day gift and Birthday gift. A book on parenting (for the father) and a book of Essays. I look forward to reading both.